Racism in Sports

1936 Summer Olympics

The 1936 Olympic Games were held in Berlin Germany. In case you didnt
know, the person who opened the games was none other Adolf Hitler himself. Adolf
Hitler, the man who killed over 4 million people, which include African Americans,
gypsies, and the people he hated the most, Jews. He attended the games, to watch
his race beat all others and to prove who is the dominant force in the world, or so he
thought. Jesse Owens, an African American, proved Hitler wrong. He won not one,
but four gold medals in front of what many consider the most deadliest man in
history. Owens showed Hitler that you dont have to be a Nazi in order to be the
best. Whats worse was Jesse Owens return to America. After all the hate, all the
criticism and abuse he received, at home, no one acknowledge his incredible feats.
Owens was treated like every other African American in America. At the time,
segregation was more important. It doesnt matter if you won four gold medals for
your country. No one appreciated his work, not at the time.
The Other Baseball League
Segregation was a huge cultural factor in society during most of the 20 th
century. This tremendously impacted all sports. Only whites were allowed to play
major league baseball. That all changed when Negro baseball leagues were formed.
The 1920s were the golden years for these leagues. They received recognition and
were doing well financially. These leagues consisted predominately of African
Americans, but there were also Latin American playing as well. On August 28 th,
1948, Jackie Robinson changed how people viewed baseball forever. He signed a
contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers, a professional major league franchise. He
inspired other African Americans to come forward and display their talents in the big
league. As expected, Jackie Robinson was heavily critised, verbally abused, but still
he pushed past adversity and became one of the best player in the league.
Donald Sterling
Donald Sterling, owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, oh sorry, I meant to say
ex-owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, is a billionaire, and a racist one if I may say. I
say this because of a video that was released back in 2014 where he made racial
comments. NBA commissioner Adam Silver forced Sterling into selling the team and
he did, and received a tremendous amount in return, which I believe he shouldnt
have gotten a single penny. After hearing Sterlings comments, the team turned its
back on him and the entire NBA community handed their support. This sparked
outrage to many and this showed that racism is still a problem that needs to be
addressed.
The Banana Peel
There have been many instances in which I have seen fans throwing banana
peels specifically towards a colored player. Most of the time, people direct these
peels not to African Americans, but to Brazilian players on the pitch. The banana
means the player being like a monkey, or just to signify a racist gesture. Not too

long ago, I was watching a league match between FC Barcelona and Villareal. It was
a corner in Barcelonas favor and the kick taker was Dani Alves, a Brazilian full back.
Before he was about to take the corner, a half-eaten banana was thrown towards
the player. He saw it and ate the rest, as to say, I dont care what you throw at me, I
am who I am, accept it, and deal with it. Even though he took the incident as joke,
this is a serious problem. It keeps on happening and in some cases, the fans dont
get punished for their senseless acts. Players from all over gave their support and
created the hashtag were all monkeys. The fan got expelled for life from entering
a professional la liga stadium, but nothing is being done in many other leagues.
The Washington Redskins
The Football team name, Washington Redskins has caused an uproar in the
football community and many outside the sporting world in general. Many want for
the franchise to change the team name, as it is disrespectful and offense towards
Native Americans. Other teams have similar names such as MLB franchise
Cleveland Indians, the NHL team Chicago Blackhawks, or even the Florida
Seminoles. Some teams have made changes regarding this issue such as the
University of Illinois changing their mascot. Others have done nothing. The NFL
have not implemented a necessary change or something around those lines
regarding this issue. Recently, California became the first state to ban the use of the
word Redskins in team sports.
FIfas Campaign
Racism is a big issue in soccer, with incidents of racism occurring both on and
off the pitch. FIFA has taken steps in order to stop racism in the game. FIFA has held
days against racism and discrimination. Joseph S. Blatter on racism in soccer,
Racism is a blight that we must eradicate forcefully and resolutely. Football has a unifying power that
can and must be used to combat discrimination of all kinds. FIFA later created the Say No to
Racism campaign which is taken place all over the world and portrayed in the
biggest of tournaments, such as the FIFA World Cup, UEFA tournaments, and many
others. They have also created a code of ethics, expressing that racism holds no
place in soccer. The campaign is still present today.
Black Power Salute
At the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, African-American athletes Tommie
Smith and John Carlos had won gold and bronze medals respectively after finishing first and
third in the 200 meter race. During the ceremony, when the national anthem of the USA was
being played, both athlete raise their hand, in what many people believe was the Black Power
Solute. Because of this, both athletes were banned from participating in any future Olympic
Games, just because of simple gesture that signified defending their human rights. The IOC said
it was "a deliberate and violent breach of the fundamental principles of the Olympic spirit.
Furthermore, they stated, Over and above winning medals, the black American athletes made
names for themselves by an act of racial protest.