Saturday, December 16, 2017

Racial double standard in sports?

Recently, Odell Beckham talked about the double standard between white and black athletes showing emotions on the field.  Sadly, he is exactly right. A black guy showing emotions will be called immature, showboating or selfish-just what Odell Beckham said while a white guy showing emotions will be called "showing leadership", "passion" or having intensity. There are two sets of rules here and it's getting very obvious. 

There is a catch-22 for athletes of all colors showing emotion. If they are ice cold, professional and under control-they lack passion. If they cry out, showboat, or get angry when they miss a field goal-then they are too emotional, unprofessional or lack the ability to be cool under pressure. When you throw race into the issue, then it gets much worse. The average sports fan cares more about winning than race, but that doesn't mean that there are not some unpleasant thoughts about race in professional sports. 


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