I’m going to jump right in with this one. Sport is a great output that shows progression of society and also can bring everyone together in the Olympics and championships all over the world.
Sadly football has, in more modern times created a bubble around itself over many serious issues within the sport because it’s more of a business further up the hierarchy and many issues a thrown under the carpet with punishment nothing more of a small fine and then left to continue as if everything will be okay and forgotten tomorrow.
Scudamore’s sexist emails show that there are problems within the Premier League’s hierarchy and expose that there is still an old fashioned mentality on a day to day basis, even though Scudamore, himself has pushed many projects forward and allowed for equality to progress within the game. We believe as a nation that our football culture is lengths and strides ahead to that of other nations around the world. Until last season racism was largely unseen on the pitch. We can see how it has become subtle acts of discrimination such as a passing words, distasteful jokes or emails!
We’ve only recently saw in America how the owner of the LA Clippers, Donald Sterling has been banned from the National Basketball Association for life and has been fined the maximum of $2.5 Million (£1.5) possible for a recorded conversation revealing some racist remarks. These are the guidelines that FIFA, UEFA, FA and the Premier League should look to as a minimum to show a stand in discrimination, instead of protecting to keep people within their organisations if the rules are set then there should be no escape.
There have been much support for Scudamore to lose his job and be severely punished, no more so than the organisation; Women in Football, people are affected by these sort of “private” conversations and has as big an impact to any other type of act or discriminatory action.
Furthermore for the future, due to a “banter” society the younger generation are growing used to. This has created a grey area and means many feel what could be okay if said as a joke to one another, shouldn’t be taken seriously, even though it could be discriminating or highly derogatory language.
We live in an age when even though causes such as “Time to Change” who act on ending discrimination to people who suffer from mental health problems, by being open and talking about struggles to let others to be aware and understand. This is coming up against this banter environment where many believe people should simply take it on the chin and join in with the to-and-throwing of exchanges.
An example of how discrimination can be seen as okay is in comedy because comedians may say they don’t discriminate others because they treat everyone the same way for an entertaining purpose.
In no way am I saying what Scudamore has said is right, his comments are crude and clearly wrong. But as this type of act is changing to a much more difficult type of discrimination to categorise, discrimination on a whole won’t ever go completely until it’s tackled and discussed. To end, Scudamore should lose his job to show a serious intent to such rid of such actions whether they are in private or not.
Source: DSG
