The Race Against Racism

Recently, Luis Suarez was banned from the English Premier League for eight games for making racist remarks toward Patrice Evra in Liverpool’s match against Manchester United. John Terry, beloved captain of Chelsea and English national team, is facing criminal charges for racially abusing an opponent. And to add more fuel to this fire, FIFA President Sepp Blatter made headlines when he said that racism was no longer an issue in soccer.

These events have dominated the scene this season as these cases have included a war of words between players and managers. Furthermore, as we all know, when controversy strikes star players, these issues get blown out of proportion. But in this case, this issue cannot be blown out of proportion enough. It is inexcusable for any athlete to act in this way, let alone the captain of England and one of the star players for Liverpool. And for Blatter to publicly deny these issues is the opposite of what needs to occur in this case.

Blatter needs to embrace that racial issues still exist and tackle them head on. For a long time, advertisement boards on the sides of soccer pitches have occasionally held messages of anti-racism, but issues continue to arise. One thing that American sports fans will have trouble understanding is the true passion that soccer brings out in others around the world. Soccer is truly a part of the culture of many countries to the level of religion. Thus, much more is involved in the wins and losses of clubs or international teams (see: Andrés Escobar).

Ignorance is the fundamental reason that racism still exists in our world. Failing to understand another person because of his differences arises feelings of superiority over that person. Combined with continual conditioning by the long-standing beliefs of ignorant family members or friends, these superiority complexes become ingrained in personalities. Combine these traits with extreme passion brought about by sport, and the issues become clear.

There is no harm in embracing that our society is imperfect. Innately, human beings are meant to be blemished, and if we do not recognize this, then we do not truly understand life itself. Though I have gone on a little tangent, without thinking about the bigger picture, sports we love so much will never flourish if we continue to deny the problems.

I am sure that many professional athletes do charity work or donate money to non-profit organizations, but the true punishments that fit the crimes of Terry and Suarez and the other athletes who have done wrong should involve actually addressing their personal issues. Ignorance is not incurable. But if the athletes we idolize are simply allowed to get away with wrongdoings against another human being, then how can we teach our children to change the ways of the past generations?

In no way am I suggesting that athletes should be perfect role models or human beings. They should, however, be held to moral standards that we can all agree upon. A simple look at the economics of professional sports shows who demands the most publicity. We pay hundreds of dollars/pounds/Euros to go watch our favorite sports teams, but if we continue to do this without holding them accountable, then sports will always be marred with stories such as what has occurred in the EPL this season. Next time it may not be racism, but where does it stop? Blatter and the other powers that be need to take a good hard look at how they are doling out punishments for offenses that have little to do with playing soccer. It is also time that we as fans decide if sports take a priority over our morals or if we will finally recognize the right thing to do.