“Go back to the projects, f—–s!” is what is making the rounds in the latest viral video filmed from the sidelines from last weekend’s University of Texas upset victory over the University of Alabama. The homophobic and racial taunts are clearly aimed at three Black Longhorn football players.
Afterward, the University of Alabama released a statement, writing “We are disgusted by reports of vile language and inappropriate behavior Saturday night. To be clear, we condemn this behavior and it will not be tolerated in our venues. It is not representative of UA or our values.”
“We expect all attendees to act with class and respect towards others. Fans are strongly encouraged to report issues to our security resources on-site. Gameday and delayed reports are appropriately addressed and anyone found to be in violation of our rules and expectations will be promptly removed and may be banned from future events,” the school’s statement concluded.
The slurs caught on camera weren’t the only flagrant source of disrespect at the game however. Angie Wisner, the UT freshman running back, Tre Wisner’s mother, took to X to vent her frustrations that Longhorns parents and herself were the subject of mistreatment, including being spit at and having cans of beer and bottles of water hurled at them.
Angie wrote on the social media platform, “The fact my son down there and they saying go back to the projects really just saddens my heart that as his mother no matter how old he had to listen to that! Love you Son!…Disgrace.”
But racism in the sports world is nothing new. As Tracie Canada, Ph.D. commented in an African American Intellectual History Society (AAIHS) article, “[t]he problem is the anti-Blackness and racism that are woven into the fabric of the current system [of college football],” adding that “its origins [are] among the Northeastern white elite of the Ivy League in 19th century United States.”
The Duke University assistant professor in the Department of Cultural Anthropology continued, “Both on and off the field, Black players must navigate this atmospheric anti-Blackness.”
“For all its attempts to explain it in the contrary, college football is an institution dependent upon and implicated by racial capitalism, labor exploitation, and structural violence,” said Canada.
From the Black Duke University volleyball player who was targeting by racial heckles last year and the media’s depiction of LSU’s Angel Reese, to these taunts hurled at Black UT football players, it is evident that racism is an endemic part the playing field in the world of sports.
So much so that, there is even a new series on ESPN+, entitled Skin in the Game with Dr. Ibram X. Kendi which is set to debut on September 24th. According to the press release, the series chronicles and and analyzes “racism in the sports world, and will reveal how pervasive racism is in sports, while challenging the thoughts and systems of various governing bodies. Through Dr. Kendi’s analysis, athlete profiles, and robust roundtable discussions with athletes, academics and journalists, each episode dives deeply into the histories, statistics and notable moments behind the racist norms we accept today.”