Racism

Racism

Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...

 in sports is a problem which is manifest around the world. It has led to a wide range of controversial incidents which have been reported in the media.

The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission

Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission

The Australian Human Rights Commission is a national human rights institution, a statutory body funded by, but operating independently of, the Australian Government. It has the responsibility for investigating alleged infringements under Australia’s anti-discrimination legislation...

 (HREOC) released a report claiming that racial abuse and vilification is commonplace in Australian sport.

Controversial incidents of racism in sport

The following incidents of alleged racism in sport received significant attention in the media.

Association Football

Association Football has a history of racism events. Some players may be targeted because of their association with an opposing team. However, there have been instances of individuals being targeted by their own fans.

Some significant policies aimed at reducing racism in Association Football include Football Against Racism in Europe

Football Against Racism in Europe

Football Against Racism in Europe is a network set up to counter "racism and xenophobia" in European Football. The network was set up in Vienna, Austria, in February 1999 after a meeting of football supporters' groups, football players' unions and football associations...

, Show Racism The Red Card

Show Racism The Red Card

Show Racism the Red Card is an anti-racism education charity, established in England in January 1996 to harness the high profile nature of footballers as anti-racist role models to educate against racism throughout society in the United Kingdom....

, Rasismul strică fotbalul in Romania

Romania

Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...

not all passed.

Australian Football

Australian Football has a history of racism, including some significant events, however the Australian Football League

Australian Football League

The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...

's racial vilification

Racial vilification

Racial vilification is the term in the legislation of Australia that refers to a public act that encourages or incites others to hate people because of their race, nationality, country of origin, colour or ethnic origin...

 code has gone some way to reducing racism in the sport.

Cricket

• 17 October - India
  India
  India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
  
  n crowds of up to 40,000 people at a cricket
  Cricket
  Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
  
   match in Vadodara
  Vadodara
  Vadodara formerly known as Baroda is the third most populated city in the Indian State of Gujarat . It is one of the four cities with the population of over 1 million...
  
   and Nagpur
  Nagpur
  Nāgpur is a city and winter capital of the state of Maharashtra, the largest city in central India and third largest city in Maharashtra after Mumbai and Pune...
  
   threw racist taunts at Andrew Symonds
  Andrew Symonds
  Andrew Symonds is a former Australian cricket team all-rounder. A two-time World Cup winner, Symonds is a right-handed middle order batsman and alternates between medium pace and off-spin bowling....
  
   resulting in official complaints to the International Cricket Council
  International Cricket Council
  The International Cricket Council is the international governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from England, Australia and South Africa, renamed the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1989.The...
  
  .

Golf

2008

• Broadcaster Kelly Tilghman
  Kelly Tilghman
  Kelly Tilghman is a broadcaster for The Golf Channel, and the PGA Tour's first female lead golf announcer....
  
   is suspended from The Golf Channel
  The Golf Channel
  Golf Channel, known as The Golf Channel before the July 2008 dropping of The, is an American cable television network with coverage focused on the game of golf. Founded in Birmingham, Alabama, the American headquarters and studio are currently located in Orlando, Florida...
  
   after joking about Tiger Woods
  Tiger Woods
  Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
  
   being "lynched in a back alley" during final round coverage of the Mercedes-Benz Championship.

Rugby League

2007

• Anthony Mundine
  Anthony Mundine
  Anthony Mundine is an Australian professional boxer and former rugby league footballer.He is the current interim WBA Light Middleweight Champion boxer, former two-time WBA Super Middleweight Champion, former IBO Middleweight Champion and New South Wales State of Origin representative footballer....
  
   made publicity by claiming that New South Wales
  New South Wales
  New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
  
   as racist state in terms of the sport of rugby league
  Rugby league
  Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
  
   and that it is one of the reasons he quit the sport to take up boxing
  Boxing
  Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
  
  .

2010

• News.com.au reports that television commentator and former rugby league great Andrew Johns
  Andrew Johns
  Andrew Gary "Joey" Johns is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s who is considered by many to be the greatest player of all time. He was heralded as the world's best halfback for a number of years...
  
   had been banned for allegedly calling Greg Inglis
  Greg Inglis
  Greg Inglis is an Australian professional rugby league player for the South Sydney Rabbitohs. A Queensland State of Origin and Australian international representative outside back, Inglis joined the Rabbitohs in 2011 after much controversy.Inglis is a versatile back, having played in several...
  
   a "black c***" while addressing the New South Wales rugby league team
  New South Wales rugby league team
  The New South Wales rugby league team has represented the Australian state of New South Wales in rugby league football since the sport's beginnings there in 1907. Administered by the New South Wales Rugby League, the team competes in the annual State of Origin series against arch-rivals, the...
  
  . Additionally it was alleged that Johns had referred to Timana Tahu
  Timana Tahu
  Timana James Aporo Tahu is an Australian professional rugby league footballer and former rugby union player, a dual-code international, currently playing for the Newcastle Knights in the National Rugby League. He formerly played for the New South Wales Waratahs in the Super 14 competition...
  
  as a "black c.***, "Abo", "c**n", "n****r" and "monkey".

External links

• Racism in Sports TheSportsCampus.com
• Crossing the Boundary: a study of the nature and extent of racism in local league cricket

Leeds Metropolitan University

• What’s the Difference: A study of the nature and extent of racism in Rugby League

Leeds Metropolitan University