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Racism and Racism in Sports

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Published: Mar 25, 2024

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From raised fists at the 1968 Olympics to taking the knee: A history of racial justice protests in sport

England and Italy football players take the knee. Image:  REUTERS/John Sibley

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Stay up to date:, systemic racism.

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• Athletes have been given more freedom to express themselves at this year’s Tokyo Olympics.
• Two Black athletes were expelled from the 1968 Games after protesting against racial and social injustice on the medal podium.
• Professor of Sociology Lori Latrice Martin explains the history of racial justice protests in sport – and how far we have come since the 1968 Olympics.

In 1968, six months after Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated, Tommie Smith and John Carlos stepped up to the podium to receive their Olympic medals in Mexico City.

They had won gold and bronze in the 200m, but now neither men were wearing shoes.

As the US national anthem played, they bowed their heads and raised gloved fists in what has now become an iconic image of protest against social injustice.

The black socks and no shoes represented Black-American poverty, while the gloves symbolized Black-American strength and unity.

Afterwards they were expelled from the Games and both received death threats.

“I went up there as a dignified Black man and said: ‘What’s going on is wrong’,” Carlos said in a 2008 interview .

Tokyo 2020: Unity in diversity

More than half a century on, one of the guiding principles of the postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, getting under way in Japan, is ‘unity in diversity’ .

Podium protests are still banned under Rule 50 of the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Olympic Charter , but opportunities for athletes to express their views have been extended, following recommendations from human rights experts.

This meant that before their opening match with Chile, Great Britain’s women’s football team were allowed to take the knee to highlight racial inequality and discrimination.

During Olympics trials in June, however, US hammer thrower Gwen Berry was criticized for turning away from the flag while on the podium during the national anthem.

On Radio Davos

Lori Latrice Martin is Associate Professor of Sociology at Louisiana State University and the author of White Sports/Black Sports . Here she explains the history of social justice protests in sport and whether the Olympics has really moved on since 1968.

We now see sports players regularly taking the knee. Where does that come from?

There has been a long-standing tradition of Black athletes in particular using their positions to draw attention to social justice issues. We can go back to the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, where Tommie Smith and John Carlos decided that they were going to raise their fists in the air on the podium in a protest to racial and social injustices. Across time, there have been athletes who have used their platform, most famously, boxer Muhammad Ali, and his contemporaries including American footballer Jim Brown and basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

More recently, in 2016, it was American footballer Colin Kaepernick who decided he was going to take a knee and protest during the national anthem. Many people connect the national anthem with the military and patriotism, but it is a moment when people are all engaged in the same activity, focused on the flag.

The purpose of any protest, as Martin Luther King famously said, is to disrupt business as usual, to force people to be uncomfortable and to create a sense of crisis. So that’s what many of these athletes are doing when they decide to take a knee. It’s happening across the globe – people are recognizing that issues related to race and to social inequalities in general is not just an American thing, but it’s a part of a global problem.

The COVID-19 pandemic and recent social and political unrest have created a profound sense of urgency for companies to actively work to tackle inequity.

The Forum's work on Diversity, Equality, Inclusion and Social Justice is driven by the New Economy and Society Platform, which is focused on building prosperous, inclusive and just economies and societies. In addition to its work on economic growth, revival and transformation, work, wages and job creation, and education, skills and learning, the Platform takes an integrated and holistic approach to diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice, and aims to tackle exclusion, bias and discrimination related to race, gender, ability, sexual orientation and all other forms of human diversity.

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Are we going to see more of this kind of protest at the Olympics this year?

It’s going to be interesting. I think that will depend upon how one person decides to do it and then how the Olympic Committee responds. We already saw the experiences of people like Gwen Berry and how she has been harmed because of her efforts to shed light on social justice issues during the playing of the anthem, so it’s hard to predict.

We have to remember that protests are not meant to be convenient and we can’t schedule them. So we may find that people find ways to highlight racial injustices and inequities in sports and beyond in ways that we never thought they would. It may not be during the anthem. It may be as they are lining up for a race or by something they decide to wear.

Is sport a unifying force to bring countries and ethnicities together?

Sport can have the power to unify a community, a nation and even the world. But it also can be a very dividing force. We’ve seen that time and time again, such as where it’s used to perpetuate myths about certain populations, including Black men, women and athletes.

Sport may be used in a variety of ways that seeks to privilege some groups over and above others. Even ticket prices, for example. Back in the day, working-class people and people from lower-class backgrounds could enjoy professional sports. Now, it’s very hard to afford a seat even in the so-called ‘nosebleed’ section. Sport can actually reinforce a lot of the inequalities that exist in society.

Why does racism endure in sport?

As soon as we have structures and systems in place that are race-based, we can see how sport can become institutionalized and how it can perpetuate racism. For example, there’s been a lot of attention on some of the rules surrounding swim caps at the Olympics . It may appear that rules about the types of swim caps that are acceptable are race-neutral, as are various dress codes. But they will often have a negative impact on one particular group relative to another, in part because there may have been changes in participation in the sport. There may be changes in technology – and those things don’t necessarily keep up with the rules and the structures.

If you have more Black women or Black people in general doing well in swimming, for example, and they can be more successful or compete more equally if they have a particular type of swim cap, but then it’s banned because it’s not part of what’s accepted... that has a negative impact on Black people and brings up all kinds of issues about what we consider beautiful and desirable and about stereotypes and ways to denigrate Black people based upon their hair and hairstyles. These things don’t occur in a vacuum – it’s important to know all the ways the various ‘isms’ that affect society also affect sport.

What makes some sports ‘white’ and some ‘Black’?

Part of it is the stereotypes that people have about certain groups. In the American context, you tend to assume that Black boys and men excel in sports like basketball that require more speed and physical agility. Some people still believe that’s rooted in biological differences and that somehow Black men might have a greater propensity to be successful in sports like basketball and football. And that perhaps Black women are better suited for sports like track and field than they are for field hockey and lacrosse. But we have to look historically at policies and procedures. There were times when Black men couldn’t play professional basketball with white men, for example, or where Black women were excluded from playing professional tennis with white women. Those things have an effect on the kinds of sports that people play.

