Sports world overrun with racism

If Martin Luther King, Jr. was around to celebrate his 74th birthday, he would learn that racism in sports is present and that cultural differences lead to debate.\nWe are to consider it progress that it isn't overt, and that some hillbilly from Martinsville isn't running the Big Ten or some other large sports organization. However, it is subtle, a little divisive and a little offensive to those finding the progressive oasis in an unfeeling desert.\nOne of the overblown issues in professional sports over the last year has been 49ers wide receiver Terrell Owens' increasingly theatrical touchdown celebrations. Owens is so good that we get to see him celebrate a lot; he had 44 touchdowns the last three seasons including the playoffs. The highlight of him pulling out a highlighter -- actually, it was a Sharpie -- and signing the ball after scoring a touchdown in a Monday night game against Seattle in October brought outrage to those who felt that Owens was somehow desecrating the game and insulting the competition.\nThe NFL had no problem with Owens pulling out the pen but did fine him $5,000 for the heinous crime of leaving his shirttail untucked. Talk about a way around political correctness. \nEvery time Bears wide receiver David Terrell scored a touchdown, he went through enough choreography to make it seem like he was auditioning for "Grease." So offended were some fans that they were still complaining about it at the end of the season even though Terrell missed the last half of the season with a foot injury and even though a Bears touchdown was worth not a dance but a ticker tape parade. "Act like you've been there before," Terrell's critics argued.\n"Act like you'll never get there again," I say.\nAnother funny Bears story happened later in the season when the Bears had to put Henry Burris, who is African-American, in at quarterback after quarterbacks Jim Miller and Chris Chandler got hurt. Burris was totally inept, throwing four interceptions against Tampa Bay in his first start, a 15-0 loss. Listen to sports talk radio in Chicago the next day, and many African-Americans called in, giving the impression that Burris was not a 27-year-old Canadian Football League journeyman but in fact the next Brett Favre, who by the way wasn't impressive either starting out. This definitely points out the belief that many fans have that African-American players don't get a fair shake.\nHumility and stoicism are commandments for many whites when teaching the right white way to play. Don't stare at your home runs. Don't spike the football. Don't dance on the scorer's table, even if your team just hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to beat the No. 1 team in the nation. \nAlso, the common implication that hockey players are real men because they get their front teeth knocked out and get right back in the game, is interesting since of all our major pro sports leagues, the NHL is the one that has done little to attract an African-American audience.\nThe case of LeBron James' Hummer is also grounded in racism. James, the nation's consensus top high school basketball player at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio, raised suspicion after his mom obtained a bank loan and bought him a tricked-out SUV with three TVs and video-game compatibility as a gift. The Ohio High School Athletic Association has asked for a written report as they try to determine whether James is guilty of "capitalizing on athletic fame by receiving money or gifts of monetary value.''\nThat sounds like a racist rule. If a white person is considered the top high school player, and he gets an SUV as a gift, would we call that capitalizing on his fame or being rewarded for his hard work? What if the white guy comes from a two-parent household where both parents have jobs?\nJames, who almost certainly will skip college and be the No. 1 pick in this June's NBA Draft, will, barring something very unforeseen, get his SUV eventually; if a bank is willing to give the okay to James' mother's bank loan application, then why should the OHSAA step in? This is especially so in James's case where everybody is trying to profit off him, from pay-per-view TV that televises all James's games to ESPN: The Magazine, to the shoe company that has put its gigantic logo on St. Vincent-St. Mary's uniforms.\nFinally, there is the advice that even Dr. King might relate to all his African-American followers: Mama, don't let your babies grow up to be college football coaches.