Journalists missed chances to adequately explore the diverse stories of many U.S. Olympic athletes, like Anthony Ervin, among others. As a nation, we still have not adequately dealt with the dispossession of Native American lands, African American slavery, or the continuing issues concerning the modern-day subjugation of these and other groups. Next to co-captain Michael Phelps were Anthony Ervin, who is Jewish and African American, and Nathan Adrian, who is of European and Chinese ancestry. As a light-skinned African American of mixed ancestry, he admittedly didn't understand how reporters wanted him to talk about his "black experience." In his memoir, Chasing Water, Ervin acknowledges that while he is African American, society does not necessarily see him as "black."

Source: Huffington Post August 23, 2016 14:26 UTC