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| Photo: ScienceBuzz |
It is not surprising that sports have become more and more important to black children than to white children. William Ellerbee, basketball coach of Simon Gratz High in Philadelphia, believes: “Suburban kids tend to play for the fun of it. Inner-city kids look at basketball as a matter of life or death.” (science.smith.edu)
This is actually quite true as many young, black athletes tend to lean towards sports with a hope to escape poverty. The problem however, begins with the perception of these athletes by their team owners. These owners seem to take advantage of this circumstance as they view themselves as a superior savior to their inferior subordinates – viewing these guys as less than human.
Many people try to ignore America’s racial past by referring to today’s society as “post-racial,” but racism is not a horror of the past and it is still very prevalent today.
For example, Los Angeles Clippers (now former) owner Donald Sterling’s controversy has sparked a larger conversation about America and race, and in this case it’s black athletes. These athletes who go out there and essentially place their lives on the line, aren’t respected in the least way. Sterling’s comments openly displayed most of these team owners true sentiments.
Essentially, professional sports can be likened to a modern day slave trade as these athletes are objectified and used like chattel.
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They’re often bred from Pee Wee leagues until college, and ultimately professional sports. They’re then weighed in – for sports such as the NFL Combine – and looked upon as chattel as these coaches and team owners bid back and forth to determine who will make their team.
These athletes basically put their lives on the line for their love of the sport, but end up with the short end of the stick when it’s all said and done. They’re not even respected by the owners of the teams that they dedicate their lives too.
It’s actually pretty ironic and quite disturbing that these owners despise African Americans while they have teams full of them.
Dallas Mavericks owner, Mark Cuban, has also come under fire recently for his racial remarks. He essentially stated that he would fear for his life if encountered by a black male wearing a hoody, or – to balance out this statement – a white male with several tattoos on his face and body.
Sterling and Cuban’s comments about race showed their disdain for African Americans and reinforced the notion that racism is still alive.
We expect more from those in positions of power, but are often disappointed. These owner’s pay these athlete’s incredibly well, and for that reason alone they seem to feel as though the playing field is leveled.
However, black athlete’s from poor families have it worst as most have no clue how to manage their finances, and end up penniless. Many are also plagued with irreversible brain diseases, injuries and other illnesses by the time they retire – there is a price they pay for the money they make.
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| Photo: iStreamGuide |
There are no mentors assigned to these young guys to help them transition into this new lifestyle. These owner’s obviously do not care about the future of these men because to them, each year there’s a new group of workhorses coming in to replace them.
These owners couldn’t care less about the future and livelihood of these young black men, as they are often punished more severely than their white counterparts for identical offenses.
Furthermore, the change will come when these young men start to take a look at the lives of those that came before them. As soon as these men begin to view their predecessors lives as examples of what to do, and what not to do, the game will change.
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