Condemning racism in sports.

IV 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. RES. 283 Condemning racism in sports. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES APRIL 2, 2019 Mr. ESPAILLAT submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary RESOLUTION Condemning racism in sports. Whereas racism has historically influenced the infrastructure in major sporting industries since its inception, after the 2016 election there seems to be a reemergence of racist rhetoric in global, national, and local discourse, and sports are not immune to this troubling trend; Whereas the roots of racism in sports date back to their gen- esis, and perhaps no example of clearing racial hurdles compares to the story of Jackie Robinson who was the first African American to break the so-called color line to play in all-White Major League Baseball as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers and whose sacrifice and persever- ance in the face of such visceral hate in response to his participation is remembered as a historic triumph for Af- rican Americans; VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:07 Apr 03, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR283.IH HR283 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 2 •HRES 283 IH Whereas Willie O’Ree became the first Black player in the history of the National Hockey League playing for the Boston Bruins, earning the mantra as the ‘‘Jackie Robin- son of hockey’’, and is still active in promoting diversity in the sport; Whereas policy enhancements, such as the Rooney Rule in the National Football League (NFL), have progressed in- clusion and diversity in sports leagues and would poten- tially have a significant impact if applied to organizations in other industries; Whereas accounts of both blatant and subtle racism have jus- tifiably captured the attention of fans when publicly dis- closed in years past, and the recent hateful and unapologetic tropes cast by public figures, particularly the President, have elevated the issue of racism in sports to a national discussion; Whereas the University of Florida has recorded 52 acts of racism in sports in 2018, an increase of 11 compared to the previous year; Whereas internationally the number of instances of racism in sports more than doubled in 2018 compared to the prior year; Whereas within the last month the Utah Jazz, of the Na- tional Basketball Association (NBA), levied a lifetime ban against a fan who deliberately and repeatedly called NBA star Russell Westbrook ‘‘boy’’ leading up to a game in Salt Lake City, Utah; Whereas athletes in several sports leagues who were initially inspired by NFL player Colin Kaepernick chose to exer- cise their constitutional right by abstaining from partici- pating in the national anthem to shed light on the killing VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:07 Apr 03, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR283.IH HR283 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 3 •HRES 283 IH of unarmed Black men by police officers and the wide- spread injustices that minorities still face; Whereas xenophobic, misogynistic, and racist rhetoric should not be condoned in any circumstance, a basic value that has been ignored by the President when he aims hateful comments at athletes of color in his public comments on the internet and at rallies; Whereas the President’s behavior seems to have had a spill- over effect on others who now feel enticed to propel rac- ism and hate speech in the name of sports rivalries; Whereas players like Russell Westbrook have received fines for responding to fans’ racist, threatening, or antago- nistic comments; Whereas racism has been documented as a lingering problem in some locker rooms over the years, and closeted racism has recently become an issue at the ownership level; Whereas Donald Sterling, who had owned the NBA’s Los An- geles Clippers, was captured on tape making denigrating, racist comments about African Americans and NBA leg- end Earvin ‘‘Magic’’ Johnson, Jr.; Whereas the media’s role in advancing racial undertones and race-based expectations continues to be latent, such as when Serena Williams, who is hailed as the best female tennis player of all time, received racially charged press coverage for her passion and drive described as ‘‘out- bursts’’, while her White colleagues often do not receive such criticism for similar displays of passion; Whereas debate has sparked around the Cleveland Indians and Washington Redskins for their use of logos viewed as racist, demeaning, and inconsiderate; VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:07 Apr 03, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR283.IH HR283 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 4 •HRES 283 IH Whereas the Washington Redskins owner has refused to en- tertain the idea of changing the name of the team, while the Cleveland Indians announced the decision to remove their controversial team logo from all uniforms but con- tinue to sell merchandise emblazoned with the logo; Whereas the continued success of athletes of color over the years has led to a series of successes by players, includ- ing former NFL quarterback Doug Williams’ success winning a Super Bowl, shattering the construct pre- viously subscribed to by NFL coaches and scouts, and di- minishing the negative, inaccurate connotations pre- viously held against African-American quarterbacks; Whereas, during the 2018 FIFA World Cup, FIFA imposed penalties against Russia for its fans’ racist behavior aimed at France’s players of color; Whereas because the popularity of sports has a wide reach that expands demographics, sports have a unique poten- tial to steer the conversation around discrimination and racism; Whereas sports have always been based on the principle of a level playing field in which achievement is not based on race, ethnicity, or religion, but simply on a player’s abil- ity; and Whereas major sports leagues have sought to expand diver- sity and invest in communities of color, but there is still more work to be done around altering the public dis- course on race and racism: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep- 1 resentatives that— 2 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:07 Apr 03, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR283.IH HR283 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 5 •HRES 283 IH (1) athletes have the right to exercise their con- 1 stitutionally protected right to freedom of speech; 2 (2) racism in sports must be combatted and un- 3 equivocally condemned; and 4 (3) public officials should use their platform to 5 encourage diversity in sports and highlight role mod- 6 els for young members of minority communities. 7 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:07 Apr 03, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR283.IH HR283 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS