What the Factors Causing Racism in Soccer - Coursework Example

Racism in Soccer Racism in Soccer Introduction Currently, there are numerous cases of discrimination and abuses in manycommunities. Most people practice racism to intimidate and hurt other individuals whom they view as inferior and powerless. One of the forms of discrimination and abuse that exist in the modern world is racism. Racism is the verbal abuse or making of ugly gestures towards other people to hurt their feelings and make them feel helpless and miserable. Most of the racists pride themselves as superior and influential than others. As a result, they subject people from other races to mistreatment. Additionally, racism has a number of adverse effects such as emotional torture therefore; it should be controlled and eliminated from modern communities. The football world is no exception as it has numerous cases of racism ranging from grassroots to mainstream soccer leagues. The rapid rise in cases of racism in football is attributed to multiple factors such as lack of strict rules and regulations that govern footballers. In addition, the desire to win against presumed weaker opponents and ignorance also lead to the high number of racism cases in soccer. Statement of the Problem Though it is the 21st century, racism in soccer is real, widespread, and rising in the European football leagues among other soccer due to a number of causes. Racism is rampant not among the players, coaches, as well as fans who sometimes utter racist chants at players who are non-white. Despite it being the modern world, racism in soccer continues to be a major problem in soccer both at grassroots or in the major leagues. A number of news reports have covered incidences of racism in soccer, and from the coverage, it seems like the problem is not going away anytime soon. In fact, the racism cases in soccer are on the rise at an alarming rate. This research analyses news articles on racism to prove that they portray the escalating cases of racism in soccer. Research Questions How do the media portray racism in soccer? Do the news sources suggest solutions to solving racism in soccer? What is the general view towards the problem of racism in soccer? Literature Review Many football players and fans racially abuse others in the field of play. According to Stavans in the article Soccer, “Racism in soccer is real and has a number of causes” (2011, n.p.). In Anti-racism in European Football: Fair Play for All, Kassimeris (2009) further illustrates this where he says that xenophobia is one of the causes of racism in modern day football. In most cases, white players feel that black or African players have come to take their places especially in the European soccer. As a result, they develop fear and hatred towards these people, which eventually translates into racist chants. Kassimeris (2008) also notes that racism in soccer is as a result of ignorance of others’ cultures, religions, and values. In the modern day, many people have diverse cultures and religious practices. These cultures have various ways of interpreting some words and actions. Consequently, they view some actions and words as unfriendly and unacceptable. Ignorance causes racism in soccer since some football players or fans use words or gestures that are friendly and acceptable in their community towards others without realizing they are racially abusing them. Recently, former Liverpool Football Club player Luis Suarez referred to Manchester United defender Patrice Evra as a “Negro.” According to Suarez, Negro is a friendly word used in Uruguay to refer to blacks. Although the word he used is accepted in South America, it is a racial abuse that is unacceptable among most blacks around the world. Consequently, Luis Suarez racially abused Evra out of ignorance. Similarly, this practice is common in most countries where football fans and players racially abuse others without realizing. Thus, they should learn and understand other cultures and values. Through this, they will be enlightened on various things that are acceptable in those communities. Shawn (2011) in What is the Cause of Racism in European Football? Say that some football coaches and players practice racism to motivate and achieve the best out of their players. The coaches aim at winning every club and country competition that they are involved in thus they do everything possible to motivate players. He gives an example of the former Spain and Athletico Madrid coach Luis Aragones was overheard motivating his player using racial abuse by saying, “Show me that you are better than that black shit.” This comment was aimed at psyching up and motivating his player, Jose Antonio Reyes, to improve. Although the intention of the coach was to motivate the player, he racially abused another French footballer, Thierry Henry. From this comment, it is clear that most coaches and footballers racially abuse other players as they attempt to motivate their players. Furthermore, racism is rampant in football leagues due to lack of strict laws that govern footballers or fans. Rules and regulations are an important part of any society around the world. They are helpful in guiding people and discouraging various behaviors in the community. The same is also expected in most football leagues. According to Roan in the BBC article Terry gets a four-game ban and fine, most football leagues and bodies lack strict rules that govern footballers’ behavior on and off the pitch. As a result, most of them racially abuse other players due to lack of strict laws. For example, current Chelsea captain John Terry was found guilty of racially abusing a black player, Antonio Ferdinand. The English Football Association banned him for four games and was fined a significant amount of money (Roan, 2012). Although this punishment seems harsh, it does not help in reducing racism in football. Thus, most associations should adopt stringent rules such as banning racist players for life. These type of rules are intimidating and can help reduce and eliminate cases of racism in football. Moreover, racist managers and fans should also be subjected to such stringent punishments. Fletcher (2012) writes that the rapid rise in racism in football is also credited to players’ and some fans’ reluctance to report or speak about abuses they get from others. Many players, fans, and other managers choose to ignore and remain silent