racism' has been tossed around the past few years in almost every sphere of life —ranging from politics, to the military and the world of sports — the term is used to excuse and disregard a whole host of sins. Sometimes acceptable, often not, charges of racism against minorities are almost very common today.Sports signifies sportsmanship and brings about a strong feeling of unity. Sports can empower, influence and inspire millions.
There is a popular belief that sport is a merit based game - largely free from the damaging effects of racism. But the truth lies in the fact that more often or not, fortunately or unfortunately, these terms have been associated with each other for quite some time now.
The paradox of race, racism and sports, which started as a political issue some time back has now become a source of mind games for some against those players whose ancestors have a faced a life of misery with this sensitive issue. As early as 18th century, when the Americans introduced the game of Golf and blacks were forced to serve as the “caddies” assumed their supremacy over the game and the Blacks, serving it as a statement for the world.
Sport provides enough evidence of racial and biological differences between white, black and Asian athletes.
During 1936 Berlin Olympics Games, Jesse Owens caused an uproar by winning four gold medals and thus eradicating Hitler’s ideas of “White Supremacy”. This historical incident not only led to Hitler’s failure to acknowledge the greatness of Owens but also resulted in US President Roosevelt refusal to invite Jesse to white House as he couldn’t afford to offend conservative voters by being seen with Owens who was by then one of the most famous black sports people. He even had to stay and eat in ‘black-only’ hotels when they travelled. The few ‘white-only’ hotels that let the African American athletes stay made them use the back door instead of the stairs and the elevator.
Racism in Sport is a problem which is manifest around the world. It has led to a wide range of controversial incidents which have been reported in the media.
Dean Jones, the former Australia Test batsman turned TV commentator, was sacked in 2006 by his employers, Ten Sports, for calling South African cricketer Hashim Amla a 'terrorist' on live television. In a twist to the controversy, Jones said that his remark was not directed at Amla but to his South African teammate Nicky Boje.
Broadcaster Kelly Tilghman was suspended from The Golf Channel after joking about Tiger Woods being "lynched in a back alley" during final round coverage of the Mercedes-Benz Championship.
People might just have a perception that racism is prevalent only in sports where Western countries seem to dominate but the facts contradict this argument. It is as prevalent in other sports like cricket, golf and athletics.
Racism is also seen as something that comes with the cultural background of the sportsperson. Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton was jeered by the crowds wearing blackface and chanting nasty comments at him in Spain, a country known for its racism intolerance.
Some movies like Goal and Bend It Like Beckham have emphasized the extent of racism in sports. Derogatory terms are generally used to entice players resulting in a number of mishaps on the field. Agitated and offended players often get engulfed into a brawl resulting in a much affected match.
The governing bodies of some sports have implemented specific policies to control racism however in some countries and competitions racism in sport continues to be a significant human rights issue.
The scenario of the Sports industry is under going a much awaited transformation. A perfect example to support this line of thought is IPL that is taking place every year. Players from various backgrounds come together for only one cause, and that is to win the IPL trophy. These matches broke all notions of sports and racism that had crippled the minds of players and audiences for so many years. Pakistani player cheered for their Indian teammate while the Australians backed up their English counterparts. The matches enabled the world to be concised to something as small as the “Kolkata Knight Rider or “The Delhi Daredevils”
The just concluded Football World Cup in South Africa provided an opportunity both to take a fresh look at the issue of racism in sport, and to enhance sport's tremendous potential to undermine racism, xenophobia9racial intolerance) and similar forms of intolerance in wider society.
In many sporting nations across the world, a sport is akin to a religion. People who can’t understand each other due to linguistic differences still share a love for the same sport. It is for this reason that the fight against racism must triumph, that the love for sport doesn’t diminish.
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