Racism in Sports

While researching about racism in sports, I thought about the Iranian basketball player from earlier this year. At 7ft 2in, he was seeking a position in the NBA. All we have really talked about in class are instances where racism is still apparent today. Well, in this case, it shows how not everyone in the United States is racist. The only thing holding Hamed Ehadadi back was that he was Iranian and "federal statue prohibits a person or organization in the United States from engaging in business dealings with Iranian nationals." Despite his Arabic background, as we have seen in earlier weeks could pose a racist problem, the NBA still wanted him and all that was discussed was his ability to play the game. Eventually, the government gave in and he was allowed to play. On August 28, 2008, Ehadadi signed with the Memphis Grizzlies.

link to article prior to his signing: http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/beijing/basketball/news?slug=aw-nbairan081608&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

Now, keeping with the general theme of the blog, there is still racism within sports. European football has encountered its fair share of problems. In a CNN article from June, there is discussion about how racism within the sport has yet to decline. Angry insults are shouted from the crowds. The UEFA now runs anti-racism campaigns during games and posted billboards during Euro 2008.

link to article: http://edition.cnn.com/2008/SPORT/football/06/18/racism.europe/index.html

Also, leading from Europe to our next president, I saw this article posted a few days before the election discussing Europe and its racism issues. The article discusses how minorities in European countries are not as integrated within the culture as minorities in the United States. Just thought it was interesting.

link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27491837/