Thursday, April 26, 2012

Racism in Sports

As racism continues to rise across the Western world it is little surprise that it has found its way into the world of sports -- a space where greater racial equality is often met by both nuanced and overt racial commentary. Just in the last year, we have had the Lin "chink in the armor" controversy, two incidents in the English Premier League (one involving Liverpool's Luis Suarez telling Man U's Patrice Evra that he doesn't talk to Negros (Mirror)and the other ex-England and Chelsea Captain John Terry shouting racial epithets at QPR defender Anton Ferdinand (AFB)) and the rather paltry covering of rookie quarterback Cam Newton, who broke Peyton Manning's rookie record for yards, but got little coverage after many argued he couldn't make it in the NFL (with the usual commentator bias against black quarterbacks continuing to rear its ugly head). Other soccer venues and games have seen ugly racial incidents, including at Tottenham and Arsenal, in Egypt and in Russia, where the racism appears to be quite strong. The latest example comes from the Stanley Cup playoffs, after Joel Ward, one of the few black players in the NHL, scored an overtime goal to send the Capitals past the defending champion Boston Bruins. In the wake of the dramatic win in Game 7, Ward's Twitter page was awash in racist comments from disgruntled Bruins fans (ESPN).

What should we make of these diverse incidents? One thing that is clear is that they are no longer acceptable and players and fans involved are often condemned, fined or suspended. Commentators that make what are perceived as racist comments are often fired, from Howard Cosell to Jimmy the Greek to one of the two involved in the Lin comments. But much nuanced racism continues to persist. For example, the way black athletes are often described in animalistic terms, or as natural talents, while we hear more about white athletes work ethic, intelligence and the like. With fans, the abuse is often much less nuanced from throwing bananas at black athletes in soccer and the NHL to racist chants during soccer matches. Is this just a continuation of racism that never died? Does the composition of the fan base, which includes a lot of working class people, explain the problem? Have we just become more sensitive to the problem in the 24-hour news cycle and given a larger focus on the underlying meaning of language? 

While all of these may be true, I can't help but believe that it results from two trends and a third underlying pathology: 1) the increased immigration across Europe and America that have diversified societies and called national identities into question, 2) the financial crisis that has worsened the situation for many working and middle class men -- with the blame placed squarely on minority, immigrant groups, affirmative action and anything else that cloaks the workings of capitalism today and 3) since we think of sports as a meritocracy, the success of black, asian or other minority athletes, reaffirms the sense of inferiority or threat posed by these groups to the fading white, male power in the world today. Sports becomes a metaphor for the diminishing prospects of the White male in Western society and a firm reminder that tired old racist theories have been largely disproven over time. Just as black male potency and athletic prowess have long been an unspoken national pathology among white men (exemplified in among other TV, movies and novels the classic To Kill a Mocking Bird). While sports are often held up as an example of successfully overcoming racism, it is clear there is residual racism at their very heart. And as the world economic climate continues to be mired in uncertainty and increased inequality and poverty, it appears the sports metaphor will reflect the fading hegemony of the white world.

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