In many economically disadvantaged communities, they don’t have a lot of sports programmes, so you don’t find hockey and swimming often in their public schools. Children aren’t even being introduced to those kinds of sports in their physical education classes. Many baseball fields that used to populate the American South have disappeared. So it’s not a coincidence that there’s been a disappearance amongst Black people in baseball, for example.

All these things are interconnected and it’s not just a matter of people having a biological propensity to be successful in one sport or another. It’s far more complicated – it’s about the opportunity structure and having access to different facilities. With anything, it’s about who you know. Someone may be very talented, but if no one ever discovers that talent because they’re not playing in an amateur athletic league, for example, then no one’s ever going to know about their talent.

Have we moved on since the 1968 Olympics in terms of diversity in sport?

I’m cautiously optimistic. I’m a big fan of a former legal scholar, Derrick Bell , and his work on racial realism. He basically talks about the permanent subordination of Black people in America and calls into question efforts to use the courts, for example, to bring about racial equality, because historically race has always mattered in American society. He also talks about what he calls ‘peaks of progress’, moments in American history where there is a tension on social justice issues, on racial inequities. In these moments, people show a willingness to create a more equitable society, such as at the end of the Civil War, during the civil rights movement and after the killing of George Floyd.

But sadly, some time may pass and then some folks forget about their commitments to social justice issues, even though Black people and other people of colour continue to suffer. If history has taught us anything, it’s that there are some people who were actively engaged in social justice issues who turn their attention to something else. It’s not until we have another incident like the killing of George Floyd, or some other overt manifestation of racism, that the nation and the world decides to draw attention to racial inequities again. So I think it remains to be seen, but I think many people, including myself, are cautiously optimistic that the number of voices has increased, especially following the killing of George Floyd, both in the sports world and beyond it.

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Tackling racism in football: from silence to speaking out

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Data released this year has highlighted the not-so-beautiful side of the beautiful game – bringing to the forefront, yet again, deeply rooted racist behaviour and attitudes on and off the pitch.

Despite numerous campaigns, initiatives and movements aiming to tackle racism in football, figures from inclusion and diversity charity Kick It Out have shown cases of racist abuse rose by 53% between 2019-2020.

The walk-off by players from Paris St-Germain and Istanbul Basaksehir during a Champions League game on December 8 may be one such example of players feelings of disillusionment about the way the industry handles racism. Both teams walked off the pitch and the match was abandoned following an alleged racist slur from the fourth official towards Istanbul Basakshehir’s assistant coach.

Recent analysis of Millwall fans booing players for taking a knee before a game against Derby on December 5 also reflects the wider “toxicity” of racism on the pitch as in everyday life.

As Herman Ouseley, chair of Kick it Out explained to the Institute of Race Relations in November 2011, “the reality of racism in sport is the reality of racism in society” . In other words, if sport is considered a microcosm of society, then narratives we’re seeing today reflect the state of race relations in society.

Therefore, tackling racism in football involves confronting institutional racism, systemic prejudice, toxic behaviours and unconscious biases across society for change within and beyond sport.

Football, Racism and Me

The recent BBC One documentary Anton Ferdinand: Football, Racism and Me provides a clear picture of the challenges facing the industry. Broadcast on November 30, the documentary revisits instances of racism in football to reveal the effects of racism on and beyond the pitch.

In one of the biggest racism cases in English football, we see the former professional footballer and Premier League player Anton Ferdinand reflect on the impacts of racial abuse during a Premier League match between Queens Park Rangers (QPR) and Chelsea in October 2011. Ferdinand, playing then for QPR, found himself in an altercation with the Chelsea captain John Terry, leading to Ferdinand being subjected to an alleged racist slur from Terry. Terry was found not guilty in a court of law, but the Football Association (FA) found him guilty of racist abuse and issued a £220,000 fine and a four-game ban.

Long-term effects of Racism

Ferdinand’s personal accounts of the incident provide rich insights into the effects of racism experienced and encountered on the football pitch that then seep into other public and private domains of a player’s life. One key message is the need to move beyond confinements of silence to finding the strength to speak out for change. But talking about the impacts of racism is not an journey, nor does it yield instant results. It took Ferdinand nine years to bring his story to the public sphere.

Other footballers who also recently broke their silence over racism in football are Paul Parker and Paul Williams, former 1990s Premier League players, whose experiences occurred decades ago. As Ferdinand explains in the documentary, coming forward meant going through a spectrum of intense emotions. He describes feeling “scared of the whirlwind of what happened”, “the abuse on social media” and the potential impact speaking out would have on the court case.

A study conducted between June 17 2020 and July 26 2020, commissioned by the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) charity and supported by Kick It Out, found 43% of Premier League players had experienced racist abuse on Twitter .

Being a victim of racial abuse, like any other form of abuse, inflicts on psychological and emotional well-being, which may require intervention, including counselling and therapy. Footballers are being given support – according to the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), the PFA has offered counselling to England footballers subjected to racial abuse. According to the BACP, a rising number of players are experiencing feelings of stress, depression and anxiety, highlighting the multifaceted aspects of mental health issues experienced by footballers following racial abuse.

Breaking the silence

By speaking out about the impact of racism on their professional and personal lives, footballers are challenging institutional racism in the industry. As noted by Chris Grant (a board member of Sport England) this wider “systemic problem” (the social agencies and structures that govern us, such as education, health, justice, and politics) fuels racism in sport.

Still, the industry’s ability to empower change is immense and there is research showing the positive impact athletes have in society, beyond just being role models for their fans. As Stanford University study has shown, the “Mo Salah effect” is one example of this. The arrival of Egyptian-born Mo Salah, a Muslim man, at Liverpool Football Club has been said to contribute to a decline in Islamophobia in the Merseyside area of Liverpool , as well as anti-Muslim racism from Liverpool fans. Ferdinand’s account of shortfalls in football when it comes to tackling racism is another example of this kind of “prejudice-reduction effort” , although further research is required to measure the impact in terms of tackling racism in football.

