Hey everyone, this week I am focusing on a piece of work that focuses greatly on the topics of racial injustice, power, and identity. The book (which was later got a film adaptation) I will be discussing today is “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas, and this fictional story of a biracial girl torn between her different identities is engaging and really opens the door for racial identity and how much it affects our lives. A brief synopsis (that does not spoil the book!) is that we are following the life of 16-year-old Starr Carter, who had witnessed the shooting of her childhood friend by a white police officer. Starr is swept up in national attention due to the racial aspects of the murder, and we get to see how Starr sees herself and gain insight in how the world sees people like her. Starr is a Black girl from a poor neighborhood that attends a predominantly white private school, and this instance of murder of yet another Black person at the hands of a white cop sparks tension with both aspects of her life, as those from both sides of her identity have strong feelings on how Starr should proceed. We also see the injustice that we see in everyday life, with the trial of the cop being publicized and a focus put on the backgrounds of the cop and the boy he murdered. The cop was portrayed in a much better light, which is unsurprising due to the power that a white cop holds in society compared to a young Black man. The power that this cop holds is further shown in the trial decision. One idea that the author wants the readers to take away from this novel are that identities play an enormous role in how we see ourselves and how we are treated by society, and it is important to question why that is. Why do we base power on things like socioeconomic status, and why do we continue to give in to the structural injustice that Black people face in America? Although this is a fictional story, it is crucial to acknowledge that is not fiction for many, and Black people in America face constant scrutiny and have had a lack of power since the founding of this country. Books like this, that are well-written while also bringing light to an important issue, are significant in the push for change.
Author: sinning.5
Yo, is this Racism? – Owen Sinning
Hello, everyone! Today I will be talking about the systemic racial injustice that occurs in professional sports. Being a huge NFL and NBA fan, racial injustice is something that is rarely acknowledged by the sport industries. Racial injustice in the NFL first caught my attention when Collin Kaepernick went from being a starting Super Bowl quarterback, to having teams refuse to sign him because he kneeled during the national anthem. This explosion of media coverage and polarizing discourse about Kaepernick’s “right” to peacefully protest during a sports game shined a light on a grim reality for Black professional athletes: you are expected to provide entertainment, not political commentary. Coupled with this expectation is a lack of representation when it comes to these athletes’ management. In my Diary of Systemic Injustice, I wrote about the lack of diversity in coaches in the NFL, and how it is harder for African-American coaches to obtain and keep their jobs in the NFL. All of these professional sports leagues suffer from effects of the same racial injustice from top to bottom. From players to coaches to front office executives, the lack of support for African-American players, and the lack of diversity in the coaching and front office staff.
On Sept 1, 2016, Collin Kaepernick would take a knee that would change not only his own life, but the sports world as we knew it. Before Collin Kaepernick kneeled during the national anthem, he previously had sat on the bench during its playing, to protest the callous instances of police brutality and racial inequality that many Black people still face today. At first, no one even realized that Kaepernick was sitting during the national anthem, and there was no big deal made about it. Then, Kaepernick decided to take a knee, igniting a heated debate within the NFL fanbase (and eventually many around the world). Rather than view Kaepernick as someone using their First Amendment right to peacefully protest, he was painted by many as disrespectful towards the United States and the military. Taking a knee caused a lot of negative attention and pushback for Kaepernick, and he eventually ended his career in the NFL because of it. Although he was the one who opted out of his contract with the 49ers, the team’s general manager went on to confirm that even if he had not opted out, he would have been cut. Kaepernick was essentially tossed out of the NFL for protesting racial injustice in the United States. The worst part of the situation was the blatant refusal from the many to see the real problem. Collin Kaepernick put his career on the line to protest against police brutality and bring light to the racial discrimination Black people face, but he was portrayed to be someone disrespecting the United States and its armed forces. If Americans had accepted and been more willing to receive Kaepernick’s message, would there have been any police reform, less police brutality today, and would victims of police brutality like George Floyd and Breonna Taylor still be alive? Unfortunately, you cannot change the past, and because of America’s ignorance, police brutality and discrimination is still grossly rampant in the United States.
Minority players are often subject to more scrutiny and harsher criticism. One example of this today is with upcoming 2021 draft picks Justin Fields (Black) and Mac Jones (white). Being an Ohio State football super-fan, I will try to explain this with as little bias as possible. Justin Fields is a much more athletic quarterback and playmaker than Mac Jones, yet supposed character concerns have caused Fields’ stock to fall, all the while Mac Jones draft stock has slowly been rising. The “character flaws” Justin Fields faces are based off rumors about Fields not wanting to be friends with new teammates at Ohio State. Fields, the same guy who has an Instagram account for his dog, has faced much criticism because of supposed callousness, while Mac Jones, who has a DUI, is praised for his knowledge of the game. The inequality in treatment that white and minority players face in the NFL shows systemic racial injustice is present in the NFL. Another example of this is seen with the handling of white NFL quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (accused of two counts of sexual assault) and Antonio Brown (Black, accused of sexual assault). Both players are accused of the same crime, yet only one was released from the team. Can you guess which one? If you guessed Antonio Brown, you are correct. Brown went from being one of the best wide receivers in the NFL, to struggling to find another team to play for because he was accused of sexual assault. On the other hand, Roethlisberger, who was accused of two sexual assaults, was not released from the team and received no punishment from the NFL. Roethlisberger still has his career and his status, while a Black man who faced the same charge saw his career become derailed.
