Double Dribbles and Double Standards: The Unspoken Racism in Sports Reporting
LSU v. UCLA, a very big matchup for LA Times writer, Ben Bolch. Bolch has been writing for the LA Times since 1999 and has been very involved in UCLA sports. But why is this important? On March 29, an article was published regarding the women’s LSU v. UCLA basketball game. A game of “good versus evil.” Not too bad yet, right? In Ben’s defense, LSU women’s basketball coach, Kim Mulkey, is not the most-liked coach in women’s basketball. In fact, she is not a very well-liked coach in basketball, period. But when diving deeper into the article, one might raise eyebrows. The synonyms begin to get more and more cryptic as Bolch continues; “Good versus evil,” “milk and cookies” vs. “Louisiana hot sauce” and “America’s sweethearts vs. its basketball villains.” I think you get the gist. Again, at first glance, one may not think much of it (though I would hope one would catch on by now) however, it contributes to the narrative that society pushes about black being seen as evil and white being seen as pure and innocent. It is also important to note that LSU’s women’s basketball team is predominantly black while UCLA’s team is predominantly white. Now it’s interesting! Since the article has been published, ridiculed, and revised, both the LA Times and Ben Bolch have made statements. The article begins with the editor's notes and ends with an apology from Bolch.
But why does it matter? Ben made a mistake. We all say things we end up regretting. Sports are great when there is a storyline, a plot. It seems as though Bolch’s goal with this article was to give this matchup a plot. When looking at the attention LSU, Angel Reese in particular, received during this tournament, it is no surprise that Bolch went this route. However, it promotes the ongoing targeting of Black women. Take Caitlin Clark, for example; an amazing basketball player with grit, drive and passion. But so is Angel Reese and yet the two of them received very different crowd reactions when it came to the way they play. Throughout the tournament, Clark was praised for her trash talk. She was viewed as driven and fiery while Reese received criticism and backlash from viewers claiming it was unsportsmanlike and unprofessional. So this begs the question, why? And yes, the answer is that it all comes down to race.
You may think it is just a coincidence but when these ‘coincidences’ keep occurring, it becomes harder and harder to ignore. A prime example, Lebron James. In February of 2018, Laura Ingraham told James to “shut up and dribble” in response to his recent social activism. Though there is a general stereotype surrounding athletes and their intelligence, Black athletes tend to receive more backlash than other athletes. A paper written by Spencer Myler gives some significant examples of the racism and backlash that Black athletes receive. For example, the racist comments made on Twitter regarding Black soccer players after the Euro 2020 soccer championship.
As I mentioned before, sports become incredibly entertaining when there is a plot. Matchups are even more exciting when there is a hero and a villain. And it is all in good fun until the villain starts to feel targeted. Reese was a target through the entirety of the tournament for having the same passion and drive as Clark.
Racism, though not always as straightforward, continues to exist in today’s society. If this article is going over the heads of editors and readers, then imagine the other microaggressions and subtle racism that are experienced on a day-to-day basis.
Sources:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/columnist/mike-freeman/2023/04/03/angel-reeses-taunt-iowas-caitlin-clark-shows-double-standard/11591498002/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/susanmshaw/2024/04/03/sexism-and-racism-intersect-in-casting-lsu-players-as-villains/?sh=40cbd4446703