Selecting for ‘the Right Places’: Racial Capitalism and Strategic Essentialism in Football Academies in West-Africa

Sport has long been shaped by the narratives of natural group qualities and competencies, which is a central framework of racial capitalism. Different ethnic and racial groups are ascribed certain natural qualities which supposedly make them more or less equipped for sport or for given roles in sport. This presumption of deservedness has shaped the opportunities and nature of participation of groups. Black Africans often find their abilities reduced to a limited set of physical capabilities and their role largely concentrated in the positions where these skills are of high importance, while having limited opportunities in the other positions. As a result, they may adopt a strategic form of essentialism to increase their chances of selection. This paper examines how football academies in West Africa play the game of strategic essentialism in their effort to extract value from the global talent export market shaped by racial capitalism.