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By Leland Jay Anderson
 FOULPLAY
Are the sports media’s rants about spoiled, young millionaire athletes disrespecting the game rooted in truth...or racism?
Today’s successful sports figures are media-savvy self-promoters who understand that an opportune display of personality can be the key to changing from a beloved hometown hero into a one-man marketing supercollider with a Hummer full of endorsement deals. Most fans delight at the outsized on-field antics of their larger-than-life heroes. Meanwhile, many of the same superstar athletes are being criticized in the press for “unsportsmanlike” touchdown dances, “excessive” post-dunk celebrations, and for simply speaking their minds on any number of topics. It is the latter trend in particular that doesn’t sit well with the old guard of sportswriters and the new wave of sideline pundits.
Curiously, egregious infractions (tardiness, lack of preparedness, open contempt) aren’t what draw the ire of the David Sterns and Paul Tagliabues of the world. They’re more often rankled by a conspicuous tattoo or hairstyle or a joyous end zone victory dance: anything that says, “I’m here and I matter.” The fact that the athletes are, by and large, young Black males from impoverished urban areas, while many sportswriters tend to be older White males from more privileged communities, is telling. Are mere cultural differences to blame for the tendency of White fans, coaches, and/or sportswriters to see the exuberant behavior of Black athletes as arrogant and offensive?
The answer may have more to do with the country’s unresolved racial politics than anything else. Whether an athlete offers “colorful” suggestions on how to improve his team’s performance on the field or voices his dissatisfaction with a recent contract renegotiation, the sports media makes clear its preference for athletes who play the game and keep their mouths shut. The polite term for athletes who don’t is “outspoken.” The word our grandfathers may have heard was “uppity.” Whenever an athlete says or does something that doesn’t fit the narrow constraints of what the front office deems appropriate, the person is typically labeled “trouble.” For corporate higher-ups, whose only concern is maximizing cash flow, telling grown men how to dress so as not to offend the sensibilities of prospective suburban season ticket buyers seems completely appropriate. The player is expected to follow suit—or else. Once a reputation for “outspoken” behavior (i.e., trouble) is established, there can be severe financial consequences and even long-term effects to one’s career.
Continued In Issue #24- GET IT HERE!
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