Tackling Racism in Football

New concepts of diversity can be applied to combating racism in sports. What journalist Matthew Syed refers to as [“the power of diverse thinking”] [https://www.matthewsyed.co.uk/resource/rebel-ideas-the-power-of-diverse-thinking/], for example, involves working with people who have or have had different experiences in life that are different to the majority. Take the ability of overseas football managers and players to improve performance on the pitch through their different styles of play and leadership, for example. Change can emerge through the representation of non-Western leadership styles and by drawing on international cultural capital to reach out to global networks.

Engaging with different perspectives and embracing them can contribute to driving similar change and creativity in organisations and wider society. When various Black, Minority, Asian and Ethnic (BAME) groups are represented on sport boards, their socioeconomic status and schooling can involve different characteristics to majority members, and as such need to be taken into consideration.

By joining forces with social movements such as #BlackLivesMatter and #TakeAKnee, it appears anti-racism is moving to the centre stage. While race equality initiatives have helped, recent incidents show there is still a long way to go.

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Reporting on racism: ‘There are days it feels we are getting somewhere’

Three of the Guardian’s sports writers reflect on the role of journalism in bringing about change, on and off the pitch

Jonathan Liew, sports writer

Writing about racism is tiring and – if we’re going to be honest – not all that much fun. By definition, it’s an exploration of pain and suffering. We saw that when Azeem Rafiq spoke in parliament about the racism he had encountered in Yorkshire cricket. It entails spending a good deal of time with the very worst impulses of humanity. It requires trying to understand the mindset of people who have no interest in understanding you. We see that every time a rightwing politician or media outlet tries to justify racism under the deceitful banner of “anti-wokeness”. This is doubly true in the case of sport, which for the most part is a place where we go to feel uplifted, perhaps even seek temporary refuge from the world and its complex, maddening problems. And so often in this job it’s impossible not to feel a little churlish. You know that thing you love? That you’ve loved ever since you were a child? That source of simple, happy, incorruptible memories? Turns out it’s actually morally bankrupt beyond measure! Then there are the days when you feel like you might just be getting somewhere. An article that changes a few minds. A revelation or news story that forces the powerful to reflect. Or occasionally a moment that simply knocks you sideways. Perhaps one of the most quietly moving episodes of the sporting year came in an otherwise entirely forgettable pre-season friendly at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in August, when Bukayo Saka was introduced by Arsenal as a substitute. As you will probably be aware, Saka missed the crucial penalty for England in the Euro 2020 final against Italy at Wembley, and in the days afterwards was subjected to a vicious and sustained wave of racist abuse. Now, as he stepped on to enemy turf at the home of his club’s biggest rivals, the Tottenham fans cheered his every step: a show of solidarity and kinship across tribal lines that felt shocking in its defiance. It was a gesture that said: actually, fuck the rivalry for a moment. Some things mean more. And you need to know that we know that. Every so often there are days when it feels like nobody is listening and nobody is learning, when there is precious little left to cling to. Well, cling to that.

Barney Ronay, chief sports writer

English cricket is never short of stories. The Ashes will dominate the sports news cycle either side of Christmas. This year’s T20 World Cup is a prelude to the joys of next year’s T20 World Cup, and to the 50-over World Cup the year after that. In the current rush to balance schedules, to gorge on stored-up TV rights deals, every year is World Cup year right now, every couple of months another step on the franchise carousel.

These are the headlines. But the real story of English cricket is, as so often, elsewhere. In the last few weeks, Rafiq’s refusal to walk away from his experience of institutionalised racist abuse at Yorkshire County Cricket Club has gone from a noise off on the sports pages to questions in parliament, reputation management in the Nike boardroom and a state of emergency at English cricket’s grandest county.

This story is just beginning. But we can promise that with the help and the input of readers we will continue to tell it in the pages of Guardian Sport, and to keep trying to push it forward to the next step.

Rafiq is a hero. His bravery lies not just in telling his story, but in being willing to tell it until people listen, and doing so even as his character is smeared and his motives questioned.

In the face of massed public pressure, there has been a sudden willingness to listen in high places. But one thing is certain. This isn’t even close to being over, or solved or packaged away, no matter how many reports or statements the England and Wales Cricket Board might throw at it, no matter how many layers of Yorkshire’s management are peeled away.

We still see entire sections of society underrepresented in the professional game, starved of opportunity, excluded by habit and structures , and often more or less invisible at management level. If Rafiq’s courage tells us one thing, it is that those with an investment in the status quo will respond only to public pressure. That is hopefully where Guardian journalism can have an impact.

Jacob Steinberg, football reporter

I was at the London Stadium to watch West Ham host Tottenham in the Premier League a few weeks ago. It can be a difficult fixture for a Jew to attend. Tottenham have often been the target of antisemitic taunts and I wasn’t particularly surprised when I heard a nearby West Ham fan launch into a chant of: “We’ll be running round Tottenham with our willies hanging out, singing I’ve got a foreskin, haven’t you …”

It was a jarring moment, a reminder that discrimination in football remains an issue despite repeated efforts to kick it out: and there was more to come when West Ham travelled to face Genk in the Europa League last month. The footage of supporters taunting a Jewish man on a plane to Belgium was another punch in the stomach.

Unfortunately, these incidents remain all too common, and 2021 has become something of a watershed for sport and racism. Last year, Kick It Out, football’s anti-discrimination charity, warned that a “shocking” increase in reports of racist and homophobic abuse in professional football was just the tip of the iceberg, and sadly it has become a part of our job as football reporters to ensure that the issue is covered properly, sensitively and extensively.

We have all experienced that sinking feeling while sitting in a press box – the moment when we realise that a section of supporters in the ground are aiming racial abuse at a young black footballer. It happened when England went to Budapest to face Hungary, but it is crucial to note that racism is not merely a problem in foreign countries: it was deflating for Gareth Southgate to have to devote part of his debrief with the media after the Euro 2020 final to talking about racism.

