Racism in Sports Essay

Words: 1669
Pages: 7

Racism in Sports Racism is a belief that people of different races have different qualities and abilities, and that some races are inherently superior or in inferior. Racism in the form of discrimination persists in society. Racism in sports occurs in both team and individual sports around the world. Sports itself does not induce racism. Sports are meant to be a colorblind activity that adheres to the notion of fair play. Racism in sports is a problem which manifest around the world. It led to a wide range of controversial incidents. Racism in sports is only a big problem because the media is choosing to make it one. Racism in sports played a major role in this ranking, therefore racism is still exists today in society as well …show more content…
He said that there were no blacks good enough for the big leagues. He said that neither black nor white players supported desegregation. The failure of sportswriters to cover the campaign to integrate baseball reflects a larger failure of the press to cover the campaign to integrate American society in the 1940s and 1950s. Also, the failure ill prepared the United States for the Civil Rights Movement that would shake the foundation of the country in the 1950s and 1960s.
Most sportswriters were conservative in their politics yet evangelical in their belief that baseball represented the American dream because everyone was equal on the playing field. A relative few sportswriters raised the issue in their columns and articles. Shirley Povich wrote in the Washington Post in 1939, "yet unsigned by any major leagues. Only one thing is keeping them out of the big leagues—the color of their skin.” Most sportswriters never mentioned the color line. Some said nothing because they did not run the risk of offending their editors, readers, or advertisers. Others believed that segregation was in the best interests of both baseball and the country.
Racism and xenophobia are important issues in sports and soccer very often seems to provoke the most violent and uncontrolled behaviors. Many scholars are convinced that today it is clear to everyone, even to groups on the far right, that biological race does not exist and that today’s racism is a cultural racism. Other scholars notice