1) Is race an issue in sports? Or is racial equality better in sports than in the general society?
2) Is it acceptable for an owner (e.g., Atlanta Hawks or LA Clippers owners) to make disparaging racial remarks? Does it make a difference if the remarks are about players as opposed to fans?
3) Are professional sports upheld as a way out of poverty more so for certain groups of young people? Children of color? Is that appropriate?
4) Searching for a League’s True Scale of Bigotry - NYTimes.com
I think that racial equality is more prevalent in sports than it is in the larger society, most likely in my opinion as a result of how true talent is often so difficult to find that teams who discriminate will inexorably lose. In this regard, there is a strong selective pressure on franchises to be egalitarian with respect to race or they will be unable to recruit skilled athletes who will bring such teams recognition and profits.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, however, it has been common recently to hear about racist remarks made by the owners of franchises, such as Donald Sterling and Bruce Levenson. That is completely unacceptable—a sentiment with which I think few would disagree—and it does not matter if such statements are leveled against players, fans, or staff. These individuals are in positions of prominence and as such have a responsibility to set an example for the many spectators who every week tune in to watch their teams compete. Consequently, rather than engaging in racism, the owners should condemn it in the hopes that they will be able to contribute to the promotion of tolerance and appreciation of diversity by the larger community.
Finally, I think that many children have a high regard for athletics and a career in sports and it is not a dream restricted to certain individuals. At the same time, because some families are not locked in a cycle of poverty, they are able to encourage their children to seek alternative career paths, given how difficult it is to succeed in professional sports. Therefore, I do not think that sports necessarily function as a bastion of hope for the poor that turns them away from other more realistic careers; rather, the issue is inherent in the cycle of poverty itself—and not a result of sports—and how the poor do not have access to the resources to lift their children out of poverty with each subsequent generation consequently remaining indigent.
I have a short commentary to add in response to the article listed.
DeleteI agree that racism is still prevalent in most aspects of our society, including sports—the cases with these NBA executives are an egregious example of such. At the risk of overshadowing what is still an ill that society needs to address, I think that collectively society has made progress from where it was fifty years ago, especially in athletics. Sports are becoming increasingly egalitarian and is a great model for the rest of society to emulate: Jackie Robinson would be welcomed for his talent rather than deprecated for race. Durocher was right when telling the Dodgers players that they should focus more on practicing than petitioning, because Robinson was only the tip of the iceberg.
As I mentioned before though, this has only scratched the surface and we have so much more that we need. The article is right in that racism has become much more subtle and still exists in the ugly pockets of society that backwardly prescribe to what they see as permissive bigotry. It certainly is disconcerting to hear of these NBA executives who one-by-one are revealing their racist attitudes and easy to lose faith in the progressive nature of our society. Nevertheless, the reason for my previous paragraph is to explain my hope that we will make as much progress in the next fifty years as we have in the last fifty years. Perhaps, not just sports but our whole society will be one based on justice and equality that views everyone irrespectively of their race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, religion or creed, sexual orientation, or any other such social demarcation.
Race is not really an issue in sports as it is in society. We all hope for racism to be an issue of the past but we are hearing more and more cases of it occur. It is sad and shocking that owners could be concerned about the race nowadays. I feel like players don't view it this way though, perhaps for the same shared attitude and love for the game. It is wrong for an owner to make racial remarks. There is no place for it. Sports can be viewed as a way out of poverty for some people and we especially think this when we hear a touching story about one athlete who started from the bottom and made it to the top. However, I don't think it is appropriate to call this so because it leaves a somewhat unfair projection for those who do grow up in poverty,
ReplyDelete1) Race is not so much a problem in sports as it is in society as a whole. The problem of racism lies within the context of our society. No matter what we think, racism still exists today. Should it exist? The answer is absolutely not. But does it exist? Absolutely. The example of the coach making racist comments is only a small bit of racism that is alive today. Coaches, players, and fans make/think racial thoughts and comments all the time, whether they realize it or not. It's institutionalized and thought of as normal until some big authority figure gets caught and things go crazy. And it's really sad that until something like that happens, that racism goes unnoticed or people think* it doesn't exist.
ReplyDelete2) It does not make a difference. A racial remark should not be acceptable regardless of whom it is intended for. Racism in general should not be allowed, especially for a coach of the NBA. Someone with that kind of authority needs to be a role model and leader for such an organization. He needs to set an example and show responsibility and dedication for all his fans and players--regardless of race.
