The independent student news organization of Nicholls State University

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The independent student news organization of Nicholls State University

the nicholls worth

The independent student news organization of Nicholls State University

the nicholls worth

Sports world taking center stage in fight against racism

Michael Hotard
Sports Editor

Racism seemed to be the hot topic in sports this week with the banning of Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling and FC Barcelona player Danny Alves getting a banana thrown at him.  
On Tuesday afternoon, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver made a huge statement by banning Clippers owner Donald Sterling for life and fining him the max amount of $2.5 million for his racist remarks in a private conversation with his girlfriend.
Silver eventually wants Sterling to sell the Clippers and said in his press conference that he will do everything to push for that.
Let me start by talking about his girlfriend. Being a journalist, I do not agree with someone recording conversations without the person being recorded knowing. It is sneaky, conniving and yellow. There are very few situations where I would think it is OK and appropriate.
For example, if what someone is saying can be considered a threat to society, then by all means do it. Donald Sterling was not a threat to society, though he is a racist and there is no room for bigotry of any kind in business.
Mark Cuban’s comment was spot on: “If it’s about racism and we’re ready to kick people out of the league, OK? Then what about homophobia? What about somebody who does not like a particular religion? What about somebody who’s anti-Semitic? What about a xenophobe?”
Before all of you jump on the freedom of speech bandwagon, let me clarify something right now. Freedom of speech does not mean freedom of consequence. When did society become that misguided to where we seem to think we can say whatever we please without consequence?
People think he can say what he wants because he owns the team. This is not Joe Blow who owns Joe’s Sport and Goods in some random city and has no affiliation with other organizations. In sports, the business model forces owners of teams to work with the league, which includes other teams, thus other owners.
Sterling has a history of racism as the owner of the Clippers. He has had spats with former players and employees such as Elgin Baylor. It is not like this is anything new, it just happened at a time where 24-hour news coverage is at its peak. His racist behavior finally came to the surface. If everyone could stop the “heat of the moment” argument, that would be great.
The Los Angeles Times reported that this is a guy who battled lawsuits because he refused to rent his apartments to African Americans in Beverly Hills. He was also once quoted saying that he refused to rent to Hispanics because they “smoke, drink and just hang around the building.”
He also said that “black tenants smell and attract vermin.”
It would be great if the media could stop bashing each other for how they are covering all of this. State your ideas and move on. Fox News and MSNBC calling each other biased every time something happens is wearing thin. Anyone who has heard the audio (yes, it is available) from the conversation with Donald Sterling and his girlfriend should be able figure out that he is in fact a bigot, but that would require a small amount of research.
As I was listening to the conversation between Sterling and his girlfriend, the only thing that came to mind was the quote from the movie Billy Madison: “What you’ve just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.”
Last, but not least: thank you Adam Silver for making a statement, but make sure it applies to all forms of prejudice. Sterling’s comments were the straw that broke the camels back in a long history of racist remarks.

Sean Ellis
Sports Writer

With the NBA dealing with Donald Sterling and his racist remarks, the soccer world is dealing with another incident of racism at a game.
Sunday during FC Barcelona’s game with Villarreal CF in Spain, a fan threw a banana at Barcelona’s fullback Dani Alves while he was taking a corner. Alves, who is Brazilian, picked up the banana and decided to take a bite of it which in my opinion is one of the greatest responses to racism in sports history.
Barcelona was losing the game 2-1 at the time as they struggled to deal with the death of their former player and manager, Tito Vilanova, only days before from throat cancer. Alves was instrumental on the two of the goals in Barcelona’s 3-2 comeback.
“We have suffered this in Spain for some time,” Alves said. “You have to take it with a dose of humor. We aren’t going to change things easily. If you don’t give it importance, they don’t achieve their objective.”
Alves also joked that the energy he received from eating the banana allowed him to power his team to a victory over Villarreal.
“I don’t know who it was, but thanks to whoever threw the banana. The potassium gave me the energy for the two crosses which led to a goal,” he said to reporters after the match.
Since the game, soccer players around the world have begun taking pictures eating bananas in tribute to Alves and in an effort to fight racism in sport. The movement has gained so much popularity in a few short days that Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and Russian heavyweight champion Vladimir Klitschko have even taken to the internet to show their support.
It is important to note that Brazil is probably more accepting of its citizens’ multiculturalism than many other countries in the world. Some Brazilian states observe Mixed-Race Day to celebrate the election of twenty-seven mixed-race representatives to the 1st Conference for the Promotion of Racial Equality in Manuas in 2005. Brazil also observes a Week of Black Awareness to reflect on the injustices of African slaves brought to Brazil and to celebrate their descendants’ contributions to Brazil.
Villarreal found the fan that threw the banana and banned him from their stadium for life, but Alves’s actions did more in two days than the Kick It Out campaign against racism or FIFA has done in past 31 years. He single-handedly showed that fans and other people of similar thoughts just how ignorant they are.
Those who have gotten behind Alves have shown that the fight against racism transcends the sport despite it happening during a sporting event. They have also shown that fighting racism with racism, hate, anger and violence is counterproductive.  You only need to look at the responses to what Donald Sterling said for examples of how not to fight racism.
Figures like Renzi, Klitschko and Borussia Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski, who is from Poland, prove that exterminating racism isn’t only a fight for those who are targeted by such bigots. Exterminating racism and bigotry of all kind is a fight for all of humanity regardless of skin color, nationality, culture, gender, sexual orientation or political affiliation.  
With the World Cup around the corner, it is important for everyone to be cognizant of the need to eradicate a problem that has plagued the world for entirely too long and the power of dealing with that problem by showing those people exactly how ignorant they are. Alves deciding to pick up that banana for a quick blast of potassium has so far proven to be a vehicle for giving the fight against racism one more victory.

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Sports world taking center stage in fight against racism