I had once thought it was because a person couldn’t turn a profit on it. Mark Spitz, despite the 7 gold medals in one Olympiad, never converted his fame into many commercial endorsements, and there’s no market at all for professional swimmers.
However I’ve been corrected on this point regarding Summer Sanders, and maybe Janet Evans? - not sure if she made any money or not.
Anyway, I figured that black athletes would be drawn to football and basketball because of the money.
Some people are driven by love and others by money.
Race probably isnt a factor.