Soccers Racism Problem - Research Paper Example

Soccer’s Racism Problem Introduction Soccer is one of the world popular sports, played by over 150 nations it remains the most viewed sports. The modern soccer has its origin in the United Kingdom where the sports was played based on the size of a given locality. The sport has been transformed to include commercial aspect. Later own rule where introduced to minimize the negative impact of the players. With changing technology several aspects have been introduced including numbering on the back of soccer jersey. Recently the goal line technology was introduced to assist decision making by the referees during matches. The soccer fraternity has had its fair share of negatives. The main concern has been associated with race. Soccer played as an entertainment and professional sport and racism has been part of the sports; despite efforts by the football governing body to discourage racism. Historical overview Racism has had historical incident in high leagues in Europe. In England minimal incidents have been reported. The culture of intolerance in some European leagues has encouraged these incidents. The English premier league has had some incidents in racism including Luis Suarez racial comments directed to Patrice Evra (Reekie, 2013). Other incidents include John terry’s abuse towards Ferdinand. The much resent incidents involved Chelsea Football Club fans mishandling a black French supporter (Kutsh, 2015). In other parts of the world, Russia and Italy soccer fraternity has been treated with increased aspects of racism (Madu, 2015). The racial intolerance according to Unite against Racism (2008) is triggered by cultural and personal misconception. This implies that some individuals consider their race to be superior compared to other races. The misconceptions results to victimization of different races. Environmental factors could be the reason as to why the racism has persisted over the years. The failures by football administrators to act upon the perpetrators have encouraged a continuous trend in both professional and amateur leagues. Theories of Race and Sports Rob Ruck attributes socioeconomic factors as factors behind racial components in sports (Goff, 2012). Social factors place different races along the hierarchy. The superior race within this hierarchy would tend to enjoy social privilege. The other race in some case would struggle to climb above the social class ladder. Those who manage to climb the social class then tend faces resistance. In soccer, resistance comes in from of racial abuse and segregation. The minority race within the sports play part in positioning themselves as they tend to play part in their own victimization. The economic aspects emerge when the social classes enjoy different finical aspects (Kassimeris, 2008). In this case the value of certain players are higher that others due to their racial factors. This means the fans and fellow soccer players would consider the race less valuable thus contributing to racial segregation and abuses. The commercial benefits of the sport have also been a factor towards racial indifferences. Ruck highlights how economical benefits of the sport have triggered racial intolerance (Goff, 2012). Soccer clubs rewards players based on their performance or mutual contracts. In some case, these rewards vary depending on players; for instance a player in a club could earn double the amount of salary earned by other players (Kassimeris, 2008). Racial factor may emerge when these salary gaps are based on racial components. The amount of pay in some cases does not base on performance thus contribute to the racial intolerance among soccer players. In a wider spectrum, the sport has been characterized by inequalities among the social and economic aspects. Different race although playing in a similar environment, are rewarded differently. Governing bodies and clubs enjoy the revenue collected thought the fans and commercial endorsements. Clubs may ignore fans racial comments on grounds that punishment may reduce the commercial benefits associated with gate collection and purchase of club merchandise. In the third aspect, Ruck highlights the historical importance of a given sport to a certain race or group of people. In this case the value of the sport is highlighted by the number of this racial group in a term. In the case of soccer, some clubs could value a club based on the number of a certain racial group. The impact could be negative to the remaining races. The managerial aspects in these clubs are reversed to a certain race. The affected races are partly to blame as they ignore the essence of attaining programs that will enhance their management success (Kassimeris, 2008). The leadership role in soccer is essential as they influence decision making. The racial dominance in management of soccer is partly to blame. The commercial benefits have made it impossible for leadership change as those in power makes it impossible for aspirant from a different race to take over sports management. This is evident in soccer when FIFA president has served the body for 17 years. Administrative Component The failure by the governing body to punish racial based biasness has encouraged racism the sport. The comments by FIFA president denying racism in soccer indicate the frustration as far as equality in sport is concern. The double standards applied by local federation as was the case of Suarez who was banned for eight matches while John Terry went scot free even after evidence suggested he was guilty of the offense. The efforts of the FA in this case were to protect national pride as the accused was England captain. This move by those in authority encourages the racial segregation. The sport remains an avenue where commercial interest are more important that the ethical concepts (Kassimeris, 2008). Conclusion Three main aspects are responsible for the inequality and segregation witness in soccer. The inequalities are brought about by the social and economical factors. Federations and sports club tend to prioritize commercial aspects and ignore ethical aspects. Different races are placed along a social hierarchy and that if there is a culture of intolerance, racism emerges. The solution towards this problem should be a collective responsibility. Fans need to pay their parts in discouraging racial abuses. The federations should play an oversight role and punish those who engage in racial segregation. The affected parties should also formulate models that will minimize this act. The future looks bright and the involvement of other races in management of soccer indicate culture of racial tolerance. Reference Goff, K. (2012, July 31). Why Are Some Olympic Sports Whiter Than Others? Huffington post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/keli-goff/olympics-minority-athletes_b_1721930.html Kassimeris, C. (2008). European football in black and white: tackling racism in football. London: Lexington Books. Kutsh, T. (2015, February 18). Soccer’s racism problem proves difficult to kick from game. Aljazeera. Retrieved from http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/2/18/abuse-by-soccer-fans-underscores-games-lingering-racism-problem.html Madu, Z. (2015, February 20). Italian Soccer Is Full Of Racism Same As Everywhere Else. Vice Sports. Retrieved from https://sports.vice.com/article/italian-soccer-is-full-of-racism-same-as-everywhere-else Reekie, H. (2013, June 13). Racism in football will never be a thing of the past. CNN. Retrieved from. http://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/12/sport/football/football-racism-serbia-reekie/ Unite Against Racism. (2008). Tackling racism in club football: A guide for clubs. Retrieved from http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/cultureheritage/mars/source/resources/references/others/49%20-%20Tackling%20Racism%20in%20Football%20-%20Guide%20-%20UEFA%202006.pdf Read More