Racial vilification is not just wrong, but pure evil

In this day and age (not that it ever was ok) it is totally unacceptable to disparage any person because of their race. The fact that LeBron James is being vilified in some quarters as a sportsperson who is black, is beyond my ability to comprehend. In fact it makes me so angry that he, and many other like him, are subjected to racial abuse it makes me boil. Three of my favorite soccer players over the years, Thierry Henry of France, Ruud Gullit of the Netherlands and England's John Barnes, were all subject to racial epithets during their playing days. It cannot and must not be allowed to continue.

In 2004, a Spanish television crew filmed Spanish national team head coach Luis Aragonés trying to motivate José Antonio Reyes by making offensive and racist references to Reyes' Arsenal club teammate, Thierry Henry. Aragones said in translation, "Show that you're better than that black shit". The incident caused uproar in the British media who wanted Aragonés sacked, but the Spanish federation showed their true colors by doing nothing about it, which is pathetic. John Barnes, was taunted by his own Liverpool fans, but put it all behind him and went on to become one of England's greatest players, and the man I most wanted to watch play in his prime.

Blackpool player Jason Euell, who was sitting on the substitutes bench during a match with Stoke City in 2009 was racially abused by a Stoke fan. This person was ejected from the stadium and subsequently arrested by Staffordshire Police. Blackpool manager Ian Holloway, who had to restrain Euell, was furious in his post-match interview, saying:

"We are human beings and Jason is a footballer. The color of his skin shouldn't matter. It was disgusting. The stewards believed what Jason said, got the bloke out and I hope he is banned for life. (He is) an absolute disgrace of a human being. I thought those days had gone. Jason was just sat in the dugout at the time. I saw his reaction and I had to calm him down. It's absolutely disgraceful."

Euell, who received an official apology from Stoke City, later said: "It did hurt. I felt I had to stand up for all colors and creeds and show that we won't accept it. I'm proud that I made a stand. It was a shock to hear what came out of the guy's mouth. Racism in football is not dead and buried but it's still a shock to hear that kind of thing in close proximity. There were people near the idiot who didn't agree with it, but there were others who turned a blind eye, which was disappointing."

In the wake of the incident, Tottenham Hotspur's fantastic manager Harry Redknapp called for fans who racially abuse players to be sent to jail: "That is disgusting – there's no place for that in the game. Surely we can't have that sort of behavior now? Anyone who does it should be put in prison – not banned from football. Stick them where they belong, in the nut-house. It's wrong." Everyone, from the Rednapps, the clubs, to the fans themselves, must stamp this evil out of sport, permanently. Every sport and every situation, we need to stand up and be counted.

Burning on cheats in sport

Okay, Jim Rome is not the only one who gets to burn! I am still simmering a bit over some comments made by idiots after Derek Jeter got caught cheating in a Yankees game a couple of weeks back. I've tried to let it lie but I just can't. You know the incident I'm talking about; Jeter acted his way to first base after a pitch in the seventh inning hit the skinny end of his bat. He shook his arm, winced as if in pain, received a visit from the trainer and was awarded first by the umpire. The next batter belted a home run that gave the Yankees a 3-2 lead. Thankfully, the Rays rallied for a 4-3 victory.

Later, Jeter admitted he was not personally hit, but that it hit the bat. He said that the umpire told him to go to first base. I'm not going to tell him I'm not going to first, you know." Rays manager Joe Maddon was tossed from the game for arguing the call, but he didn't fault Jeter. He said he would have applauded if a Rays player had done it. Great, just what we need from a "leader".

I'm sorry but cheating is cheating. No other word describes it, not gamesmanship, not acting, not "it's just part of the game". Sports is a microcosm of life and if cheating is condoned and even "applauded" on the sports field, what chance do we have in society. We just end up teaching our kids that unless you are caught and it has consequences, then it's totally okay. Wrong, that's total BS ( and I'm not talking about a Bachelor of Science degree).

I guess the thing that burns me the most is that Major League Baseball did nothing about it. If an organization has the power to censure a player for taking drugs, they can make a guy lose a couple of weeks salary for cheating and bringing the game into disrepute, and that's exactly what Jeter did. I'm not picking on Derek, he just happens to be the best current example. The same thing could be said about Thierry Henry when he blatantly hand-balled a shot into goal, and his cheating bundled Ireland out of a chance to compete in the FIFA World Cup. What if Jeter's cheating had caused the Rays to loose the game, like Henry's did to Ireland? What outcry then? Oh FIFA did nothing afterwards about Henry either; what a bunch of pathetic losers.