Anyone who attempts to breach this taboo to study or even discuss what might be behind the growing performance gap between black and white athletes must be prepared to run a gauntlet of public scorn, survival not guaranteed. Entine doth protest too much about censorship. His documentary was aired, and he himself quotes scores of athletes, scientists and scholars willing to discuss the question. In fact, race and sports has received wider consideration than many more important issues. In Body Count, conservative moralist William Bennett argues that it's nearly impossible to get an honest debate about race and crime, another arena in which black men dominate the statistics.
Black feminists feel the same way about serious discussions of gender and race.
Entine also underplays the political and cultural land mines that make the discussion so controversial. When white men were winning, athletic excellence was considered evidence of such character traits as discipline, hard work and determination. His assertion about what winning means confirms many African-Americans' fears that any genetic explanation will always be used against them. After all, musical talent is often considered highly linked to mathematical ability, except when discussing black performers. Because it bravely tackles the exhaustive list of ideas that must be considered in any open-minded discussion of this topic, Taboo could well be the most intellectually demanding sports book ever written.