General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: dont think the jackie robinson flap has anything to do w racism? [View all]petronius
(26,696 posts)this particular team was motivated by racism. And conversely, it seems quite reasonable that any winning team would be subject to scrutiny. When the investigation showed what it did, I think the league took the appropriate action. So no: absent evidence I do not believe that the report, investigation, and punishment were motivated by racism.
However, that does not imply that these kids were guilty of anything, nor that they failed to represent their city well. Everything I've seen suggests they were excellent ambassadors for Chicago. And I don't think their parents did anything wrong; certainly, giving one's kid the best possible opportunities is a standard parental motivation.
Further, I'm unsurprised that bigots and racist have come out of the virtual woodwork to spew bile about this story. But the behavior of these bottom-feeders does not retroactively affect the motivations and processes of the investigation itself.
It seems to me that a lot of these points get conflated in stories like this. However, it's logical, reasonable, and not contradictory to believe that 1) the investigation and sanction wasn't motivated by racism (absent evidence to the contrary), 2) the kids are innocent victims and all-around good eggs, and 3) racism is still a major thread in our society...