Racism in UK Football League - Coursework Example

Racism in UK football al affiliation Introduction In the UK, racism is a concern in various sports in the UK such as the rugby league, cricket and football. Racism associated with football is the abuse of players, officials such as coaches or management and fans because of their skin colour, nationality and ethnicity. Players have reported to receive inappropriate comments from players and managers while some have gone to the extent of changing their names. There have been campaigns and conferences held by groups, in addition to the government’s Football Task Force having racism as the core of its agenda. Since sport influences a large group of people, it can be used to address issues that affect the society as a whole. In general, social conditions such as are race are key factors that influence the experience of sport and leisure. Sport is a unifying activity that brings together players and from different racial and ethnic groups, therefore bringing harmony and understanding. However, not appreciating and understanding the diversity and differences of various racial groups can bring about racism. So as to address both cultural and biological expression of racism, it is important that racism that is denied should be recognized by the significant people in the sport (Long 2010). It has been noted that most officials such as managers do not admit to racism in their clubs Racism has existed in the past, and is being experienced today from the fan, between the players and in other sports in the UK such as cricket and rugby league. Policy makers and the management of clubs must be aware of the consequences, conflicts and tensions of racism. Generally, the racism experience by the ethnic minority players have a negative impact on their involvement in sports (Cleland & Cashmore, p.8) Racism in the past In 1863, the Football Association to regulate the national game and a pattern emerged where the game was played and followed by white working class men and black players Black players did not have a place in the professional football. In the 1930s, Dixie Dean was a dark skinned centre forward player for Everton F.C experienced racist comments as he left the pitch during half time. He reportedly punched the offender himself before running into the player’s tunnel. Steve Mokone left Coventry City after his manager gave him racist comments. ‘Monkey chants’ and bananas were thrown at Clyde Best and Ade Cocker West Ham players in the 1960s. In the 1970s Viv Anderson was pelted with apples and pears from supporters. In the 1980s, racist chants were rampant in the football pitch. John Barnes received abuse form fellow players and fans as banter. Gary Bennett admits that racism was difficult to deal with especially when they have been brought up in a multicultural environment. Some fans would not accept a score made a black player, it did not count to them. In addition to being hurled at fruits, some players also experience physical violence. Some players recall that they dreaded going on the pitch. ‘Kick It Out’ is a campaign started in 1993 to address racial discrimination and encourage positive change. Several bodies support it including the Premier League, Professional Footballers’ Association and the Football Association. Nevertheless, the organization has been accused of not sufficiently punishing players and fans that have been convicted of racial abuse. Other organizations include Show Racism the Red Card and Football Unites Racism Divides. Racism today Over the last two decades, the Premier league has changed to a diverse multinational and multicultural workplace. Current players admit that racism in football has significantly declined in recent years. Despite various campaigns against racism, it still exists therefore people still need to be educated. A campaign done by ‘Kick It Out’ in 2014 indicated that more than 50% of the professional football players have either experienced or witnessed racist abuse in the stadiums (Holland 2010). In football, other concealed forms of racism have been merged with non-racial issues. Minority groups have been labelled to be unreasonable, hot-headed or even aggressive. They are usually faced with gross abuses from spectators and players alike. It should be noted that abuse related to ethnicity is different from abuse on the basis of weight or lack of height since this can apply to all ethnic communities. When football players are being selected, black players are only chosen if they display high qualities compared to other racial groups. Most players do not progress since the teams have very few players from the minority ethnic groups and did not fit in the clubs. These racial consequences shut players from minority ethnic groups out. Minority ethnic groups are usually stereotyped as ‘black’ players are usually thought not appropriate to be allocated defense playing positions because they lacked ‘bottle’, are not good trainers or are not good when the pitches get muddy. Asian players are usually thought not to play football. Moreover, are since the blacks have managed to succeed in football and other sports, they are being denied opportunities in other fields. In football, there are lesser representation of outstanding performances in the pitch even though there are exceptions where black players have been successful in coaching, managing or administration of sports. Many black people agree that there have been measures against overt racism where there is direct harm to a person, covert racism where racial abuse is concealed still exists. There is