by Joey Durant
Rick Pitino, considered by many as one of the all-time greats in college basketball coaching, led his Louisville Cardinals to a 61-point blowout win over the Savannah State Tigers earlier this season. Pitino, a very quotable coach, made it obvious to the media that he doesn't enjoy coaching in games that lead to such a sizable margin of victory, and made a statement that received a few laughs from the media gathering. That statement was, "I tried everything. We played four white guys and an Egyptian," in reference to five players he had on the floor during the second half of the route (Lehman, 2014, para. 2). You can see part of the interview in this video from Complex on the Youtube clip above.
If you notice, the article that I have used as reference to this story is titled "Pitino's Good Sportsmanship: 'Played 4 White Guys and an Egyptian'"; I personally feel that the statement made by that title and the general lack of exposure leads to the assumption that stereotyping is acceptable when used "humorously" at the expense of white people. Pitino, a white coach, made a joking reference to the stereotypical poor performance of white people, as well as an Egyptian, in basketball. My question is, why was that accepted as humorous and not publicly criticized? If the same statement had been made by Nick Saban, for example, after using an African-American quarterback in the second half of a blowout win over a Division II football team, there would be a massive outcry. That stereotype exists in football, and is in the same vein as the white-basketball stereotype. So, how is Pitino being praised for his "good sportsmanship" rather than being fined or at least criticized?
Do you feel that what Pitino said is an example of racial stereotyping? If so, why do you think that he has not been publicly criticized for his statement? If not, why do you believe it is not racial stereotyping? Would this type of statement be accepted in other sport leagues, or in NCAA football?
References
Lehman, J. (2014, November 25). Pitino's Good Sportsmanship: Played 4 White Guys and an Egyptian. Retrieved from http://nypost.com/2014/11/25/pitinos-good-sportsmanship-played-4-white-guys-and-an-egyptian/
Complex. (2014, November 25). Rick Pitino Played "Four White Guys and an Egyptian" to Avoid Embarrassing a Team. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnES-An4l9o
Rick Pitino’s comment was definitely a racial stereotype. I think the stereotype isn’t that white people aren’t good in basketball, but rather that white people are inferior to black people in the game of basketball. You ask why hasn’t Pitino been heavily publicly criticized for his statement? The media may feel that this story isn’t controversial enough. Best believe if Saban said similar comments that stereotyped blacks, then the media would have been all over it! I’m not familiar with Egyptian stereotypes. I believe if a black coach like Kevin Ollie, said what Pitino said, then the media would have scrutinized the situation more heavily. Virtue theory would suggest that racial stereotypes of any kind in any league should not be acceptable. Equality and inclusion is a virtue in all sports. The standard of all sport leagues and the NCAA is to be open to all types of people. It is greater virtue for leagues, players, fans, and coaches when everyone sees each other as equals.
ReplyDelete-David Sims
When this originally came out, I was very surprised that Rick Pitino did not at least issue an apology about his statements, If this was used in reverse (i.e. African-Americans), there would be an absolute issue with what was said. I feel that people took this as a joke because it was towards white Caucasian males opposed to African-Americans.
ReplyDeleteIf this was said in regards to NCAA Football, I think the reaction would be the same. People would take it as a joke opposed to getting upset over the matter. I think Louisville's AD should have taken a stand and publicly issued a statement saying they did not condone Rick Pitino's actions.
Derek Shay