Sunday, January 10, 2010
Sports, "Hunt's Grunts"

A transformation in neutral

 Transcending racism

By Hunt Archbold

As has become tradition, the NBA will honor the life and accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. next week, as all but two of the dozen scheduled games on the national holiday that recognizes his birth tip off that afternoon. Young and old alike will be able to attend and celebrate, but would Dr. King, who if alive would be celebrating his 81st birthday this Friday, show his approval for the continued progress in civil rights in the more than four decades since his assassination?

Certainly, he would smile approvingly on NBA legend Oscar Robertson, who has worked to improve the living conditions of blacks though affordable housing in his hometown of Indianapolis, as well as remaining a harsh critic of social policies that adversely affect minorities. Robertson, who overcame prejudice prior to the civil rights era to become an American sports icon, will be recognized in Memphis on MLK Day, Jan. 18, and be awarded the National Civil Rights Museum Sports Legacy Award for his contributions to civil and human rights.

Yes, progress has been made, but there’s no denying that racism is very much alive and well, and that includes the sports world. One only needs to look to our nation’s capital, where the city’s beloved NFL franchise remained named after a racial slur (the Redskins). Last summer, Australian tennis player Brydan Klein was suspended for six months and fined $24,000 after “racially abusing” his South African opponent. And from soccer fans chanting the N-word to black-faced Formula One racing enthusiasts, racism continues to rear its ugly head all across Europe.

Inside sporting arenas or out, why does such ignorant thinking continue to spread? Last June, an avowed white supremacist opened fire at the U.S. Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. Just last week, a caricature of Michelle Obama as a chimpanzee reappeared on the Internet only a couple of months after the morphed “racist” picture first became public. And President Barack Obama, who completes his first year in office next week, has certainly been the centerpiece of a racist backlash since stepping into the public eye. Last October, someone carved the message “I [Swastika symbol] Obama” into the 18th green at a Boston-area golf course.

Racism is the belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial difference produces an inherent superiority of a particular race. This type of thinking is so, so wrong. But so is reverse racism. And we as a nation, especially the inspired youth of America, have the power to accelerate our transformation into a post-racial society.

But who am I kidding? When you look around and analyze the current deterioration of our race relations in respect to the world, our country, our city of Atlanta, the neighborhood you live in—do you think you’ll ever live to see the day when racial harmony truly comes to pass?

Racism isn’t everywhere in sports, but it does tend to find a suitable climate in team sports such as football, basketball, baseball, etc. With no unifying force on the team, and so many driving forces, such as race, class, religion, etc., it’s natural for people not to work as closely together. Instead of working for personal glory, individuals must learn to be tolerant of each other; otherwise, there’s no cooperation, and in turn, no championship victory.

No, racism hasn’t been stricken from the sports world, but sports is one of the certain areas of life that is transcending racism. Yes, the admission of blacks and other minorities to the ranks of college and professional sports was slow in coming, and there’s still progress to be made. But it’s clear that blacks and whites coexist and work together on teams in nearly every sport across the globe.

Robertson is arguably one of the top five greatest basketball players of all time and, some would contend, the best ever. Yet he never won a college or pro championship until late in his career, in the early ’70s, when he was paired in the Milwaukee Bucks’ backcourt with a sharp-shooting white guard from Indiana named Jon McGlocklin. Something tells me they were able to look past the color of each other’s skin to achieve their ultimate goal. If only we, as a society, could do something similar today.

Happy times … and red, yellow, black or white, let those beautiful smiles shine, all right? SP