Triathlon and Race

I was listening to a sports commentator talking about this David Sterling stuff  and he asked the question:  "When was the last time you talked about race to someone of a different race?"    It made me think about the sport of Triathlon and race. 

To give you some of my perspective, the majority of my regular races are held in the Midwest.  Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota.  We are a majority caucasian area of the country and the overwhelming mix of competitors is white.  In fact, I would wager that over 95% of the competitors I see at triathlons are white.  This includes races that draw more National participation like the Hy Vee Triathlon in Des Moines.    Age Group Nationals in Milwaukee last year was much of the same although there were certainly more non-caucasians there.  Even IMAZ last year, majority white.

The reason I'm even bringing this up is because I had a long conversation about racism with my 10 year old last night.  He LOVES sports.  In fact, he is a Sports Center addict and is always watching anything sports related.  He kept asking questions about why the NBA is mostly African Americans and how come other sports are not the same way like golf, and football (which is probably 50/50).  He even asked me about triathlons and how many minorities participate.... 

What doe CoJ think?  Is this a topic that is taboo or am I over thinking it?