still scarcity of black managers and coaches in the UK. This is because there has been track record of success and racism still exists. Most racial abuses happen more at the grass root levels than the elite levels and are not reported at the authorities. Racism from the fans When the number of black players started increasing from late 1970s and early 1980s, they were not well received by the spectators who were majorly white. Even though some fans accepted black players, other sections did not accept. Fans have been reported to throw bananas on the pitch, make monkey gestures and make racist chants from the stands.in March 2014, Chelsea fans were recorded chanting anti-semitic songs mocking Tottenham’s Jewish links during a game, and no action was taken against the supporters. Racial abuse has also been reported on the fan forums that have been linked to official websites of clubs. Compared to other players, black players experience twice as much abuse. Players receive abuse from both opposition and own fans. Black players in football teams are commonly faced with abuse that they consider it as normal in the sport. Even without seeing the need to accept it, they opt to get on with the game. Most black players choose to be silent and convey to the public that they are not demeaned by racial harassment. They believe that silence and choosing to ignore racism has enabled them to endure and focus on their professional career. Racism is being experienced from the grass root to the elite groups yet players from the minority groups still participate in football. Some players celebrate their culture despite prevalence of racism and challenge the vice on and off the pitch. Some players do not speak against racism lest they put their careers in jeopardy while others shun away from the sport due to fears of racism. There are players who fear their names being put in anti-racism campaigns for fear of more abuse. Management usually deny that action needs to be taken when racism is ignored. Many officials do not take their responsibility in racism seriously. Burdsey (2006) British Asian footballers believe that racism is not attributed to under representation of the footballers in the professional game but rather the manifestation of the vice in amateur levels. In this levels, the players face racism from opponents in addition to the role of football clubs as symbols of ethnic identity. This causes them to be restricted from being identified and recruited by professional clubs since they players play in all Asian teams and all Asian leagues. The players believe that it is important to examine how ethnicity and racial ssues manifest themselves at the grass root levels. In an interview done by YouGov, ninety one percent admitted the presence of racism in the UK football. However, these fans do not view the problem is serious and that it has serious implications. They also feel that players, clubs, national and international governing bodies are not doing enough to combat racism. Fans also abuse fellow fans therefore black fans rarely attend football matches because they will not feel welcome or comfortable. Fans also abuse fellow fans therefore black fans rarely attend football matches because they will not feel welcome or comfortable. This has made black people not to engage in spectators. Currently, any fan chanting racial abuse risks the condemnation of fellow supporters. Some note that the problem exists at the epitome of football, by the officials of the club. They agree that racisms in not properly punished. Resistance has also not been observed from surrounding supporters. Most argue that stewards do not take their responsibility. Previously, it has been reported that some fans made racist remarks in front of police officers yet no action was taken or the offenders were not arrested. This is a drawback in effort to curb racism in football matches (Garland & Rowe, 1999) Social media has also played a role in increasing racial abuse. Most players have received tweets that are racist related. Twitter has become a platform for racist smears against minority ethnic groups. Anonymously by smartphones and computers. Social media has allowed racist thoughts to be communicated in ways that were not available previously. Some offenders could be traced and charged. Fans are also coming up with ways to destroy racial animosity by using language and imagery to counter stereotypes of attitudes that are racial. Racism between the players Players often experience racist abuse from their fellow players. In October 2011, Luis Suarez who was playing for Liverpool, used racial terms on Patrice Evra who was playing for Manchester United and was fined 40,000 euros. Another incident occurred a week later, when John Terry used racist words against Anton Ferdinand. It has been noted that black players are often picked on more than other players. Home black players receive more abuse than opposing white players. Moreover, some players complain that their colleagues gave racist remarks particularly in the dressing room and they had to tolerate as jokes. Their fellow players would constantly mimic accents in ways that seemed friendly but indicated that the other racial group was being tolerated but not accepted. These jokes deprive the players from minority ethnic groups and deprived them of their dignity and it was unforgivable that they came from people close to the player. This makes the black players stick together. Players feel alone because of racism (Moran 2007) Racism has also been observed in other sports such as cricket and rugby. Racial characteristics of