But we have to talk about it. At the Guardian, it is a topic we continue to cover rigorously. In 2019 we published a wide-ranging report into the rise of racism in football, at grassroots level and in the professional game, and we explored the problem again earlier this year. In 2021, our columnists have written again and again about an issue that, far from going away, appears to becoming more entrenched.

We built up to England’s opening game at Euro 2020 against Croatia by interviewing Labour leader Keir Starmer about racism in football and we have heard from several figures inside and outside the game about discrimination, among them former players Lilian Thuram and Anton Ferdinand, and poet Benjamin Zephaniah. Chris Hughton spoke to us about the challenges faced by black managers and our award-winning podcast, Football Weekly, recently broadcast an interview with the former Liverpool and England winger John Barnes about his experiences of racism.

The hope is that persistent reporting will have a positive effect; that it will change attitudes in the stands and increase diversity at the top of the game. It is our duty to put pressure on authorities who have often seemed blase about the issue. It is no longer merely important that we keep talking and writing about racism in football. It is a moral obligation.

• Inside the Guardian
• Antisemitism
• Black Lives Matter movement
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Brian Flores’ Lawsuit Shows How Empty the NFL’s Anti-Racism Messaging Is

Harper critiques the NFL’s performative expressions of care about racial justice. He argues the League needs new recruitment, hiring, and accountability methods. Because nearly 70% of players are Black, Harper insists they have enough collective power to demand the hiring of more Black coaches.

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Harper joined FOX 11 News in Los Angeles to discuss the shortage of Black head coaches and systemic racism. He acknowledged the NFL’s efforts to highlight racism in our society, but challenged league execs to disrupt racism inside the NFL and across its 32 teams.

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Harper interviewed Coach Brian Flores and three Black NFL players about solutions to the underrepresentation of Black head coaches problem. Together, they identified nine things the League must do if it is serious about increasing the number of Black head coaches and executives.

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Jhené Aiko and Mickey Guyton sang “America the Beautiful” and the “Star-Spangled Banner,” respectively. Aiko was introduced, but the camera zoomed in on Guyton, with Aiko’s name in the lower-third. This fumble, plus Mary J. Blige being the only woman in the halftime show, are discussed.

Not Only in the NFL. Dearth of Black College Coaches is Unacceptable.

The underrepresentation of Black head coaches in college sports is unacceptable, Harper writes. He notes that 88% of athletics directors at NCAA member institutions are white. Only 7% of head football coaches, 14% of head men’s basketball coaches, and 15% of head women’s basketball coaches are Black.

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Why we’re not doing better at racism in sport

Collingwood isn’t the only club where racism is part of the culture, but the AFL club’s report highlights the ongoing problems of dismantling racism in Australian sport

By Professor Karen Farquharson, University of Melbourne, and Professor Ramon Spaaij, Victoria University

The findings of the Collingwood Football Club-commissioned Do Better report – that the club’s culture and processes are ineffective and sometimes counter-productive in combatting racism – were unsurprising.

Having done extensive research with community sports clubs, it’s clear that racism is a feature of sport that is present from the start of many athletes’ careers.

The report’s findings are consistent with critical race theory , which argues that racism is a part of everyday life that benefits white elites in predominantly white societies like Australia.

Since it is part of everyday business, it is invisible and insidious, and it is hard to shift because it permeates all institutions. Since racism benefits the dominant group, they are reluctant to effect real change because it means a shifting of power to others.

According to this theory, change will only come about if the dominant group will benefit and/or when the cost of not making the change is higher than cost of making it.

Race, sport and media: Questioning the status quo

A good example of this was the racial vilification rules implemented by the AFL in the 1990s – public perception was shaped by the leadership of key Aboriginal footballers and it became too embarrassing for the league to continue to tolerate on-field racism.

In this way there was interest convergence – the interests of the white majority and the minority footballers converged so that change was possible.

Despite the success of its vilification policies, racism continues to be a feature of football clubs. The Do Better report brings this type of racism to the fore.

The report found that racism was experienced by players and fans at Collingwood; “…it is clear that players and fans have experienced incidents of racism and that Collingwood’s response to these incidents has been ineffective, or at worst exacerbated the impact of racist incidents”.

The report found that there were no effective means of making complaints about racism at Collingwood, and when a complaint was made, the response was defensive (more concerned with media coverage than helping victims), and the complainant would pay a high price for complaining.

This isn’t surprising to us because it is exactly what we found in our study of community sport and what is reflected in scientific literature on complaints as a means for supporting diversity.

The lack of effective means for making complaints of racism are present in many organisations, not just in sport.

Reconciliation and the Anglo-Australian Football League

For those experiencing racism, they must weigh up the likelihood that their complaint will be received well, the likelihood that the racism will stop as a result of the complaint, and the career damage that complaining will cause.

In our research , the costs of making a complaint was almost always considered too high. Only very rarely do victims of racism complain – they know that they are unlikely to be believed or supported, and very likely that they will be pulled from play or experience other repercussions.

It is easier to let it slide. It has to be very bad for someone to complain.

Rather than punishing those who complain, clubs should be fostering a culture where it is unacceptable to speak or act in racist ways to teammates, competitors or colleagues. We need to reward and support people to speak out, and there needs to be accountability and consequences for acts of racism.

Collingwood’s report calls for diversification of club boards and leadership, including appointing First Nations people to the board.

We would go further – clubs should prioritise developing the leadership potential of First Nations and other non-white players, hire diverse coaching and other staff, and listen to them particularly when they say racism is occurring.

Equally, organisations need to be careful that it’s not tokenistic. There needs to be a critical mass of non-white voices, and they need to have genuine decision-making power.

Sports can show Australia's better face

Dismantling racism cannot be the responsibility of those on the receiving end. It’s everyone’s responsibility, especially white people ( this is where Collingwood failed spectacularly ).

White players and staff should notice and speak out when racism is present. Bystander intervention is one of the most effective ways to combat racism and reduces the risk of repercussions for its victims.

