EDITORIAL: Sports and racism
“Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future and renders the present inaccessible.” – Maya Angelou.
Over the past few weeks, athletes both male and female have made headlines not because of their sport but because of the colour of their skin. The question which all must ask is why? Why does it matter when we all share DNA and have red blood flowing through our veins? That answer lies in the shift of power and knowing there is great privilege and position when one group discriminates against another.
Long history of prejudice
It may be surprising to note that the connection to skin complexion, otherness, inferiority and servitude started centuries before the Transatlantic slave trade. From the Greeks and Romans to the European elites and North American settlers, “superiority” over another group has always been present. With blackness associated with sin and death throughout slavery, religion was also used to reinforce ideas about race. The racial hierarchy was tied to economic gains and labour and this ideology continues to permeate all societies despite the abolition of slavery in Europe, its colonies and North America. The reality is that these ideals are not based on science (neither biology nor physics) or facts, it is a simple equation of repetition of lies and social psychology. It is why a young black child could look at a black doll and say it is ugly.
Black people in sports is political
In the year 2020, the Black Lives Movement in the USA inspired celebrities, politicians and sports persons to stand up against racism. Four years earlier, American footballer and well known civil rights activist, Colin Kaepernick caused national controversy by sitting and eventually kneeling at a football game during the playing of the national anthem. Through his actions and his words, the young athlete has stated that he is standing up for the struggles of people of colour. But while on one end there is protest, there is also abuse when black athletes excel and when they fail.
This month Formula One Lewis Hamilton has faced racism as well as English footballer, Marcus Rashford. While Serena Williams and Simone Biles both strong, talented Black women in their field pave the way for others, in the rearview is always the legacy of Jim Crow, black lynching and the civil rights movement. Black people in sports may be more visible but they continue to be treated as second class citizens, criticised more for their athleticism, physique, appearance, sense of style and personality and paid less than their white counterparts. In their communities, they also have less access to good trainers, sporting facilities, equipment and proper nutrition.
The existence of Black people in sports is political. One just has to see the black and white photo of Tommie Smith and John Carlos who raised their black-gloved fist during the medal ceremony at the 1968 Olympic Games. It took over half a century for Smith to be recognised for his protest against racism.
Silence is deafening
In 2021, when Black athletes face overt or covert racism and prejudice, they face these moments alone. Few if any persons from the other side stand with them publicly and say there must be change. There is no investment in schools to teach children from an early age the consequences of slavery or that discrimination by colour or any other characteristic is wrong. The reaction to racism, whether from the voice of a Black royal to the dying cries of a Black man on the streets of America, is the same, brief outrage/protest followed by silence.
Some Black people across the globe hold significant wealth and they must use it to invest in the Black communities in their countries and across the globe. Proud, protected, self-assured black people will succeed, they will innovate, they will motivate and they will be able to change the mindset and perception of those who refuse to accept and understand the black identity and consciousness.