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October 10, 2008 6:38:41 PM CDT

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Study Sees Racial Bias In NBA Refs

Posted May 1, 07 10:39 PM CDT in Sports 

(Newser) – in the NBA, white referees call up to 4.5% more fouls against black players than against white players, according to a study by Justin Wolfers and Joseph Price, a Penn professor and a Cornell graduate student. And the opposite is also true: black refs call more fouls on white players, though the discrepancy isn't as large. 

The study joins a larger corpus of academic work on subconscious racism, although several prominent NBA players and coaches have denied that they've experienced discrimination on the court. Still, Wolfers says the data suggest that "...if you spray-painted one of your starters white, you'd win a few more games."

Source New York Times

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