A key finding of the report is that there is a gap between what Collingwood says it stands for and what it practices around diversity and inclusion.

It is easy to say “we are welcoming and inclusive”, but in order to be welcoming and inclusive, there needs to be a zero-tolerance approach to racism.

Culture change must be accepted and supported organisation-wide and not be left to individuals. Change has to come both from the top down (board/leadership), and from the bottom-up (individuals speaking out).

Perhaps now is a moment when interests converge and real change is possible.

The Do Better report provides recommendations to Collingwood that should be considered across the sector. Because make no mistake, our research at the community level would suggest that Collingwood isn’t the only club where racism is part of the culture.

Banner: Getty Images

Racism is not just a sporting matter, it is a matter for all Australians

Analysis Racism is not just a sporting matter, it is a matter for all Australians

Why does sport have such a problem with racism?

It's a question we hear all the time, but it's the wrong one.

It happens in sport because sport is part of who we are.

Sport is not separate to the schools we go to, the workplaces we are employed by or the suburbs we live in.

We often hear about sport being in the "DNA of the country".

Racism happens in Australian sport because there is racism in Australia.

If you ask "does Australian cricket have a racism problem?", the answer is yes, as do many Australian sports, as does Australia.

We hear about it in sport most frequently because sport is public — it's played in the open, with a live audience, and at the level of a Test match between Australia and India it is broadcast around the nation and the globe with oodles of column space dedicated to it in our newspapers and online sites.

If our school playgrounds, backyard barbecues and office meetings were this public, we wouldn't need to ask "why does racism always happen in sport?"

Alleged abuse at SCG not an isolated incident

The latest racist incidents involve alleged abuse hurled from the crowd at the Sydney Test over several days. On Sunday, spectators were ejected from the crowd after Indian bowler Mohammed Siraj complained to the umpire about their behaviour .

To deal with racism, white people like me, in a largely white country like Australia, need to listen as others tell of their experience and what they hear when we say things "we didn't mean" or that was meant as "a joke".

Those types of jokes are not funny and claiming ignorance is no longer acceptable. Just ask Eddie McGuire, the outgoing president of Collingwood .

He learned that suggesting one of the AFL's greatest players, Adam Goodes, who is Indigenous, play King Kong in a movie promotion was no longer something Australians viewed as a joke .

Except McGuire is still president of Collingwood and Goodes no longer has anything to do with the game.

Collingwood conducted a review into racism and the culture of the club because of the well-documented experiences of former player Heritier Lumumba .

That review was delivered to the club board last year but has still not been made public — although it is believed that was one of the provisos for conducting the review.

Let me suggest some other names you might like to Google: Joel Wilkinson, Eddie Betts, Nicky Winmar (AFL players), Mel Jones, Lisa Sthalekar and Usman Khawaja (Australian cricketers), Marcia Ella-Duncan, Beryl Friday, Jemma Mi Mi, and Helena Saunders-Higgins (netballers). I could go on and on.

It is not a white person's place to decide what is racist and what isn't

Of course, just as cricket isn't the only sport with a problem, sport isn't the only industry with a problem. And Australia is far from alone.

I mentioned in an interview I did with Indian TV channel NDTV last night that every country has issues with racism.

But as Australians, we don't need to compare ourselves to the lowest common denominator, or any common denominator for that matter. As Australians, we should want to uphold the highest standards as a benchmark for others to aspire to.

And there are those inside sport's governing bodies looking to make genuine change. It is hard.

It is particularly hard when all of those making the decisions about what to do and when to do it are white because, to be blunt, what would they know?

Taking advice from a side committee is not the same as taking advice from those in the most senior positions of influence who get to determine the agenda.

In sport, as in work, as in school, as in politics, those in power are white as the rule.

While racism remains just a side issue — one we'd rather would just go away than actually try to fix — it will remain.

In a predominantly white society, with a domination of white voices setting the daily news agenda, it is not a white person's place to decide what is racist and what isn't.

What is and isn't racist is not a decision for the perpetrators

While we wait for the investigation into what happened at the SCG Test and the alleged racist comments, one thing is clear — deciding what is and isn't racist is not a decision for the perpetrators but one for those who are on the receiving end.

We've seen this in the response to the SCG story — some in the media have rushed to excuse the actions, or to explain them away, others to downplay it.

No doubt some cricket fans are doing the same.

If a number of other visiting players say they heard racist comments too, and the visiting officials confirm the reports are genuine and of a serious nature, why is our first default position to doubt them?

I don't have the answer to that question, but I could suggest one.

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Editorial article, editorial: gender and racial bias in sport organizations.

• 1 Center for Sport Management Research and Education, Department of Health and Kinesiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
• 2 Department of Sports Science, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
• 3 Mark H. McCormack Department of Sport Management, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, United States

Editorial on the Research Topic

Gender and Racial Bias in Sport Organizations

Legal mandates, social pressures for inclusion, and shifting demographic landscapes all contribute to an increased focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion in sport ( Cunningham, 2019 ). Some leagues, such as the Women’s National Basketball Association, excel in this area, serving as a model for others ( Lapchick, 2021 ). Despite the presence of exemplars, most of professional sport in the United States remains mired in the decades-long pattern of similarity and exclusion where White, able-bodied, cisgender, heterosexual men hold key leadership roles ( Brassil & Lutz, 2020 ). These patterns are also evident in other sport contexts in the United States and around the world ( Ahn & Cunningham, 2017 ; Cunningham et al., 2021 ; Walker & Bopp, 2011 ; Wicker et al., 2019 ; Wicker et al., 2020 ). Thus, even though members of underrepresented, minoritized groups frequently represent the majority of players, leadership roles are seemingly reserved for those who have historically held power.

