Look around, racism has returned without shame.
Bantering, even beyond good-natured, has always been part of fan interaction at live professional sporting events. But the line is being crossed too many times with racism back on the table by a part of the American public that has been led to believe that it’s okay.
The Utah Jazz, who play in one of the most politically jaded states in the country, had the throw three fans out of the arena and apparently ban them permanently for the racist, sexist and literal trash they were spewing at the family of Grizzlies’ rookie Ja Morant.
Other Jazz fans came to the Morant’s rescue and the team issued statements of apology, but when are the few bad apples going to understand they can’t say that stuff no matter how close and competitive a game gets.
At Madison Square Garden, the New York Knicks removed a fan who was not a season-ticket holder for spitting at Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young, who beat the home team with a buzzer-beating floater in game one. Who spits on a player since the early days of ACC basketball when the archrivals spat at each other on the court?
In Philadelphia, one of the most dangerous places for visiting fans at any of the City of Brotherly Love venues was ejected for dumping popcorn on the head of the Wizards’ Russell Westbrook as he ran down the visitors’ tunnel. What kind of homes do these people come from where that type of behavior is tolerated and, God forbid, taught? And is it coincidental all three acts were directed at Black players?
It also speaks for the intelligence and shameless conduct of fans, who have to know whatever they do will be caught on any number of TV cameras or cell phones in the vicinity. Do they not care or has it reverted to streakers who run across the fields and the courts knowing they will get caught and tossed in jail for the thrill of it?
Especially coming out of COVID, when attending live games again should be a cause for celebration, not a license for caged animals acting out and contributing to impugning our reputation.
The last four years have made some of us more boorish than ever. Do we not understand that our country is already ridiculed from all corners of the globe? Do we not care about that? Apparently not.
(feature image via Getty/Bart Young/NBAE)
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Those actions were every bit as despicable as you say, but why do you judge those fans to be racists as opposed to plain old assholes?