3) I don't honestly know how I feel about this third question. I think for some people it is a source of breaking the cycle of poverty. I don't think it's the case for all athletes though. It makes me wonder, because how can someone in poverty get recognized by the NBA or NFL or higher organization? In my own experience, it takes a lot of training (by professionals) to get to that level. It also takes playing outside of school teams (like clubs or select teams) which can cost a lot of money and traveling. How can a person in poverty afford that? I don't think a lot of them can, therefore they can't get into the NFL or NBA. I think it takes a lot of luck and dedication (which many in poverty may put forth) to get to such a high level. I do believe a lot of them may aim at sports for scholarships, but I don't think there main goal is to get out of poverty. Because once they are done with sports and school and they don't make it to the big times, what do they do? Where do they go? Most likely back into that state of poverty...unless they really focus on their education and put forth the effort to get a job and be successful.
I think race in sports is not that prevalent anymore but I would not say it does not exist in sports anymore considering what happened to two of the GM for the NBA teams. I definitely think racial equality is better in sports than in the real world. It is not okay for anyone to make any kind of racial remarks. I think professional sports is a way out of poverty more so for young people because they have worked hard at something and it does not feel like the world is constantly crushing them down.
ReplyDelete1. I believe race still has an impact on sports but in general the racial equality is better in sports than it is in the real world. With all of the spotlights upon sports we see that it becomes more scrutinized.
ReplyDelete2. No it is never acceptable to make any statements like and is a reason for why racial equality is better in sports than it is in the real world. ceptable to make any remarks regarding race. It doesn't matter who the comment is made to it is still wrong and has no place in sports or in the world.
3. I do not see it that way but for people who have nothing to begin with and seeing the prospect of becoming famous on athletic ability rather than working a job they do not like. I do not believe that this type of ideology is suitable to place in the head of our younger children. It is a very rare chance that a child can make it to the professional levels in any sports, we should instead try and prepare the children for the future life they will eventually lead.
1. I think that race is not that much of a problem now a days in sports as a whole but there are a few. racism still exist ,but they can't speak there mind or say racist slurs, they will be fires or released from there jobs.
ReplyDelete2.It is not okay and never will be acceptable for a owner such as L.A Clippers owner to make racist comment because people will be offended and thats not okay. and does not matter who the remarks was about ,its not okay.
3. i do not see is as a way out because a hand full of people actually make it to be professionals.
I do not think race is an issue in sports at all. However, there has been some recent incidents in the NBA with several owners making racial remarks about "attracting more white fans to the games". I think this type of behavior is absolutely unacceptable. There is no room for this type of behavior in sports and in society. These remarks that were made by the owners do not make a difference whether or not they were directed at the fans or not. Whoever it was directed to, it is still wrong and there is no room for this type of behavior. I think in some cases professional sports can be upheld as a way out of poverty for some kids. If a kid is talented and has potential to make it the next level then I see nothing wrong with him or her trying to pursue that path. There is a lot of money in professional sports but the road to get there is challenging and if someone wants to take that challenge on so be it.
ReplyDeleteI have never personally found race to be a problem in sports today. I'm sure it does still exist, but not in my career. I feel like it is better than in society, most athletes feel like if you can play, the rest doesn't matter. Race, gender, sexuality, size, intellect, wealth, none of it. As far as Sterling, no matter how much i disagree with his comments, the first amendment does allow him freedom of speech. He was the owner of the Clippers though, which i felt like the players should have all quit the team. It just didn't seem right that Sterling was paid a stupid amount of money to get bought out of the NBA for what he said. They should have let the clippers become worthless before he was forced to sell it.
ReplyDeleteI do not think that race is a big problem in sports today. I think the racial barriers have been broken down in sports. You see very racially mixed teams today and you hardly ever hear about racial cases with teams in the media today and I think that is great. Even though there have been NBA owners that have made racial comments, they were taken care of! A racist in today's society will never last. If you can not get over the color of one's skin then you have bigger issues to deal with and you are an ignorant and probably very uneducated and selfish person!
ReplyDeleteRacial issues are probably least likely to happen in sports than anywhere else. I know some things happened with the Clippers, the Hawks, and in the past with Riley Cooper and the Philadelphia Eagles, but overall race isn't a big issue in sports. The cases with the owners is despicable and there is no room for it in sports. These guys deserved what they got, the loss of their teams. I can kind of see sports as a way out of a bad situation for everyone! This stereotype of black athletes getting out of a bad area applies to everyone. Everyone has issues that aren't as severe to some people, but are relatively bad to their surroundings, so sports can be a relief to anyone and everyone.
ReplyDeleteI believe that race is an issue in sports. I believe that this is definitely prominent in basketball. If you look at the statistics of white vs. black basketball players at the professional and collegiate level, there are more blacks on the court. That's just what is expected when you are talking about basketball, tall black guys. They are just stereotyped to be better at the sport. Just as you wouldn't see as many black guys playing baseball... same thing.
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