In addition to limited access, members of underrepresented groups are likely to encounter stereotypes, prejudice, and treatment discrimination in sport. The disparities are evident among athletes, administrators, coaches, officials, and fans ( Burton, 2015 ; Singer, 2016 ; Sveinson et al., 2019 ; Hindman & Walker, 2020 ; Wells et al., 2021 ; Wicker & Kerwin, 2020 ). These patterns suggest that, even though group diversity is frequently associated with desired outcomes, such as organizational effectiveness and positive affective outcomes ( Lee & Cunningham, 2019 ), sport is a place where people who differ from the typical majority face various biases, limiting their access to and full participation in sport.

The purpose of this Research Topic was to explore these issues in greater depth. Specifically, we sought research from authors who 1) focused on taken-for-granted assumptions, 2) considered the myriad of factors that could influence the manifestation of bias, and 3) explored the intersections of race, gender, and other diversity forms. As we outline in the following section, the selected articles accomplished these aims.

Selected Dimensions of Gender and Racial Bias in Sport Organizations

One of the themes to materialize from the articles was the value of critically examining the presence of and consequences of diverging from taken-for-granted assumptions and practices. Frick and Moser ’s study offers an apt illustration, questioning the assumption that, among Nordic and Alpine skiers, women are less competitive than men. To do so, they analyzed decades of data from the sport. Their results showed that women and men were equally adept at managing career successes and failures, and that the career length of women and men was virtually identical. Thus, at least among elite skiers, their findings counter the notion of gender differences in competitiveness and drive. From another perspective, Braumüller et al. drew from a large-scale dataset, which included respondents from Germany, Scotland, Austria, Italy, and Hungary, to explore the experiences of transgender, non-binary, and cisgender athletes. Given that sport is largely segregated based on sex assigned at birth, and transgender and non-binary athletes challenge this demarcation, it is possible they have poor experiences in sport. Consistent with this perspective, results showed that transgender and non-binary athletes faced continued anti-trans bias, including structural forms of discrimination.

Two articles considered factors that might influence the presence of bias in sport. Mire et al. , for example, conducted a study of weightlifters and examined whether coach-athlete gender similarity influenced the athletes’ performance. Among men, gender congruence was associated with better performance. Women performed better when their coach was a man, but only until age 43, at which point they performed better when guided by a woman. The authors noted historical biases against women in the sport could contribute to these patterns. Demographic similarity, or a lack thereof, is also associated with referee decisions. Specifically, in examining multiple years of data from the National Football League, Eiserloh et al. found that Black umpires called more penalties when their referee (the leader of the team of officials) was White. The authors reasoned that Black umpires might feel more pressure to assess infractions when their team leader is White—stresses others have observed in different sport contexts ( Foreman & Turick, 2020 ).

The importance of contextual factors was highlighted in two studies. Focusing on men’s intercollegiate basketball in the United States, Nesseler et al. found that Black coaches were underrepresented—a pattern that continued for decades. The effects were more pronounced, however, in Division III institutions, which are comparatively smaller with more White undergraduate students. Gomez-Gonzalez et al. also illustrated the importance of context. The authors noted that previous researchers had found that demographic dissimilarity was associated with the number of infractions a referee called on an athlete. Most of these studies, though, were set in the United States or United Kingdom and focused on men’s sport. Gomez-Gonzalez et al. diverged from this pattern, analyzing data from women’s basketball teams in Spain. Contrary to previous work, the authors observed no effects of racial dissimilarity or nationality dissimilarity. Thus, the country and sport might moderate the relationship between dissimilarity and infractions called.

Finally, other contributors highlighted the importance of explicitly considering intersectionality—a position for which previous researchers have advocated ( Walker & Melton, 2015 ). In the first study, Bartsch and Rulofs focused on physical education teachers’ attitudes toward children from refugee backgrounds. Racialized and gendered notions of threat and vulnerability were evident, with four themes emerging: victimization and vulnerabilization, notions of threat and impulsivity, claims for assimilation and normalization , and demands for discipline . Given the increased number of refugees around the world, and the important role of physical activity and sport in their lives ( Anderson et al., 2019 ), Bartsch and Rulofs’ findings are especially instructive. Finally, Cooper and colleagues made a persuasive argument for new, innovative leadership approaches in sport. They argued that leaders should adopt anti-racism, anti-sexism, and culturally responsive stances. Only through such a paradigmatic shift can leaders hope to create and maintain diversity, equity, and inclusion in their sport organizations.

The Research Topic enhances the understanding of gender and racial bias in sport and its organizational settings. The included articles have provided rich insights into the topic from a number of perspectives, including the challenge of taken-for-granted assumptions, the study of factors that might influence the presence of bias in sport, the role of contextual factors in terms of national research settings, and the consideration of intersectionality. They help understanding how, why, and in what contexts gender and racial bias toward and discrimination of under-represented groups in sport is evident, ultimately enhancing the evidence base for taking informed action toward making sport a more inclusive and diverse environment.

Author Contributions

All authors listed have made a substantial, direct, and intellectual contribution to the work and approved it for publication.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Ahn, N. Y., and Cunningham, G. B. (2017). Cultural Values and Gender Equity on National Olympic Committee Boards. Int. J. Exerc. Sci. 10 (6), 857–874.

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Brassil, G. R., and Lutz, E. (2020). 30 Years, Little Progress for U.S. Sports Leagues on Leadership Diversity . New York: New York Times . Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/12/23/sports/diversity-coaches-sports.html?auth=login-email&login=email .

Burton, L. J. (2015). Underrepresentation of Women in Sport Leadership: A Review of Research. Sport Manage. Rev. 18 (2), 155–165. doi:10.1016/j.smr.2014.02.004

Cunningham, G. B., Wicker, P., and Kutsko, K. (2021). Gendered Racial Stereotypes and Coaching Intercollegiate Athletic Teams: The Representation of Black and Asian Women Coaches on U.S. Women's and Men's Teams. Sex Roles 84, 574–583. doi:10.1007/s11199-020-01186-2

Cunningham, G. B. (2019). Diversity and Inclusion in Sport Organizations: A Multilevel Perspective . New York, NY: Routledge . doi:10.4324/9780429504310

CrossRef Full Text

Foreman, J. J., and Turick, R. M. (2020). ”The Effect of Race on Lateral Moves to Coach central Positions,” in Sport Management Review (in press). doi:10.1016/j.smr.2020.04.004

Hindman, L. C., and Walker, N. A. (2020). Sexism in Professional Sports: How Women Managers Experience and Survive Sport Organizational Culture. J. Sport Manage. 34 (1), 64–76. doi:10.1123/jsm.2018-0331

Lapchick, R. (2021). WNBA, NBA Set Standard for Diverse, Equitable, Inclusive Hiring across U.S. Sports . ESPN.com Available at: https://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/31003620/wnba-nba-set-standard-diverse-equitable-inclusive-hiring-us-sports .

