Racism in Sports
Racism is a concept that may signify struggles over power in reference to one’s skin colour. In the social sciences, racism is considered a social construction beyond the biologically valid concept (Richeson 148).
Superficial Perception of Sports
Sports have often been known as a place where indifferences occurring in the real world cease to exist. Superficially, sports are seen as a paradigm that mimics an integrated society. However, close scrutiny of sports reveals that such an idyllic perception is largely misleading (Farrington et al. 140). Apparently, racism is rife and vibrant in sports and has transcended widely and deeply both in administrative ranks and within the players themselves. It has resulted in not only prejudices, stereotypes and myths, but also led to under-representation and discrimination against certain factions of the society.
Racism's Impact on Reputation and Stress
Racism in sports has the ability to not only damage the reputation of a country but also increase stress among players. Many people witnessed 49ers quarterback Collin Kaepernick take a knee during a national anthem (Belson). His action ignited controversy nationwide and globally. While some people believed that it was an act of disrespect, other viewed him as someone using the opportunity to take action on what he believes. Kaepernick protest represented support for persons of colour who were being oppressed in the US and it was a dramatic stand against police brutality against the black minority. In one of his speeches, Collin Kaepernick was quoted saying, “It was James Baldwin who said, to be Black in America, and to be relatively conscious is to be in a rage almost all the time,” (Kaepernick). He continued to state that, “How can you stand for the national anthem of a nation that preaches and propagates, “freedom and justice for all that is so unjust to so many of the people living there?” Such a statement not only depicts America as a deeply racial country that does not care about its people but also conveys the frustrations that her people go through.
Racist Attacks on Serena Williams
Also, Serena Williams has become a major target of racist attacks that have had serious detrimental effects on her personal esteem and cultural identity. In one of the derogatory caricature by Mark Knight, an oversized seething William with thick lips and upright hair jumps on her smashed racket unable to contain her rage after losing the championship to Naomi Osaka of Japan (Newman). On the ground lies a deformed pacifier and at a distant Ramos, a white male umpire says to Osaka, "can you just let her win?" Apparently, Knight willfully erased Osaka's multiracial ancestry woman and transformed her into a rule-abiding white female. Such a caricature had a significant impact on the cultural identities of the player. Serena William agrees that every athlete should be honoured and grateful for the protests initiated by Colin Kaepernick. In her book titled “Citizen and American Lyric,” Claudia Rankine agrees with Serena William and contents that, micro-aggressions are highly connected with the lethal effects of racial prejudices (Gonzalez). However, this does not mean that racial aggressions are only perpetrated towards the black minority. Also, in some instances, the white players have been victims of racial attacks, although not at the high frequency in which the blacks face.
Racial Stereotypes and Health Impact
Conclusion
Racial stereotypes remain firmly rooted in sports. Racism is an emotive issue and a human rights violation that has an adverse impact on health and wellbeing and increasingly linked to poor physical health. Being a target of racism, especially in sports can reduce social support, increase self-harm, promote under-representation and discrimination. In situations where one race tries to imitate the other one, owing to the perception that it is superior, the chances of losing one’s cultural identity increases.
Works Cited
Belson, Ken. Colin Kaepernick Is Not Going Away. 2018. 2018 .
Farrington, Neil, Kilvington Daniel, Price John & Saeed Amir. Race, Racism and Sports Journalism. London: Routledge, 2012.
Gonzalez, Susan. "Poet Claudia Rankine speaks about confronting racism head-on in her writing." 2018. Yale News. 2018 .
Kaepernick, Colin. "Amnesty International’s Ambassador of Conscience Award." 2018. Amnesty International. 2018 .
Newman, Brooke. The long history behind the racist attacks on Serena Williams. 2018. 2018 .
Richeson, Jennifer. "The Psychology of Racism: An Introduction to the Special Issue." Current Directions in Psychological Science, Vol 27, Issue 3
(2018): pp. 148-149.
