Black players, monkey chanting and banana tossing

By Orville Higgins

Two incidents happened over the last few days that put the topic of racism in sports right back in the spotlight. When Dani Alves peeled and ate a banana that was thrown on the field in a Barcelona game against Villareal, I was absolutely delighted.

In that one single act, Alves demonstrated exactly how black players should have been dealing with issues of the kind before. He refused to take it seriously, something I have been preaching for years. Black players over the years have been guilty of allowing this monkey-chanting and banana-throwing business to affect them far more than it should.

In that one simple gesture, Alves was saying in effect, "you and your stupidness will not affect me today." The fact that for the rest of the game, no other banana was thrown on the field was most telling. The idiot who did it clearly got the point. I hope other black players in future will get the point too! You don't get rid of racist actions in sports by legislation, or even by punishing the offenders. That's like trying to empty the sea with a teaspoon. The best way to stop it is to take away the motive of those who do it. If their motive is to upset you and they find that it no longer works, then throwing bananas on a field will soon become a thing of the past.

While all that was making news all over the world, the Los Angeles Clippers owner, Donald Sterling, was having a rant with his girlfriend about not putting up black players on her Instagram, because it embarrassed him and those in his circles.

The conversation later became public and now Mr Sterling is currently America's most despised citizen. He has been banned from watching NBA games, fined US$2.5 million and there is now a move afoot to force him to sell his ownership rights of the team. At one point, while listening to NBA commissioner Adam Silver sternly reading out the punishment, I thought he was going to recommend the electric chair.

I really sympathise with Mr Sterling. For one, the man was having a private conversation while he was clearly upset. If we were all to be punished for what we said in heated private conversations, then none of us would be able to 'cast the first stone' at Mr Sterling.

Why should private sentiments, said in a private dialogue, lead to such public condemnation? Secondly, so what if Mr Sterling doesn't want his mistress to be publicly associated with black people? What if she was taking photos with known homosexuals and he had a problem? Would he be as universally condemned? What if he was a man of devout Christian principles and she was taking photos with say, Rastafarians or Jews to which he objected? Would we see him as this despicable human being?

Doesn't Mr Sterling have a right not to like black people, in the same way that I should be free not to like whites or Chinese? Doesn't a person have a right not to like whichever group of people he/she chooses? Can we really legislate and punish mere thoughts? What should be punishable is not what Mr Sterling THINKS about black people but what he is DOING to them. Has he done anything to black players in the NBA? As long as Mr Sterling isn't standing in the way of black people's right 'to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness' then he can dislike all he likes, if you get what I'm saying.

Saving face

Trying to stop him from owning the Clippers is reasonable. I get that. The NBA must protect their brand and if black players were planning to strike and sponsors are pulling out left, right and centre, if justice didn't appear to be done against Mr Sterling, then the NBA had to act in a way to stop that. But to charge the man US$2.5 million is cruel. That's the equivalent to about J$270 million, for telling his woman not to put up black people on her Instagram. It's one of the biggest injustices of the modern world.

We in Jamaica might not get it, but I'm sure any black Jamaican man who tells his woman not to put up photos with her and white guys on her Instagram and then told that he will have to pay J$270 million would not find it funny. And why stop the man from even watching NBA practice games? This is overkill. My advice to people is, be careful what you say to your spouse. It may end up costing you big time.

Orville Higgins is a sportscaster and talk-show host on KLAS FM. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.