In "Champion of the World", there are many instances in which it seems that the group of African-Americans willingly conform to the identity forced upon them by white society. Joe Louis, the savior himself, is given the nickname "Brown Bomber". This nickname, as innocent as it seems, defines Joe Louis by his skin color, and combined with the negative stereotypes associated with blacks at the time, forces Louis to act a certain way. Louis's fighting style is even described as "mad", a stereotype attached to African-Americans. Louis's nickname contrasts with his opponent's, who is unnamed throughout the chapter. This can be interpreted as an example of how blacks were restricted by their skin color and forced to fit a certain mold, while whites were allowed to find their own identity. Despite the obvious negatives of the nickname, the group at the Store willingly address Joe Louis as the "Brown Bomber".

Furthermore, the group's diction enforces the negative stereotypes that they're fighting against. Before the fight, someone says, "Joe's gonna whip that cracker like it's open season." As open season is defined as "a period when hunting restrictions... are lifted", this person insinuates that Joe will beat the white contender as if Joe's a hunter and the contender prey, rather than both as human competitors. This serves to enforce the stereotype that African Americans are savages and "only a little higher than apes." This stereotype is again furthered when the narrator states that "if the Brown Bomber's victory was a particularly bloody one they would order peanut patties." By suggesting that the group would celebrate more if the victory was "particularly bloody", the narrator again enforces the stereotype that her own race is uncivilized, a "lower [type] of human [being]".