particular minority ethnic groups made them to be assigned specific roles by the officials. For example, African-Caribbean and Asian players in cricket are thought to be lazy, lower tolerance to pain, have a small stature and are non-competitive. In sporting terms, these characteristics can be positive. Due to stereotyping, the potential of players cannot be identified. Rugby has also been not exempted from racial conflict. In 2012, a player was banned for six games for abusing an opponent. A player was also fined and told to do community work by his club for making racist comments on social media. Fans have also been heard making racist chants against black players on their own grounds. Compared to football, rugby has more positive attitudes towards diversity in ethnic groups. Jimmy Cumberbatch was the first black to represent England in the rugby league in 1937, 41 years before Viv Anderson played football for England in 1978. Clive Sullivan was the first black rugby league captain in 1972. Twenty one years later, Paul Ince became the first black person to be captain in England football team. In rugby, most ‘black’ players are exceptional, therefore has allowed most people to disclaim racism. The fans who attend the rugby matches are majorly made up of young to middle aged males. The sport is more family friendly and this could be applied to football. Tackle It Equality and Diversity program has been launched by the rugby league to so as to increase awareness of issues such as racism and prejudice. This is through posters and video material that have been made available in clubs in the UK. The campaign has produced a resource that celebrates race, sexuality, disability, gender, age and religion (O’mara 2013) Some scholars have challenged the policies that have been put place when examining racial inequality in the society. The Critical Race theory has been applied in the UK and other countries. This has been critiqued for being challenging to traditional dominant ideologies especially around race neutrality and equal opportunity. The approach According to some scholars, the belief that racism has been eradicated that allows covert ways of football to go understand that claims football is racial abuse is hidden and are a means of maintaining white dominance in structures and subcultures of the professional game. Critical Race Theory that has been applied in sport focus more on the key social relations and power processes. Race and racism are the central to any CRT focus and its trans-disciplinary nature. CRT has contributes to the change sport (Hylton 2005) Conclusion In establishing a race equitable environment, the management of the facilities, running clubs and administration of the governing bodies have a vital role to play. In contrast to the initiatives placed to curb racism, many do not act to diminish racism because they are informed but are reluctant to act or are unable to recognize racism, are uninformed or are actively opposed to taking action against racism. Young players from minority ethnic groups should also be provided with role models and mentors who can encourage them to be better players. Therefore, it is important that policy makers consider race, racism and race equality in sport particularly in football. It is advisable that the management should select a mentor whenever a new player arrived in the club. It is recommended that an independent tribunal for racism and discrimination should be set up. The red cards for abusive parents at junior matches should be given and there should be a simple system of reporting incidents that are racist for referees. Players should be encouraged to report cases of racism. Some of the boards should have mixed ethnic groups. Most of them lack diversity since most have all white and all male persons. In the implementation of policy, the specific bodies must appreciate specific issues faced by minority ethnic players so that they may be included in anti-racist organisations. Racism has been a problem, it is impossible to measure the extent since the statistics are almost non-existent. The implications have been felt by players from minority ethnic groups form the amateur levels to the elite levels. In promoting intolerance to racism, discrimination, prejudice and abuse in education is vital. The people should be educated on the implications of racial abuse and discrimination. References Burdsey, D. 2004, ‘Obstacle race? ‘Race’ racism and the recruitment of British Asian professional footballers.’ Patterns of Prejudice, vol. 38, no. 3, pp. 279-299. J. Cleland, E. Cashmore 2013, ‘Fans, Racism and British Football in Twenty-First Century: The existence of a ‘Colour-Blind’ Ideology.’ Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2013.777524 Garland, J., M. Rowe, 1999, ‘Policing Racism at Football Matches: An assessment of Recent Developments in Police Strategies.’ International Journal of Sociology and Law, vol. 27, no.3, pp. 251-266. Holand, B., 1995, ‘Kicking racism out of football: An assessment of racial harassment in and around football grounds.’ Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, vol. 21, no. 4, pp. 567-586. Long, J., 2010, ‘No racism here? A preliminary examination of sporting innocence.’ Managing Leisure, vol.5, no. 3, pp. 121-133. Moran R. 2007, ‘Racism in football: A victim’s perspective.’ Soccer & Society, Available at < http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14660970008721258?journalCode=fsas20#.VIKDkLF5Azg > O. O’mara 2013, Athletes, Players and Criminals: The Impact of Racial Stereotyping in Rugby League. New York. Read More