if i don't die or worse i'm gonna need an nap

I attended a lecture today by the sportswriter Dave Zirin about his book, "Welcome to the Terrordome: The Pain, Politics, and Promise of Sports." He made some very good points:

--Chief Illiniwek: The Vice Chancellor brought back the chief for the Homecoming weekend and Mr. Zirin referred to it as a "social, cultural, and racial slap in the face." He spoke about the article he wrote and about his disappointment in the action and several angry e-mails he received in response. I find this angering because the students I have spoken to about this issue (the topic has been debated in many of my courses) all have the ignorant assumption that the chief was being honored in his portrayal and dances at games. The Chief Illiniwek was not real. He cannot be honoring anyone--he is an example of the domination and oppression of an entire group of people.

--The Superdome: The dome stadium that housed the victims of Hurricane Katrina was, ironically, paid for by those people out of the public dime. Most victims probably could not have afforded a ticket to attend an event at the stadium, yet they were being housed there as Jesse Jackson described, "in conditions similar to those of a slave ship." I find it troubling that the athletes that decided to speak out against the inactivity of the government were condemned for it and criticized.

--Casual Racism & Sexism in Sports: Women fought for the right in sports just as they fought for their right to vote and to be treated as an equal to men. However, the sports women are involved in are still limited and the pay is most definitely inequivalent to males in the same profession. In addition, the difficulty it takes to become head coach in the NFL if you are African American proves that our country still has large battles to be fought over civil rights. We have progressed, but we are far from eliminating the problem of racial inequality.

The popularity of sports in our country can be used for real social change. Steve Nash, Josh Howard, and Dale Earnhart Jr. are among those who have already spoken out. We must organize and demand that our leaders and politicians take our best interest in their actions and we must unite and question them when it is not the case.

Finally, I'd just like to add this little tidbit. A girl from one of my classes was sitting next to me and she said to me toward the end of the lecture, "I'm a conservative--so I hated that." I have had problems with the views of this particular girl in my class when issues about the government and it's ability to look for the best interest of the people. Her specific comment was, "We need to trust the government to do what is in our best interest. If we question it, everyone will overthrow the government." And my personal favorite, "As long as what the government is doing doens't affect my day to day life then I don't think it's a problem." (To which I immediately asked how she felt about the innocent Iraqi lives that were being destroyed by our war and the historical buildings and sights that were being destroyed despite their significance to the culture. I asked how she could not care about them just because it wasn't affecting her daily life.) Anway, I could only smile at her for fear I would unintentionally unleash my anger for her right there in the room. I wish people would understand that the issue is not whether you identify yourself as being conservative, liberal, independent or whatever. It's about real change and it's about understanding your obligation as a citizen to make sure the lives of others are being taken into consideration as well.

In the end, I think we need to think about other people for a change. Honestly, if I found myself in a less fortunate situation I'd like to know that others were fighting for my rights as well and that I would not be alone in my battle for equality.

Just some thoughts for today...