I have gone back and forth about posting on this subject and feel I have a responsibility to do so.
If you know who I am you know I am the mom of not only a boy who loves soccer but also a brown boy. My child has moved on to college so these specific incidents weren't against my child but he will tell you it happens often.
I unfortunately had to witness firsthand 2 separate incidents where racial slurs were used during a high school soccer game. How do you handle these incidents? The referee during the first incident said he didn't hear the comment and therefore couldn't punish the player. The second incident was a student section continually using racial slurs against players.
Unfortunately this language is being perpetuated in the music that young people are listening to these days but it doesn't excuse it. I think the high school league needs to require some type of fines/punishments to schools who can't control their fan/student sections. I also think coaches should set a no tolerance expectation for their players. I know coaches aren't the parents and I think this behavior is learned at home but no one should be subjected to this. If you don't want your child to be apart of a diverse environment send them to private school or home school them.
The first step in change is awareness. I think as a concerned community we all should be sensitive to the needs of everyone. The game of soccer has changed and everyone doesn't look the same. There is so much more diversity than when my son began playing 16 years ago. My two cents.
