What a summer 2012 served up for sports fans!
The remarkable climax to the Premier League season, Bradley Wiggins’ Tour de France victory, the Ryder Cup team and Andy Murray’s success stateside and the phenomenal London Olympics and Paralympics – made it an unrivalled period.
But I fear despite all these highs, the blows the black community – actually, scrap that, ALL communities – have been dealt over the last 12 months have left many of us feeling winded and detached from the sport we consume the most. Football.
We have had to become accustomed to seeing Manchester United’s Patrice Evra and QPR’s Anton Ferdinand routinely booed and abused by rival supporters for daring to stand up against racism.
Meanwhile campaigners such as Lord Ouseley, from Kick It Out, have been sent hundreds of abusive emails for suggesting all is not right in our game.
But perhaps most worryingly, tribal loyalties in football seem to have clouded the judgement of fans, as well as some former and current players amongst others.
What are the black community supposed to make of all this? Is your club badge more important than challenging racism?
The response to this situation from our communities is essential. Shared experience and anger unite like little else and in recent months the will from some seriously powerful voices to stand together is gathering momentum.
This is why the two major football awards evenings – organised by black communities, for black communities – are coming together.
The Black List awards and Best of Africa celebration will hold a humungous celebratory event at the end of the season to show solidarity with those who have had to fight racism on and off the pitch, while making the big noise our achievements deserve.
If British expats can get together in countless countries around the globe to celebrate their culture as minorities – why can’t we?
But I’ve wasted enough energy on those against us. Both The Black List awards and Best of Africa have always rightly celebrated those from other communities who have contributed to our successes too. We will always do this. Because we believe in equality – regardless of our respective club badge.
This column first appeared in The Voice Newspaper
