Racism by definition is simply the act of discrimination in terms of the race of an individual. In other words, it is looking down on people based on their race, may it be their ethnical background or the colour of their skin. Racism in sports media has over the recent past been a controversial issue that has raised eyebrows.
In most cases, the main aim of media is bringing people from all corners of life together. This is due to the fact that through the televisions, radio and even newspapers, humanity can be able to relate to the same happenings in the world and express their views and learn on how other people think. Nevertheless, this world is full of racist and in sport; this becomes a platform where hate is very pronounced.
A good example is in social networks which has come up in recent days. Here, people feel free to express their opinions in whatever way they like. They assault the players on these sites, calling them names and sometimes go as far as referring them using their real names. This is a huge setback to the sportsmen who are sometimes discouraged.
There comes a time when very great tournaments rare organized. The composition of these sports is quite different as in participation is people from different countries that speak a foreign dialect. In other cases, the players are not given the privilege of having commentators who can translate for them the ongoing game. This becomes an issue due to the fact that only individuals from certain language are affected which brings about ill feeling and one feels like an outcast.
Sports coverage of the black players is another issue of concern. There is a very large population of white media that covers the major professional sports and also a high number of black players in these games. Report that usually comes out is that one that refers to these black players as natural athletes who do not have to work as hard as their other team mates in order to get results. This is just trash talk and it is not healthy for games.
On a more positive note, this issue in the sports sector is going on the low. Comparison cannot be made like in the early years where even people went as far as killing their team members due to hate. The media has made steps to come up with ways and means to see to it that the use of hateful language is kept on the low and peace in maintained.
Media is also responsible for breaking down stars that are so loved in the society just because of their ethnicity. They blow their weakness beyond proportion, expose their personal lives and majorly ruin their careers. Come to look at it, everybody does wrong at one time and it is not good to take situations to greater heights just with the aim of tarnishing the name of an individual.
Racism runs very deep in sport media. In a bid to solve the issue of negative ethnicity, it is a wise step to balance the media crew in terms of race. This avoids domination of a particular race which triggers hate. When they are all balanced, it will be much harder for them to put across negative statements about others.
Read more about How Racism In Sports Media Is Run.
