Paper Example on Racism in Sports

Sports play a significant role in creating an inclusive society by bringing people together regardless of their color, sex, age, gender, nationality or religion. Sports activities are of different levels ranging from local to the national and international level. Embracing such activities support the inclusion and participation of minorities, thus making them feel integrated into the society (Farrington, 2012). In other words, sports can be used as a platform to foster inclusivity, participation, and acceptance of migrants and minorities in the community. However, over the past decades, many have used sports as a platform for promoting xenophobia, racism, anti-Semitism, and anti-Gypsyism campaigns. This essay aims to illustrate the moral dimensions of racism concerning sports.

Firstly, racism and discrimination in sports is a reflection of the existence of racism in society (Denham, 2010). This implies that the more racism experienced in the community, the more racism there is in sports. Therefore, it is true to say that it is not sports that give rise to racism and that racism that occurs in the society is not unique to any sporting activities. One type of sporting event that has seen decades of racism is football. Football is a fantastic sport and a vital means of promoting integration. This is because the game attracts a larger fan base as compared to other sporting activities. Over the years, the governing body of soccer, that is, FIFA, through positive messages, has tried to combat racism in the sport by encouraging people to accept one another. Still, there is a long way to go regarding eliminating this menace from football and the rest of sports. Long-term solutions should be identified and put into practice.

Secondly, a typical racist is likely to make a general judgment by another individual's skin color or race. Natural differences are one of the primary concepts used by racists to explain the reason for the success of a gifted person of a particular race. However, Hylton asserts that these talents are usually perceived as the difference between the individuals who are likely to succeed and those who are likely to fail. For instance, to conclude that African Americans can run faster or play basketball better than whites, because of their genetic composition is not correct as it is not yet proven. Thus, the belief just generalizes the entire race. On the contrary, even colored individuals who succeed in a dominantly Caucasian sport still face the threat of being discriminated and taunted because of their race. Hylton further states that these stereotypic assumptions are passed from generations as they are superficial and unchallenged.

Also, racism can be born of anxiety and fear. Many a person defines fear as a primitive emotion that mainly arises when one is confronted with a perceived threat (Merret, 2016). However, fear cannot be tied entirely to emotion but also to reason. In most cases, fear involves a heightened concern about the safety of one's body and life. However, it can extend to one's community and culture thus resulting in the fear that another individual of a different race poses a danger to the way of life or national identity. For example, a black footballer scoring against a white dominated team can be viewed by the supporters or the players from the opposing team as degrading or insulting. Thus, they will do anything to frustrate the black player to prevent him or her from scoring again.

Then there is ignorance and arrogance. Research shows that some perpetrators of racism in sports do not mean to inflict malicious harm to their victims. Sometimes the harm can be done out of ignorance, and this is because one may not know better. This is what is referred to as casual racism, that is, racist implications done incidentally or innocently. Casual racism mainly occurs when one makes a throwaway comment with no intention of hurting the feeling of the other but ends up humiliating or denigrating the person because of their racial background. In others word, what one person may consider as less injurious may harmful to another.

Racism can also be a product of envy and resentment. Racial hostility can be connected with feelings that members of some group or community may possess services or goods that one does not. For instance, a celebrated African American boxer like Floyd Mayweather Jr. is known to flaunt his riches. What Floyd earns in a single bout cannot be achieved by another working class Caucasian American in his entire life. This can cause envy and resentment on the part of the Caucasian American leading racial hostility. Research shows that general levels of racism can increase or heighten during periods of economic recession.

In conclusion, I am of the opinion that there is indeed a clear moral dimension to racial hostility. In essence, the concept of morality is by how we treat others. However, over the decades, this aspect of the phenomenon has been forgotten. Many times, we end up debating whether to regard racism as moral injustice rather than the action itself. Still, it is true to say that there is a moral blurriness at play. Those who are of the opinion that racism is just an identity politics at best fail to recognize one important thing. For the victims of racial hostility, the issue is not an excuse for political strutting but an experience that injures one's standard of life.

References

Denham, B. E., Billings, A. C., & Halone, K. K. RACISM IN SPORTS.

Farrington, N., Kilvington, D., & Price, J. (2012). Race, racism and sports journalism. Routledge.Merrett, C. Racism in Sports.