Systemic discrimination in sport is nothing new. As I've documented in my blog time and time again, sexism ("America's Favorite Athletes"; "Yankee Babes vs Phille Babes"; "Blatant Sexism Tolerated"), homophobia ("Homophobic 'Slip'"; "MMA Does Not Get a Pass on Discrimination"), and classism ("Theorizing Violence in Sport"; "Marxist MMA") are rampant in contemporary sport...as is racism.
Attempting to belittle Pacquiao, Mayweather uses blatant racialized language. Embellishing verbal jabs is common in combat sports -- a promotional tactic used to build hype in the midst of long layoffs in between fights. Whether Mayweather is attempting to build "heat" for a possible showdown with Pacquiao or not, the public utilization of racism, homophobia, and xenophobia is unacceptable and requires regulation by the boxing organizations that profit from such promotional tactics. Some of Mayweather's racist, xenophobic, and homophobic words:
- @ 0:57: "I'm gonna make that mutherfucker cook me a sushi roll and cook me some rice."
- @ 1:40: "...gonna cook that mutherfucker with some cats and dogs" (repeated @ 2:18).
- @ 2:21: "Rice with a little bit of cat, and rice with a little bit of bbq dog."
- @ 2:50: "Ah man, don't tell me about what Pacquiao did, 3 losses, 2 draws. Ah, hell nah. This America baby. We built on winning. Step your game up faggot."
- @ 3:10: "Supposed to be talking to Pacquiao, but you know that mutherfucker Pacquiao can't speak no English."
In short, the entire industry benefits financially from blatant discrimination. Therefore, it is up to individual athletes and the institutional organizations that run various sports to outlaw discriminatory behavior. As long as the organizations and their leadership allow for this type of glaring discrimination to continue, they are not only complicit in the problem. As direct beneficiaries, they actively contribute to the problem, while sitting covertly in the shadows.
Up next: James "Lights Out" Toney's use of homophobia in MMA.
Photo via The Examiner
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