In the Ohio ST - Florida game the other night, linebacker Tyler Moeller claims that racist trash talking was taunted throughout the game.
"They're classless, thats the way I'd put it. I've never seen more people swing at our players and call us racial slurs. I've never been called a 'cracker' more in my life than I have today. So I don't really have much respect for them in terms of that but they're a good team. They came out and outplayed us today."
Ok, these situations are always difficult to diagnosis. What is considered racism? What is reverse racism? We are not going to discuss this though, it is way too complex of a topic for a simple blog post.
But we can discuss the general idea that racism still exists in the sports world, especially on the field. We heard reports of this a few weeks ago in the hockey season, but that was from the fans. To hear that this comes from player to player is a little alarming and somewhat disappointing. Although the term "cracker" is not nearly as controversial or insulting as the "N" word or other slurs, it is still not appropriate on the field.
In other news, Moeller has not had particularly good luck with the state of Florida in general. A few years back he was punched in the head during a bar fight in the Sunshine State which fractured his skull.
I don't expect this too become a major issue, but it is always important to be aware of the feelings of others. Nobody likes being referred to by a slur about their race, whether they are the majority or the minority. This is not even close to the level of hate that black athletes faced when they entered the NFL or MLB but it still hurts and is uncalled for.
What do you all think? If you have any thoughts, ideas, or comments let me know.
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