Papantonio: Racism Prevalent In College Football

[GoLeft TV]

College football in the South is a way of life for people who have no other way to identify themselves - cheering for a team like Alabama is the only identity that these people have. But what a lot of people aren’t able to see is the inherent racism that lingers beneath the surface of college football in the South. Ring of Fire’s Mike Papantonio discusses this with Dave Zirin, sports correspondent for The Nation.

[mostlyconfused]

1. was that really about racism?

Very interesting conversation, but what I heard was more an indictment of the importance being placed on college athletics...that fans become so obsessed, that alleged crimes are overlooked...rather than an examination of racism in college sports. It's a conversation worth having as a different set of rules seem to apply to the college athlete, in the name of winning and the money that surrounds the programs.

[iandhr]

2. I felt the same way.

I was like "wow what a wacky" when a guy poisoned 200 year old oak trees but whats that got to do with racism.

[FormalObserver]

3. This guy is a hack

He gets facts wrong. Winston has not been charged with raping anyone.

He calls it "Honey Boo Boo Florida" Dude go fuck yourself.

I bet he can't name one player on FSU who has ever been charged with a crime.

Alabama & Auburn's teams are well represented by white players and I really don't understand the point he's trying to make.

NOWHERE in the video goes he make the case that racism exists in today's college football or even that it is "prevalent" like the title suggests.

Kids go to Alabama/Auburn/Florida/Georgia etc.... because going there gives them the best chance of making it to the pros. But this guy criticizes them for staying in their home state?

OF COURSE Nick Saban is going to say what he said abut his team. Does that make his racist?

He keeps talking about taking football from Alabama and they'll have nothing. I bet if you took away this guy's microphone away he'd have nothing. At least the state of Alabama is GOOD at football.

[iandhr]

4. Agreed the guy was a hack...

... but I think the sports reporter made some good points.

The way the alleged victim in the Winston case is being treated for instance.

[FormalObserver]

5. I understand that...........

But racism (which was the entire point of the interview) has absolutely nothing to do with that situation.

[iandhr]

6. Agreed...

Another conversation that had nothing to do with racism was Saben throwing his kickers under the bus instead of taking responsibility for his own coaching mistake.

That had nothing to do with racism either.

[radicalliberal]

9. Let us not forget how the rape victim in the Steubenville case was treated before the trial . . .

. . . and after the "guilty" verdict (when she received death threats). Where's the outrage on the part of football fans over the way these rape victims are treated? Has Rick Reilly said a word about it?

Everyone should read Our Guys by Bernard Lefkowitz, which details the Glen Ridge scandal in which many in the community rallied not behind the victim but behind the high-school football players who assaulted her. No wonder I'm not a fan!

[iandhr]

10. I am a football fan...

... and I was outraged.

[paleotn]

7. God bless Jameis Christ?

....You've got to be kidding me. I see two angles in these videos (part 1 and 2). As for the racism part, if a black kid can play football on the FBS level, then he's loved in the Honey Boo Boo, deep south. Well, to an extent anyway. If he can't play football, they simply take away his right to vote, subject him to a low paying, service economy job, or just incarcerate him and get it over with since he's obviously a drug dealer.

Secondly, there's the bizarre obsession these people have with college football. Particularly the "sidewalk alumni." College football is enjoyable, certainly, but these people take it way too far. If a fraction of that energy was focused on something actually constructive, maybe there wouldn't be such a dearth of anything else there other than nationally ranked football teams loosely attached to sub-par public universities with pathetic academic standards.

[erpowers]

8. Good Schools

A number of SEC football schools are good universities with high academic standards. Alabama, LSU, and Auburn are pretty good academic schools. It has also been said that Alabama and LSU also have good law schools.

[GaYellowDawg]

11. Ahem...

Georgia's a better school, academically, than any of those three - according to US News & World Report, it's #60 Georgia vs. #81 Alabama, #91 Auburn, #135 LSU. Among those 3, though, Alabama has the edge in law schools - #21 Alabama, #33 Georgia, #76 LSU, and Auburn's not present in the rankings. Our real points of pride as far as grad school goes are Public Affairs (#4), Veterinary Medicine (#7), and within our College of Education, Technical/Vocational Education (#1) and Secondary Teacher Education (#4).

It's not just the "Deep South" that does the whole thing where athletes are given preferential treatment. I believe Steubenville is in OHIO.