Racism and discrimination has been a problem in the world since the beginning of time. In America, today racism has been a topic of interest in many news outlets and in political issues. In sports however, discrimination and racism have a different impact and outlook. In the essay “Different Racism”, Matthew Salesses states, “Jeremy Lin is the success he is because of his individual talent, not because he is Asian American. His ethnicity… was the only factor in him having to “come out of nowhere,” Since that was where Asians have been relegated to in sports.” (Salesses). Salesses describes the difficulty Lin had as an Asian American in professional sports. Krystal Beamon states “African American male student-athletes must also contend with negative racial, gender, and athletic stereotypes.” (Beamon 121). These views are very concerning as commissioners and spectators alike try to diminish racism and prejudice in sports. Beamon’s statement is falsifiable in the sense that there is racial stigma that these athletes have to deal with but, most of it is not in a negative connotation. When judging pure athletic ability, I believe black athletes are assumed to be superior to other races based on racial stereo types.  An example of this is the movie “White Men Can’t Jump.” It exemplifies the stereotype that white people cannot jump as high as black people, and when white individuals can, they are considered to be the rare exception. I believe that negative racism, specific to athletic ability, in American sports are derived from stereotypes and are the source of all discrimination and these specific stereotypes are hurting the integrity of sports on both sides and need to be diminished.   

Many people outside of the sports world perceive racism in American to be a prejudice help by white people against all other minorities. Some do still perceive this to be true. ‘’ There was also an incident at the collegiate level in which a Texas Tech "super fan" allegedly called one of the country's best college basketball players, Marcus Smart of Oklahoma State, the N-word and told him to "go back to Africa," though the claims were never confirmed.” (Lapchick). In an article posted by ESPN, Richard Lapchick compiled a series of recent events that have happened in the sports world involving racism. Most of the events he describes are fan related and are somehow influenced by society and not strictly sports based such as this one. Racial events that are strictly player to player are not exactly as the fans perceive them. “If Larry Bird was a black guy he’d just be a regular old ball player “; Denise Rodman. (Edelman). This incident between Larry Bird and Denise Rodman occurred in 1987 after the eastern conference finals. Remarks such as this have been made toward talented white players in many major sports across American sports culture, and are derived from these stereotypes that have been plaguing sports for centuries.  

Racism has evolved since the late nineteen-forties and fifties. On April 15th, 1947 Jackie Robinson became the first African American to participate in a Major League Baseball game. Robinson faced discrimination and prejudice in every game he played. Fans made racial slurs and threw objects at him while he was on the field. This did not stop with the fans. Players would make racial remarks at him as well. Pitchers would intentionally hit him with pitches to scare him.  Their goal was to make him quit baseball. Robinson prevailed and continued to play. He carved the path for many other African American sports professionals (Rampersad). This was standard racial behavior during that period of history, not only in sports, but also in society. While society has evolved from these dated views, there are still those in sports who believe this high level of prejudice still exists despite the evidence. Many professional sport journalists and reporters have and perpetuate the misconception that every white fan, player, and coach is out to get the African Americans that they share their profession with, regardless of reality. 

Major racial shifts in sports began to take form in the 60s, extending and deepening into the 70s, and 80s. In the early 1960s there was a major event that occurred at the University of Mississippi State that changed college basketball.  Since the school’s inception, the UMS basketball team had been comprised of all white players. In 1963, African Americans were allowed to join the team for the first time in the school’s history. There were massive riots on campus when this change occurred. The fans of the University were in uproar. This event sparked many other southern universities to follow suit (Peterson). This historical event created the beginning of the end to sever racial prejudice by major sport institutions and organizations. 

Transitioning into the 1970s and 1980s, according to historical reference, sports became increasingly “black”. The National Basketball Association (NBA) was a prime example of this fact. In the late 70s and early 80s, the NBA television ratings were dropping dramatically, and the association was losing money. This changed when Erving “Magic” Johnson and Larry Bird entered the mix. These two individuals, Magic as an African American and Bird as a white man, revitalized the NBA by pitting white verse black in a brutal war for championships. At the time, the NBA was predominantly made of African American players, not unlike today. Larry Bird was the exception; one of the few white players in the league, and by far the most talented white player in the league. Bird and Magic battle year after year for the title of best player in the league. Players in the NBA argued that the only reason Larry was characterized as good was because he was white (Edelman). Even his own teammates looked down on him because of his skin color. “We started talking when he walked in the gym. Who is this white boy? Then we started playing, I was playing defense on him and he hit a shot. I thought alright that was luck, then he hit another, and another. I said damn this white boy can play.”; M. L. Carr (Edelman). This rivalry between Bird and Magic revitalized the NBA, boosting ratings and profit to a point it had never been at prior. The hate and prejudice Larry Bird received from the players alongside him fueled his abilities and made him into the star he became. This prejudice treatment was experienced by all white players during this era, not just Bird. Many racially heated incidents between players happened during this period in the NBA. This is when African Americans assumed dominance over sports in America. 

Today in American, there is very little privacy.  Most everything people say and do is in the media. This media presence is even more critical for athletes. Recently, many athletes have used their media prowess to advocate issues they feel need to be recognized or resolved. The National Football League has been plagued with such issues in recent news. Many of the players and even entire teams have been taking a knee during the national anthem. They say they are protesting the American government and their racial prejudice against African Americans. The entire Pittsburgh Steelers organization chose to make a united statement on this issue. The whole team decided to stay in the tunnel during the national anthem. One rogue player named Charley Villanueva came out of the tunnel and stood for the anthem. Villanueva was an Army Ranger prior to signing with the NFL. The next week on twitter, Villanueva was flamed by many fans, calling him a N-word hater and a racist. He became persecuted for standing up for the country that he served. A Caucasian male hero became the target of discrimination by black players, fans, and activists for doing exactly what they say they are doing and support; taking a stand for their personal beliefs. 

This racial prejudice has even been evident from companies endorsing these athletes. “As a sports marketer, I know the fact that Curry looks racially ambiguous will make him a marketable superstar.  Why? Because he will be a safe choice for many brands, even though brands will not admit this. He will have cross-demographic appeal, exuding athletic stardom with a just-whitish-black-enough complexion to make him palatable.” (Carreon-Johns). “In reference to the issues of racial group exclusion and tokenism in sports, recent works consist of both retrospective and current accounts that assess opportunities for participation. One source of retrospective accounts of racial exclusion is journalistic, specifically recent biographical profiles and biographies of pioneer black American athlete” (Washington). Brands have been selecting racial appropriate athletes for endorsements to boost sales. The only white NBA athlete with a top three endorsements is Kristaps Porzingis, and even he is not a white American. Porzingis is from Lithuania. He is endorsed by Adidas, and even this is an attempt to appeal to the foreign population. Brands have made attempts to appeal to masses of fans and the masses of fans are interested in African American athletes. 

Our society has impacted the way athletes view each other and their respected fan base. “Despite its economic and cultural centrality, sport is a relatively neglected and undertheorized are of sociological research” “Finally, there have been exchanges about sport and race as contested terrain (see, below, gender as well) along with the issue of race and  and race as contested terrain … along with the issue of race and differential sports performance.” (Washington). Racial ideas are classified as two groups discriminating against one another. In sports, many players discriminate against ability in that particular sport. This comes with a drawback for most Caucasian individuals. The stigma is that African American athletes are more talented and athletic than white athletes. This prejudice can plague white players throughout their careers. This prejudice also makes it more difficult for Caucasian athletes to receive athletic scholarships, draft spots, professional contracts, and accolated in their careers.  

The problem of racial discrimination has been in existence for centuries in sports. All prejudice and discrimination is painful and wrong.  Some individuals still believe African Americans are the target for negative racial attacks and discrimination regarding their athletic ability simply because of their skin color. This might have been true in the mid to late 1900s, but as society, sports and media have changed, a new form of racial prejudice has developed from the idea that African Americans are better at sports than other races. The new face of prejudice in sports has been born from stereotypes such as “White men can’t jump”, identifying Caucasians as inferior athletes.  Caucasian individuals have been the target of this new stigma and are discriminated against prevasivly throughout the sports world. This is evident in the experiences of prejudice endured by players such as Larry Bird and Charley Villanueva. Racial discrimination has taken a new direction. This direction has led to the fact that Caucasian individuals are the targets of racial prejudice in sports at all levels. This new face of prejudice is hurting, not just white athletes but black athletes as well. It is discouraging young athletes from participating in the sports they know and love, robbing them of the opportunity to develop long lasting friendships as well as the sense of belonging. As with all prejudice, there are negative and lasting effects.  In order for the issue to be resolved, it must first be recognized.  
