Racism in sports has been a major problem in many countries, especially in European football. Italy and Russia are hotspots for racial chanting during football games. While some athletes might have the mental endurance to play through such conditions, it might be too much for others to bear. This not only brings down their performance levels but may also have long term psychological effects on an individual. In today’s world, where we are busy educating the masses against discrimination of all forms, there’s only a little progress that has been made in eradicating racism from sports.
Beyond the stadiums, this problem has crept into media studios as well. There are instances where talk show guests are overly critical of black athletes. This can be seen as a case of inadvertent racism. While a person might not be making racist remarks, they may be unfairly directing harsh criticism towards a person of colour. Xavi Hernandez, a former Football Club Barcelona player, can be seen as an offender under this category. He stated that Paul Pogba and Kylian Mbappe (French players of African descent) were more physical than talented. Both the players were vital for France in their FIFA World Cup campaign.
To tackle racism in sports, a worldwide event called the Black History Month (BHM) is held in February. This event is held in the honour of the accomplishments of all black athletes. At Northeastern University, film screenings, community engagement outings, musical programs as well as conversations about black history and culture are held during BHM. Heavy fines and stadiums bans have also come into practice where perpetrators are banned from attending any form of sporting activities. While these punishments are critical in the eradication of discrimination based on race, they aren’t the ultimate solution. Ultimately, it is down to the education and values that one receives that dictate their future behaviour.
Harman Singh