Racism in sport - Deny funds to clubs that host racists
The virtues of endeavour, realised talent, and sacrifice in pursuit of ideals not always as honoured as they might be, completely overshadowed the darker side of international competition.
It was a great pleasure to be swept along in the joy of personal dreams realised. The volunteerism shown by the population of one of the world’s great capitals to ensure the Olympiad’s success was a wonderful counter to the cynicism and selfishness of our times too.
We all were more than happy, and considerably relieved, to bask in the reflected glory of Katie Taylor’s gold medal. Expressing empathy with those less successful — the great majority whose reality mirrors the experience of most of humanity — was an enriching experience too. Knowing how to honour endeavour is as important as knowing how to celebrate victory.
Yet, at the other end of the spectrum, sport can unfortunately be the catalyst for minorities to give free rein to base instincts — to fear, to ignorance, to bigotry, to violence, to homophobia, and to racism.
Over the weekend, the latest in a line of allegations of racism in sport was made after Sunday’s Ulster football final between Crossmaglen and Kilcoo. Crossmaglen’s Aaron Cunningham claims he was subjected to racist abuse and that he was called a “nigger” and a “Paki”.
The GAA has promised a speedy investigation and pledged that any player found guilty of racism will face severe penalties. Nothing less is acceptable and that welcome response should be extended to include sanctions against the club of any player found so guilty.
The GAA, and it seems the organisation recognises this, must act quickly and firmly. After all, it must be imagined that the great majority of the association’s membership would expect nothing less. As the most powerful sports organisation in the country, it has the added duty of setting standards, an obligation it has discharged with some credit in the past.
Every major sport has had to grapple with the issue and some have not been as effective as they should have been. Soccer, especially professional soccer in England and Europe, has been hit by scandal after scandal on racism. In too many instances, the behaviour of a minority of players seems to have given their supporters licence to be not only racist but anti-semite, xenophobic, and homophobic too. This emotional brutality is not new but that it frequently turns an entertainment into something far more sinister and malignant accelerates soccer’s rush towards a moral wasteland.
Sadly, we cannot pretend that all Irish sports supporters are innocent.
There have been many instances of racism but, for historical reasons, bigotry is too often the phobia of choice at Irish sports grounds. Schools and underage teams — or overexcited parents on the sideline — are not immune either. Measures that will stamp out racist, anti-social behaviour during these formative years must be enacted and supported.
Over the weekend, the Government announced €26m in funding for some 615 sports projects. Measures that preclude clubs or organisations with members guilty of expressing racism, homophobic, or bigoted remarks during competition getting any of this funding would be one way of confronting the malaise and recognising that Ireland is happy to be a multi-ethnic, inclusive society.