when they are racially abused by the opposing sides. As a result, the authorities and other concerned parties are in the dark over such cases. Lack of information handicaps authority’s ability to take appropriate action against racists. Moreover, most racists take advantage of the reluctance of their victims to report cases of racism to the relevant authorities. Consequently, they continue with their behaviors of hurling abuses and making offensive gestures towards opponents or fans. To them, this is a usual thing that is acceptable and allowed in every field of play. Most football players and fans who are often racially abused must speak out and take relevant actions against racists. The actions start by openly speaking out and informing the public of the racial abuse they face in various fields of play. In addition, lack of regulation in grassroots football in most countries around the world has promoted racism in soccer (Fletcher, 2012). The lack of regulations for controlling racism among children in lower age leagues and tournaments such as under fifteens and eighteens are the reasons behind rapid cases of racism. For instance, most young black players in Belgium suffer racism due to lack of regulations at the grassroots level. This practice is detrimental to soccer since it encourages racism among children and other youths in these categories. Equally important, lack of regulation also allow racists to believe that racism is a normal practice that is allowed in football. Consequently, they develop the habit of hurling racial abuses at other races and making ugly gestures that hurt them. All these can be reduced by adopting the right strategy of curbing racism. Equally, racism also happens due to a phobia of losing a football match. Most players and fans often psychologically prepare themselves to win the matches without considering the option of losing games especially to opponents they deem weak or less experienced (Shawn, 2011). In the event that these fans and players sense defeat, they racially abuse their opponents. This practice is often an attempt to intimidate the opponent hence win or draw the match. Dependence on racial abuse to win or draw a soccer game is an unacceptable and unethical behavior in most communities. Thus, football fans and players should learn to lose, win, or draw games in ways that are fair and acceptable. According to most people in England, it is important to be viewed as a good sportsman than winning a football match through unacceptable ways. As a result, a good number of English managers and players adopt the rightful ways to win, lose, or draw football matches. Methodology The methodology used in this research is content analysis of media articles to determine the coverage on the issue of racism in soccer. The articles were selected randomly between the years 2007 and 2015. The selected sample contained a total of 11 articles discussing the issue of racism in various levels including the latest incidences and appropriate action. Of the 11 articles, eight were from mainstream sources while the rest were from non-mainstream sources of news. For example, from the mainstream sources were BBC, DailyNews, MailOnline, the guardian, Radio Free Europe, and npr while the non-mainstream were ThinkProgress, Wuso*9, and InsideNova. Results Results reveal that racism in soccer has been occurring and continues to dominate the world of football in this modern era. The portray racism in soccer as a social vice that the society should not tolerate. While most news articles discuss the occurrences of racism in soccer, some offer possible solutions to solving the issue. The Radio Free Europe article questions whether Russia is able to resolve the issue of soccer racism before the next World Cup and gives details on what the relevant agency is doing to ensure the end of monkey chants by fans. Finally, an interesting fact that emerges is that racism acts committed by fans is on high alert with a record of 200 cases between the year 2012 and 2014 alone. Conclusion Evidently, racism is a common practice in modern day football. Different players plying in various countries around the world are often subjected to racial abuses, funny and ugly gestures. These people also encounter racism in these countries due to a number of reasons. Most people engage in racism due to the fear of people from other cultures and races. As a result, they racially abuse others to intimidate and try to force them out of their countries. In addition, some football managers racially abuse others to motivate their players to improve and perform better on the football field. Additionally, lack of regulations in grassroots soccer leagues also promotes racism in most countries. Most federations and the football governing body FIFA require strict laws that regulate players’ actions and behaviors on and off the pitch also promotes racism. Racism has massive adverse effects on footballers and must be controlled and eventually eliminate. Most football federations must create awareness and educate various players and fans on the effects of racism. In addition, they should also formulate universal rules and regulations that appropriately tackle racism. Consequently, the whole world will be sure of racism free society where people are appreciated despite their contrasting skin complexion and cultural activities. References Bhavnani, R., Mirza, H. S., & Meetoo, V. (2005). Tackling the Roots of Racism: Lessons for Success. Policy Press. Fletcher, A. (2012, November 16). ‘Grassroots racism is a problem. BBC Football. BBC Sport. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/20365922 Feagin, J. R., & McKinney, K. D. (2005). The Many Costs of Racism. Rowman & Littlefield. Friedman, L. S. (2006). Racism Greenhaven Press. Kassimeris, C. (2008). European football in black and white. Lexington Books. Kassimeris, C. (2009). Anti-racism in European Football: Fair Play for All. Rowman & Littlefield. Roan, D. (2012, September 27). Terry gets a four-game ban and fine. BBC Football. BBC Sport. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/19723020 Shawn, E. (2011). What is the Cause of Racism in European Football? Retrieved 11 May 2015, from http://footballspeak.com/post/2011/07/05/What-is-the-Cause-of-Racism-in-European-Football.aspx Stavans, I. (2011). SOCCER. ABC-CLIO. Witzig, R. (2006). The Global Art of Soccer. CusiBoy Publishing. Read More