Another problem with professional sports is the inequality in the amount of minority players and coaches. Below are two pictures displaying the amount of minority players and coaches in major American professional sports leagues.
73.2% of the NFL’s player base are minorities, while only 12.5% of coaches are minorities. What is the cause of this underrepresentation when comparing the players and coaches? One could attempt to argue that it could be due to a lack of available minority coaches in comparison to white coaches, or that less minorities want to coach in the NFL. Unfortunately, this does not seem to be the case. More often than not, less experienced, white coaches are frequently given coaching jobs over more qualified people of color. The problem is simple and the racial inequality is not hard to miss. Many older white owners are seemingly afraid to give the power of their organization over to minorities. They have no problem making millions off the minorities that play in their leagues, but when it comes to handing over authority of their franchise to a minority, that’s where they draw the line. Now, I’m not saying that all team owners are racists, but I do believe that racism plays a huge factor in the amount of minority coaches and General Managers in these leagues. While the NFL has outwardly taken measures to combat this, such as the Rooney Rule (There must be at least one minority interviewed for a vacant head coach or General Manager), the necessary implementation of this rule shows that there is definitely evident prior discrimination in the hiring of General Managers and Head Coaches in the league.
Another league that has high inequality in the amount of minority Head Coaches and players is the NBA, with minority players making up 83.1% of the league and minority coaches only making up 26.6%. While this is better than the NFL, there are still improvements that need to be made when it comes to racial injustice. For example, in 2014, the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers was caught saying racist remarks, and was fined and forced to sell his team. Racism is a huge factor in discrimination against minority Coaches and General Managers. Black players like Lebron James, who consistently speaks out against racial injustice, are met with this response: “Shut up and play.” This gross response show that racial discrimination occurs not only from the owners, but also the fans. Fortunately, the NBA is taking great strides and paving the way on how to handle racism, has taken police brutality and inequality head on, and has outwardly condemned it. A great showcase of this is the use of the NBA bubble that existed for the 2020 NBA Playoffs. Due to the pandemic, it was unsurprisingly that many players were weary about returning and joining the bubble in order to safely compete in the playoff games. However, others took this as a chance to show solidarity with Kaepernick and the Black community. In the opening game of the restart, the Utah Jazz and New Orleans Pelicans connected to make a stand that night, and they all kneeled around the Black Lives Matter wording in the center of the court during the anthem. Along with this, many activists and politicians participated in Zoom conferences and focused on using their influence to advocate for Black Americans like never before seen in a professional sport league.
All in all, it is clear that racism in professional sports is present, and has existed since the founding of these major sports leagues. Despite how embedded in these industries racial injustice may be, many leagues are taking proactive steps to fight against further acts of injustice. With a major league like the NBA leading the way during such an irresolute time, one thing is clear. The players, league executives, and public are becoming less and less tolerant when it comes to racial injustice in these industries. Hopefully, as more players and coaches confront the racial issues present in these professional sports leagues, not only will it change discrimination in their league, but also throughout the country.
Works Cited
Bailey, Analis. “On This Day Four Years Ago, Colin Kaepernick Began His Peaceful Protests during the National Anthem.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 26 Aug. 2020, www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2020/08/26/colin-kaepernick-started-protesting-day-2016/3440690001/.
Fletchpost. “’Dear Black Athlete’ Examines Issues of Race and Sports in This Moment of Protest.” The Undefeated, The Undefeated, 11 Apr. 2018, theundefeated.com/features/dear-black-athlete-issues-of-race-sports-birmingham/.
Jenkins, Sally. Perspective | This Is Why Colin Kaepernick Took a Knee. 30 May 2020, www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/05/30/this-is-why-colin-kaepernick-took-knee/.
mzenitz@al.com, Matt Zenitz |. “Alabama Reserve QB Mac Jones Arrested, Charged with DUI.” Al, 3 Nov. 2017, www.al.com/alabamafootball/2017/11/alabama_reserve_qb_arrested_fo.html.
Zucker, Joseph. “Clippers Owner Donald Sterling Banned for Life from NBA for Racist Remarks.” Bleacher Report, Bleacher Report, 26 Sept. 2017, bleacherreport.com/articles/2042902-clippers-owner-donald-sterling-banned-for-life-from-nba-for-racist-remarks.
