Why Is The National Anthem Used To Terrorize Black Athletes?
The case of LSU and the treatment of Black women in sports.
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Following LSU’s Monday loss, against Iowa on Monday night, LSU has faced a fiery wave of backlash. Angel Reese, the standout player for LSU’s basketball team who led them to victory in the NCAA women’s national championship last year, revealed that life has been far from peaceful since that triumph. She spoke out about the torrent of negativity she has faced, including death threats and hateful remarks.
“I’ve been through so much,” she expressed during the postgame press conference. “I’ve seen so much. I’ve been attacked so many times, death threats. I’ve been sexualized. I’ve been threatened. I’ve been so many things, and I’ve stood strong every single time.” The turmoil began during last year’s championship game against Iowa when, near the end of LSU’s victory, Reese gestured towards Iowa star Caitlin Clark in a move inspired by WWE’s John Cena, indicating “You can’t see me,” and then pointed to her ring finger to signify earning a championship ring. Clark had similarly gestured to another player earlier in the tournament. She said, “All this has happened since I won the national championship,” Reese recounted. “And it sucks, but I still wouldn’t change anything, and I would still sit here and say I’m unapologetically me. I’m going to always leave that mark and be who I am and stand on that.”
To make matters worse, Louisiana’s Republican governor has called for the scholarships of college athletes who are not present for the national anthem before games to be revoked. His announcement came after the LSU women’s basketball team were absent during the pre-game ceremonies on Monday night ahead of their eagerly anticipated NCAA Tournament contest with Iowa.
On the contrary, Kim Mulkey said her team didn’t intentionally leave the floor prior to the playing of the United States National Anthem. “Honestly, I don’t even know when the anthem was played,” Mulkey said after the game. “We kind of have a routine when they’re on the floor and they come off at the 12-minute mark. I don’t know, we come in and we do our pre-game stuff. I’m sorry, listen, that’s nothing intentionally done.”
Angel Reese and the entire LSU women’s basketball team have endured a multitude of racist attacks over the past year. For some, seeing a group of successful Black women is intimidating, and it unleashes a series of racism. Angel Reese has received death threats, been sexualized, and called arrogant for just being a competitor.
But we know all too well that being a Black player comes with a lot of baggage when it comes to their treatment. And in this instance, the national anthem is being used to justify racism against this team.
The anthem has always been used as a tool by racist “fans” and onlookers to demonize and justify racism. We saw during the NBA bubble, in the NFL with Collin Kaepernick, in the British Premier League, and now with LSU.LSU did not intentionally position themselves off the floor for the anthem, but following their loss, racists see it as the perfect opportunity to terrorize this team. It’s all too convenient that racists b hide behind patriotism to justify the misogynoir.
There is a formula to this, Black women are in a unique position. We spectators villainize them, for example, the treatment of Angel Reese. This villainhood is then used by racists to make them inhumane, to excuse all the hatred that comes their way. Reese deserves sympathy for being attacked and targeted for things outside the game of basketball.
Racists cannot hide behind patriotism, and patriotism does not warrant racism.
