Discrimination against Black people is ever-constant and apparently even in the field of sports.
This week, the Baller Alert website reported the story of Talyn Jefferson, a young Black student
at Ottawa University, who’s story went viral on Twitter after she described her experience of being kicked off the school’s cheerleading team. Jefferson was removed from the team after refusing to remove her bonnet during practice, which she wore to keep her braids from hitting
those around her. After she refused, she was yelled at by her coach and later removed from the
team. Jefferson believes she was removed for discriminatory reasons partially because of some of the racial comments spewed during her coach’s rant.
You may also recall a similar incident in 2019 reported by NBC involving a
high school wrestler, Andrew Johnson, who was forced to cut his dreadlocks to be allowed to
participate in his match, despite hair regulations never having been an issue before.
If it wasn’t clear, these incidents are no mistake. You have to understand that this policing of
Black people in the most arbitrary of ways isn’t a fluke, it’s about power. Racists thrive on
exerting power over someone they perceive to be beneath them by making them bend to their
will, and unfortunately, a coach-athlete scenario provides the perfect power imbalance for a
situations like these to arise.
It’s disgraceful that a person should have to disregard a piece of themself or deny an everyday
aspect of their culture to avoid being excluded from a sport, but it’s not just about racist
individuals, the structure and the culture around these institutions often allow racist and
discriminatory policies and practices to go unchecked.
Many athletic organizations will include coded language within their rules to intentionally target
Black people and make it harder for them to participate because of their appearances. For
example, cheer teams requiring members to show up on game day with ponytails don’t seem to
be considering Black members with natural hair. Or when a coach casually includes that they
want someone with the “right look” in their list of criteria, without quite specifying what that
entails, simply stating that they “know it when they see it.”
Some other instances, though perhaps unintentional, can still make Black athletes feel “othered”
from their peers. Things like Black dancers being provided with “nude” colored tights and shoes
that only cater to their white counterparts. Little things like this, though not malicious per say,
exhibit a carelessness that sends a message to Black people that they haven’t been thought of,
or worse, that those in charge have no interest in accommodating them.
The point is, sports environments can be very hostile for Black people, and especially for Black
youth who may not have someone to advocate for them. It’s not enough to simply think you’re
not racist; especially because, as I hope is becoming increasingly obvious, intent does not erase
impact. Non-black coaches and advisors need to do more to welcome and embrace Black
athletes, starting by calling out discriminatory and micro-aggressive policies.