Lee, W., and Cunningham, G. B. (2019). Group Diversity's Influence on Sport Teams and Organizations: a Meta-Analytic Examination and Identification of Key Moderators. Eur. Sport Manage. Q. 19 (2), 139–159. doi:10.1080/16184742.2018.1478440

Singer, J. N. (2016). African American Male College Athletes' Narratives on Education and Racism. Urban Educ. 51 (9), 1065–1095. doi:10.1177/0042085916669749

Sveinson, K., Hoeber, L., and Toffoletti, K. (2019). "If People Are Wearing Pink Stuff They're Probably Not Real Fans": Exploring Women's Perceptions of Sport Fan Clothing. Sport Manage. Rev. 22 (5), 736–747. doi:10.1016/j.smr.2018.12.003

Walker, N. A., and Bopp, T. (2011). The Underrepresentation of Women in the Male-Dominated Sport Workplace: Perspectives of Female Coaches. J. Workplace Rights 15 (1), 47–64. doi:10.2190/wr.15.1.d

Walker, N. A., and Melton, E. N. (2015). The Tipping point: The Intersection of Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation in Intercollegiate Sports. J. Sport Manage. 29 (3), 257–271. doi:10.1123/jsm.2013-0079

Wells, J. E., Sartore-Baldwin, M., Walker, N. A., and Gray, C. E. (2021). Stigma Consciousness and Work Outcomes of Senior Woman Administrators: The Role of Workplace Incivility. J. Sport Manage. 35 (1), 69–80. doi:10.1123/jsm.2019-0422

Wicker, P., and Kerwin, S. (2020). “Women Representation in the Boardroom of Canadian Sport Governing Bodies: Structural and Financial Characteristics of Three Organizational Clusters,” in Managing Sport and Leisure .(in press).

Wicker, P., Cunningham, G. B., and Fields, D. (2019). Head Coach Changes in Women's College Soccer: An Investigation of Women Coaches through the Lenses of Gender Stereotypes and the Glass Cliff. Sex Roles 81 (11), 797–807. doi:10.1007/s11199-019-01022-2

Wicker, P., Feiler, S., and Breuer, C. (2020). Board Gender Diversity, Critical Masses, and Organizational Problems of Non-profit Sport Clubs,” in European Sport Management Quarterly . (in press).

Keywords: diversity, equity, inclusion, gender, race, sport, intersectionality

Citation: Cunningham GB, Wicker P and Walker NA (2021) Editorial: Gender and Racial Bias in Sport Organizations. Front. Sociol. 6:684066. doi: 10.3389/fsoc.2021.684066

Received: 22 March 2021; Accepted: 18 May 2021; Published: 31 May 2021.

Edited and reviewed by:

Copyright © 2021 Cunningham, Wicker and Walker. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

*Correspondence: George B. Cunningham, [email protected]

This article is part of the Research Topic

Essay on Racism In Sports

Students are often asked to write an essay on Racism In Sports in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Racism In Sports

Introduction.

Racism in sports is a serious issue. It means treating people unfairly because of their race or skin color. This problem is common in different sports worldwide. It can hurt players’ feelings and affect their performance.

Types of Racism in Sports

There are two types of racism in sports. Individual racism is when a person is racist. Institutional racism is when rules or systems are racist. Both types can make sports unfair for some players.

Effects of Racism

Racism can make players feel bad. It can make them lose confidence. It can also make fans and players angry. This can lead to violence in sports.

Combating Racism

To fight racism in sports, we need education. Teaching people about racism can help. Also, strict rules against racism are important. These can make sports more fair and enjoyable for everyone.

Racism in sports is a big problem. But, with education and rules, we can fight it. Everyone should be treated fairly in sports, no matter their race or skin color.

250 Words Essay on Racism In Sports

Understanding racism in sports.

Racism is when someone is treated badly because of their race or skin color. Sadly, it is seen in many areas of life, including sports. It is a serious issue that needs to be talked about.

Examples of Racism in Sports

Many athletes have faced racism. For example, black football players often hear mean words from fans. Sometimes, they are even treated unfairly by referees or coaches. This can make them feel bad and stop them from playing their best.

Effects of Racism on Athletes

Racism hurts athletes in many ways. It can make them feel sad, angry, or scared. It can also make them feel like they do not belong in the sport. This can stop them from reaching their full potential.

What Can Be Done?

There are many ways to fight racism in sports. One way is to teach everyone about the harm it causes. Another way is to punish those who act in a racist way. We can also support athletes who face racism. This can help them feel safe and respected.

Racism in sports is a big problem. It hurts athletes and makes sports less fun for everyone. But if we all work together, we can make sports a place where everyone is treated fairly, no matter their race or skin color. Remember, everyone deserves respect, both on and off the field.

500 Words Essay on Racism In Sports

Racism in sports: an introduction.

Racism in sports is a big issue. It is when people treat others badly because of their skin color or where they come from. This problem is not new. It has been around for a long time in different sports around the world.

There are many examples of racism in sports. One example is when black football players are called bad names by some fans. This can make the players feel very sad and not want to play anymore. Another example is when teams are not fair in picking players. They might pick players based on their skin color, not their skills. This is not fair and is a form of racism.