Systemic Racial Injustice in the NFL – Diary of Systemic Injustice Showcase – Owen Sinning
This year, the NFL endorsed the phrase “End Racism,” to help combat the systemic racial injustice in the police force. Despite this, the NFL has failed to address the systemic injustice in their own league. When I first wrote about this topic, there were only 3 minority head coaches in the NFL. Now, after firing and hiring, there are still only 3 minority head coaches. While the first ever Muslim-American head coach Robert Saleh shows that there is some progress being made, the NFL still has a way to go. Not only is it harder to get a head coaching job, but if a minority is fired, it is harder for the minority coaches to get even an assistant job in the NFL. Todd Bowles was fired after coaching a poor New York Jet team, and was only interviewed by one team, despite his success on defense.
(Offensive Coordinator Eric Bieniemy, Kansas City Cheifs)
For two years in a row, Eric Bieniemy, was passed up on by teams looking for a head coach by less experienced, white coaches. Despite helping to lead the Kansas City Chiefs to back to back Super Bowl Appearances, he remains in Kansas City. For some coaches, all it takes is one year of success to get a head coaching job. Head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals was hired after being the Quarterback Coach of a team that appeared in the Super Bowl. Head Coach of the Arizona Cardinals was hired after having done a mediocre job at Texas Tech. In the NFL, minority coaches have become the “other.” Bieniemy not being a current NFL coach is disrespectful to him and shows that there is a reluctance to hire minority coaches in the NFL. This problem, does not stop at the head coaching level, as there are even less (2) minorities in the General Manager Position. Below is an image of how many first time minority coaches have been hired in a certain period in the NFL.
The refusal to hire minorities has become a big problem in the NFL. Older, white owners are scared to hire someone different from them and give the power of their team to a minority. While the NFL has taken action to address this like the “Rooney Rule” (require NFL teams to interview at least two minorities for Head coach and one for General Manager) the NFL still has to do more in order to combat the Systemic Racial Injustice in the NFL. I believe that this is a systemic injustice because the only reason successful minority coaches like Bieniemy are not a head coach, is because they are a minority. This relates to John Lewis and his book “March” and Martin Luther King’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail.” Activists like Lewis and Kind spent their whole life advocating for equality, yet America and the NFL lacks equality. The NFL gets millions of views per year, and addressing the systemic racial injustice the King and Lewis fought against in the NFL will lead to systemic injustice being addressed nationwide, by all Americans.
Hill, J. (2021, February 05). ‘Some team has to want me’. Retrieved March 28, 2021, from https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/02/black-coaches-see-the-limits-of-the-nfls-racial-reckoning/617943/
Maya, A. (2021, January 06). Tony Dungy ON Nfl’s lack of minority head Coaches: Owners ‘need to be looking for leaders’. Retrieved March 28, 2021, from https://www.nfl.com/news/tony-dungy-on-nfl-s-lack-of-minority-head-coaches-owners-need-to-be-looking-for-
Sando, M. (2016, July 19). Rooney rule in reverse: Minority COACHING hires have stalled. Retrieved March 28, 2021, from https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/17101097/staggering-numbers-show-nfl-minority-coaching-failure-rooney-rule-tony-dungy
The effects of 9/11 on America, Hamid “The Reluctant Fundamentalist”- Owen Sinning
The terrorist attacks that took place in America on September 11, 2001 would change the world as we knew it. Immediately after the attacks, America began a “war on terrorism.” New laws and policies, like the Patriot Act, were put in place in order to keep Americans safe. With new changes coming to The United States, tension rose in the Middle East and at home, as the U.S. began its war on terrorism. The war on terrorism, quickly became a battle on two fronts.
In the Middle East, the U.S. chased after Al Qaeda and Taliban, in order to put an end to terrorism. However, attacks on Al Qaeda and Taliban sites resulted in civilian casualties. These casualties caused the feeling of anti-Americanism to grow in the Middle East. The Middle East had already had a difficult relationship with America, and the war on terrorism, had no help in improving the United States’ reputation. People in the Middle East felt that America was a superpower, and was abusing their power. Although the war on terrorism was in order to keep Americans safe, it put many innocent people in the Middle East in danger.
In the U.S. stereotypes began to cause mistreatment of Muslims. Throughout the U.S. Muslim-Americans were constantly in fear of hate crimes because of 9/11. The Patriot Act caused more Muslim-Americans to be searched because of racial profiling. In an article highlighting the research of psychologist Mona M. Amer, she says that, “You receive constant messages about how your community is full of terrorists, ignorant people, oppressive people” (Clay). Misinformation and stereotypes continued to cause abuse of Muslim-Americans from uninformed Americans, and the media.
Clay, R. (2011, September). Muslims in America, Post 9/11. Retrieved March 28, 2021, from https://www.apa.org/monitor/2011/09/Muslims
Daalder, I., & Lindsay, J. (2017, May 10). Nasty, brutish AND LONG: America’s war on terrorism. Retrieved March 28, 2021, from https://www.brookings.edu/articles/nasty-brutish-and-long-americas-war-on-terrorism/