Celebrating While Black: NFL Quarterbacks Perceived as Representing Black Culture are Judged as More Arrogant

Prior work has shown that confident behavior from Black individuals can be unfairly interpreted as arrogance (the “hubris penalty”). In two studies, we test predictions that the more NFL quarterbacks (QBs) are seen as representing Black culture, the more arrogant they will be judged. In Study 1, Black QBs were rated as more arrogant than White QBs on average, and Black and White QBs who were judged as more representative of Black culture were rated as more arrogant. Study 2 showed that viewing a QB celebrating increased perceptions of arrogance and led participants to see celebrating as less appropriate when the QB was Black. Findings are consistent with social dominance theory, such that QBs perceived as “representing Blackness” are disproportionately penalized for behaving confidently. Data can be found at https://osf.io/6snad/.