Comments on: Racism Rears its Head in MLS

By: Kevin

Kevin — Wed, 28 May 2008 04:56:09 +0000

Hey, I’m all for pointing the ass-hat out to security, but would you really be interested in telling a raging drunken lunatic to shut the hell up? I try to be as non-confrontational as possible, especially when I’m trying to enjoy a game.

By: Cerberus

Cerberus — Wed, 28 May 2008 02:49:39 +0000

Yeah, I don’t know about fines for single incidents considering the financial tight rope most MLS teams walk but yeah, every club should have a one incident/ejection policy and I find it dismaying/typical that no fans in the area turned on the racist or booed him leaving the security officer to just try and find him in an indifferent crowd.

That attitude needs to change and that can be done on the cheap. If racial abuse/tolerance of racial abuse persists then yes, the fan base of Columbus needs to be punished because the fan groups didn’t police themselves and silently stood in solidarity with the racist.

And that silent support is what emboldens these racist fucks.

On it occurring here in general, I’m not surprised. We, despite our many great and liberal qualities as a country, do not have the best record in racial relations. I hope we can stamp it out where it interferes with the beautiful game though by calling it out and making ourselves accountable to protesting such actions when they occur. We’re the front line in fighting racism in football.

By: Kyle

Kyle — Wed, 28 May 2008 01:39:54 +0000

So idiots go to soccer games, too. So what? If they hear this kind of stuff, they kick them out, but it’s kind of loony to hold MLS or the Crew responsible for some loser yelling stuff.

By: finnegan

finnegan — Wed, 28 May 2008 00:20:47 +0000

mele419, you’re rationalizing the fact that YOU have thoughts in the back of YOUR mind by saying that everyone does, including me. you don’t know me, you’ve never met me, and you probably never will so all you have to go off of is what I say about myself – and I am not a racist. I’ve never harbored a thought about someone that is based on their race or ethnicity, and not their character. when I do judge people, it’s based on their substance and character not on their race and ethnicity.

“I have issues with stereotypical members of races, like I said, ‘gangstas’ and ‘thugs’ etc etc.”

you’re lumping people into categories, furthermore, categories with that carry stereotypes – yet somehow you’re trying to use this to your defense? this is WORSE. you’re like the most judgmental person of all time – you look at “a gangsta” and immediately stereotype him and look down upon him for his choices. that’s just as bad as looking down on someone because of the color of his skin.

I don’t know you, and I don’t ever want to, but from what I’ve read here – you’re a racist and part of the problem.

By: mele419

mele419 — Tue, 27 May 2008 23:17:14 +0000

finnegan, did you even read what i said?
Everyone’s got thoughts in the back of their mind, and so do you. I don’t have issues with any specific race, I have issues with the stereotypical members of races, like I said, “gangstas” and “thugs” etc etc.

By: Anthony

Anthony — Tue, 27 May 2008 22:01:46 +0000

@spectre

MLS in the local media? Good one.

By: Anthony

Anthony — Tue, 27 May 2008 22:00:55 +0000

@Matt, why didn’t you tell them that your German-Irish? You have to know that Tom Hagen jokes don’t get old.

By: spectre

spectre — Tue, 27 May 2008 21:59:53 +0000

How about a warning in the local media outlets of each team that this will not be toleranted, signage outside the stadiums, inside the stadiums, as well as a briefing with stadium security and selected leaders of supporters groups (the two of them together with the Front Office).

Is this too difficult?

By: Ian Rose

Ian Rose — Tue, 27 May 2008 21:56:16 +0000

Lucas made a great point about self-policing, though. In the case of one drunk racist fan, if they can’t be singled out to be banned from the stadium and kicked out, the other supporters are responsible for shutting him up and pointing him out to security. I might have jumped a little too quickly on thinking MLS could do much about this, before thinking – if it really is just one or two fans, the rest of the fans have the responsibility to get those people out of their stadium.

By: Matt

Matt — Tue, 27 May 2008 21:53:36 +0000

As someone who has been in that corner a couple of times, I am willing to say that the idiots throwing beer and other things as well as the one with the extensive vocabulary was not a regular members of the corner. I was not at the game in question, but I have heard that people doing these things were not members of the Crew Supporters Union or the Hudson Street Hooligans (in name only though). The Crew have struggled over the past few years, yet these guys hung with the team and supported them no matter what. The Crew have had a flying start and the combining of all the groups into the corner brought a lot of attention and attracted people (like myself) outside of the groups to the corner. All my experiences it has been good and fun. The groups involved are heavily concerned about such incidents and are looking to police the people not in the group doing these things. It is a very serious problem that the MLS, the Crew, and the Crew supporter groups need to nip straight in the bud but it seems that the first steps of this are in place.

By the way, to the Chicago fan…I believe there is a metaphor about pots and kettles. I certainly enjoyed being called “taig fucker” “fenian bastard” and asked about a certain famine by members of Section 8 during the Celtic-Fire friendly. A FRIENDLY? Classssssy…Jokes on them, as I am only half irish and half german.