Racism in Basketball Essay

Racism has been a big social issue for a very long period of time. In most cases, the minority groups are the usual victims of racism. It is quite unfortunate that an event meant to foster integration and inclusion has been used to propagate racism. Sports have the capacity to disseminate human values in every region of the world. This research is dedicated to examining the issue of racism in sports, specifically in basketball in the United States of America. The Origin of Basketball and Racism in Basketball in the USA Basketball is one of the popular sports around the world and is known to have originated in Canada in 1891 (Hiskey, par. The sport was invented by Dr. James Naismith, a teacher of physical education in Springfield (currently known as Springfield College) (Hiskey, par.

The game was inspired by the weather cycles in the sense that the school wanted to keep athletes in shape during the winter period with an indoor sport. Dr. NBA came into existence in August 3, 1949 after 3-year battle between Basketball Association of America (BAA) and the National Basketball Association. Both league organisers struggled to win players and fans. Jackie Robinson is known as the face of integration especially in sports for he was the first African-American to play Major League Baseball in 1947 (Calvert, p. In addition to his effort, Earl Lloyd joined the NBA as the first African-American to play NBA in October 31, 1950. His first appearance became a reference point in breaking the colour barrier that existed in the league. For this reason, there has been racial discrimination against the black people.

The white people exhibited high self-esteem, that they felt that they are more valuable and abled than the black people (Hylton, Parnell, and Rankin, p. This explains why black people in white-dominated NBA were allowed minimum time in the court and received meagre salaries unlike the white players (Hylton, Parnell, and Rankin, p. However, this has been disproved. More black people have made history in the NBA in the recent times compared to the whites. For quite some time, especially the years between 1950s and 1970s, most of the black NBA players were underpaid; something that could discourage many talented players from participating in such events. It is clear that racism created a demarcation between the two major races. The black people have become more inclined to groups that promote the rights of fellow black people while the white people are more inclined to associations of fellow whites (Foer, p236).

Most people would obviously want to associate with those who appreciate them. Racism has also created a moment of reflection especially among the black people whereby most of them have decided to wrong most of the stereotypes used to propagate racism. If you’re wondering how the hell that has anything to do with housing discrimination…” (Moskovitz and Wagner, par. The cases are increasingly alarming, a clear indication that racism is brooding unbearable conditions in the world of basketball (Golliver, par. The court cases on racism are widening the gap between the various races especially the black people and the white people. Calvert (p64) notes that black athletes are more likely to be seen as trouble makers in any issue between a white and a black athlete. The vulnerability of the black people in cases involving the black and white athletes is an issue of concern to every stakeholder (Bartlett, p13).

However, silent activism is changing the issue of racism among basketball athletes. The activities initiated by the activists involves the athletes in the leagues especially though the social media and other media. Racism has been a major contributor to poor officiating of some games. The animosity between the various races has been cited as one of the major issues to handle when it comes to game officiating which seems to compromise the quality of the matches to large extent. Grim (p9) notes that in most cases black athletes are considered quite rough and any small altercation between the black athletes and the league officials lead to their unwarranted send offs (EUFRA, p3). Superiority complex has been watered down and no race is more valuable or more capable of doing some things than the others.

Discriminations and mistreatment are some of the effects of racism that have to be addressed as well. Regardless, racism has created a stronger black race. However, it should be fought in all ways possible. Racism has contributed both negatively and positively on basketball and the athletes taking part in it. pp 358-361. Calvert, Sam. Racial Discrimination Rhetoric in USA Today.  The Elon Journal of Undergraduate Research in Communications, vol.  3, no. europa. eu/sites/default/files/fra_uploads/1207-Report-racism-sport_EN. pdf. Accessed 12 Apr. Foer, Franklin. Accessed 12 Apr. Grim, Kristi.  Race, Crime and Athletes: A Qualitative Analysis of Framing in Local Newspaper Coverage of NFL Quarterbacks Michael Vick and Ben Roethlisberger. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, MA thesis. dc. todayifoundout. com/index. php/2012/01/the-origin-of-basketball/. Accessed 12 Apr. Hylton Daniel Parnell, A. Clarence Thomas Name-Drops NBA While Arguing Some Discrimination Is OK".

 Deadspin. Com, 2018, https://deadspin. com/clarence-thomas-name-drops-nba-while-arguing-some-discr-1713985778. Accessed 1 May 2018.