Effects of Racism in Sports

Racism in sports can hurt people a lot. It can make players feel bad about themselves. They might lose their love for the game. It can also make fans feel bad. They might stop watching or supporting their favorite teams. Racism in sports can also make it hard for people of different races to work together. This can hurt the team’s success.

Fighting Racism in Sports

There are ways to fight racism in sports. One way is to teach everyone about the importance of respect and equality. This means treating everyone the same, no matter their skin color or where they come from. Another way is to punish those who are racist. This could mean banning them from games or even the sport.

Role of Sports Organizations

Sports organizations have a big role to play in fighting racism. They can make rules that say racism is not allowed. They can also teach players, coaches, and fans about the harm racism can do. They can use their power to make a big difference.

Racism in sports is a big problem. It hurts players, fans, and the sport itself. But there are ways to fight it. Everyone has a role to play in this fight. By working together, we can make sports a place where everyone is treated with respect and fairness.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

• Essay on Racism In Healthcare
• Essay on Racism In Criminal Justice System
• Essay on Racism In America

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Discrimination in sport: what progress has been made and what is being done?

In August 2022, Premier League captains announced that, ahead of the new season, they would no longer routinely take the knee ahead of each match, opting instead to use the anti-discrimination gesture on “specific moments” throughout the season. Whilst many saw this as a set-back, particularly in light of the 2020 UEFA European Football Championship where players received abuse both on and off the pitch, others have praised the Premier League, and professional sport as a whole, for their efforts in tackling racism and discrimination in society. This blog, continuing on from our series on regulatory issues in sports, will consider the progress that has been made to tackle discrimination and also the initiatives being implemented in the professional sporting world. 

How much progress have sports organisations made and what are they doing?

In April 2022, UK Sport, with the four Home Country Sports Councils (Sport England, Sport Scotland, Sport Wales and Sport Northern Ireland), released the final report in the Tackling Racism and Racial Inequality in Sport Review ( TRARIIS ). 

The report makes clear that racism and racial inequalities still exist within sport and that there are longstanding issues, which have resulted in ethnically diverse communities being “consistently disadvantaged” . Commenting on the report, Sport England said “We want to see increased representation at all levels of sport, whether that’s in participation, administration, volunteering or recruitment.” It is clear that there is still further work to do. 

However, it is important not to disregard the progress that the sporting world has made to date. On 31 May 2022, the England and Wales Cricket Board ( ECB ) published its third update on the implementation of cricket’s action plan to tackle racism and promote inclusion. The update confirmed that the county cricket network has now exceeded its Board diversity targets, with an overall figure of 31 per cent female representation on Boards and 16 per cent ethnic diversity, up from 20 per cent and 10 per cent since November 2021. The ECB has also made progress within cricket grounds themselves to create a more inclusive environment. The report comments that “ The ECB is making available £2.5 million of funding to support facilities development, with an initial focus on multi-faith quiet rooms, changing facilities, family toilets, accessible seating, and sensory rooms.” It is clear that the ECB is continuing to take steps to address racism and create a more inclusive (and representative) sport. 

Gender-based discrimination, especially sexism, has been a prevalent issue in many sports series in the past, for example in women’s football. On 31 July 2022, England’s women’s national team became European champions. This historic win marked the landmark progress that women’s football has made in recent years. A decade ago, some female players were forced to hold second jobs in order to fulfil their sporting ambitions. Today women’s football is thriving with attendance, viewing figures, sponsorship and salaries all rising. In fact this year’s attendance at the UEFA final at Wembley marked the highest ever attendance at a Euros tournament with a staggering 87,192 fans. 

How are sports organisations continuing to make progress in tackling discrimination? 

Sports organisations are committed to improving diversity through their equality initiatives, with the most observable progress being made ‘on the pitch’. From the start of the 2020 season, Formula 1 ( F1 ) and its governing body, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile ( FIA ), has run the “We Race As One” slogan on all cars in the championship. In addition, certain athletes play their role in removing discrimination, for example four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel racing with a ‘Pride’ themed helmet in the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix and Lewis Hamilton establishing the Hamilton Commission seeking to improve “representation of Black People in UK Motorsport” . 

In English football, players also wear the “no room for racism” slogan on the right arm of their kit. Off the pitch, however, their anti-discrimination initiative reaches much further. The league has introduced an online abuse reporting system to support players, managers and family members who receive abuse. The system reviews each incident and, wherever necessary, follows up with either the relevant authorities or social media platforms. On social media regulation, the Premier League, alongside the FA, English Football League ( EFL ), Kick it Out (an anti-discrimination charity) and several other non-governing bodies, sent an open letter to Facebook and Twitter calling for increased filtration, “operate robust, transparent, and swift measures to take down abusive material”, and “an improved [user] verification process” . The integrity of the system implemented by the football leagues has been recently tested with Crystal Palace defender Joachim Andersen suffering abuse and threats on social media following a match between Crystal Palace and Liverpool FC. After identifying the abusive messages, Andersen reported the abuse to the police. However, the EFL has called on the government to step-up in respect to social media regulation. It is clear that much work remains to be done in this area.   

Away from social media, at a ‘grassroots’ level, the Premier League is committed to investing in educational resources. Through its Premier League Primary Stars programme, 18,000 primary schools in England and Wales can access free resources that highlight “diversity, equality and allyship”. 

As evidenced throughout this article, major leagues, across different sporting sectors, have chosen both long and short-term strategies, seeking to eradicate discrimination at the lowest level whilst also promoting diversity amongst current teams and athletes. Whilst there is still much to be done, the work that teams are doing is having a large impact, not only in driving out prejudices, but in raising the profile of anti-discrimination initiatives more generally and, perhaps most importantly, showing a generation of children that the professional sports industry is a diverse place to be. 

This blog is the latest in a series of blogs addressing a number of regulatory issues in the professional sporting environment – please also view our previous blogs in this series. 

The authors would like to thank Jake Burke, Norton Rose Fulbright solicitor apprentice, for his assistance with this blog post and series.

© Norton Rose Fulbright LLP 2023

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A story about racism, DEI and the economics of college athletics

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