Article Title: Yuli Gurriel Tips Helmet to Yu Darvish after Racist Controversy
Article Link: http://nypost.com/2017/11/01/yuli-gurriel-tips-helmet-to-yu-darvish-after-racist-controversy/
Discussion Question(s):
1. Is the Yuli Gurriel incident a true act of racism, or something else? Why?
2. Is racism only still prevalent in baseball, or is it still active in other sports? Explain.
3. Do you think the MLB did a good job responding to the accident? If yes, why?
4. If no, what should they have done differently?
I think that acts of racism are less obvious in the 21st century. The Gurriel incident is more subtle than what someone watching for the first time may expect or realize. When I was watching the game, I thought that it could have been an act of appreciation or some kind of courtesy. After reading further into this incident, it made me realize that racism is still around, even if I don’t really encounter it on a daily basis. Furthermore, as a white person, I have the ability to turn a blind eye to it. I think that racism is around in most sports, but in less obvious forms that some fans may think doesn’t matter. I think that the response of the community has been okay, but not much has changed over the past few months in the MLB. Bud Norris of the Angels has told foreign MLB players that they need to leave their culture at the door and respect the culture of the MLB, implying that they need to lose a piece of who they are in order to play professional baseball. Norris is a white man in a mostly white league, and I think that if the MLB wants to really change the sport to make it more accessible and increase viewership, than something needs to change. Overall, I am glad that the MLB has done something in this case, but it feels like the bare minimum. In the future, if they paired up with other organizations to make a clearer message that events like these are not acceptable, I think that they would have greater success.
ReplyDeleteThe act that Gurriel committed was not an obvious form of racism, but it still was racism. This was not something that was meant to be seen by everyone. He only wanted to do this in front of a select few to get a quick laugh. I feel that a sport like baseball has increased chances of racism, because of the amount of down time any given player has throughout the course of a game. This does not mean that other sports don't have times where racist comments or gestures occur. It simply means that the chances of them being acted and caught are low. I do not feel that Gurriel should be punished for this. There is not need for him to be punished and they should be allowed to work this out between themselves.
ReplyDeleteThe gesture made by Yuli Gurriel was racist because of the action itself, but the truth it that it was not meant to be hurtful or to damage Darvish. It was not purposeful and I think that it was just meant to be a joke, and this debate is very prevalent in the world today, not just in this one situation. I would say that racism is not only seen in baseball, but baseball is one of the most diverse professional sports, because of the relatively even mix of Asians, Caucasians, Hispanics, and African-Americans. There is not a particular stereotype of baseball players being of one race or another, so I don't think that the act was making fun of or defaming Yu, but it was still an unacceptable thing to do.
ReplyDeleteI feel that the gesture made by Gurriel was racist but not intended to be. However, I think that because our nation has been so divided about racism, it was taken much more than just a joke by others. I would say racism goes beyond baseball, especially because of what was happening in the NBA with Kaepernick along with what is happening nationally.
ReplyDeleteI think that a real statement would have been to suspend him for a world series game and not regular season games. This would really go through to all players to never do this kind of act again. However, I think it was an appropriate response from the MLB and that they handled the situation correctly. I think that his act was racist but I don't think he intended to hurt Yu Darvish. His suspension will hopefully go through players' minds to never do these kinds of acts again.
ReplyDeleteI think what Yuli Gurriel did was an act of racism but it was not intended to be obvious. That is why he did it on one of the biggest stages in sports, the world series. I think that racism is still effective in other sports such as football. In football we see and hear about Kaepernick not being signed because of what he believes in. I think that the MLB could have handled it better. If they suspended Gourriel for future games in the series that would have sent a stronger message and received more of a reaction from everyone in the sports world. However, I do think it was smart to wait until the world series ended to suspend Yuli Gurriel.
ReplyDeleteI think obviously what Gurriel did was racist, and I think his punishment fits the crime. First five games of next year and his roughly 320,000 dollar fine, seems appropriate. I think racisim is pretty quiet in the MLB compared to most sports. I personally do not see a lot of racism in the sport but apparently it is around more than I had thought. I believe it is around more in other sports like football mainly and some basketball. But clearly it is around more than people think and there should be more care about this issue.
ReplyDeleteWhat Gurriel did was wrong, but I really don't believe it was an "act of racism." I don't believe Gurriel believes the pitcher is a worse person because of his race, he just did a stupid action. And that action has brought the consequences of a fine of over 300,000 dollars as well as a large amount of hate towards him. He is regretful for his actions, and I believe the consequences that have fallen before him are more than satisfactory for the MLB.
ReplyDeleteRacism is definitely not only prevalent in baseball. For example I know there is still a lot of racism in soccer around the globe. Because there is international play in soccer, there is many cultures coming together which leads to racism in soccer. There are a lot of racial remarks towards African teams or black members on other teams. It is not right and needs to be treated very harshly, but I do think that there is a lot of racism still alive in other sports. I am not to sure about other sports but I am confident that there is racism still alive and relevant in soccer around the globe.
ReplyDeleteThe Yuli Gurriel incident is an act of racism because he did something that was from the Japan-born pitcher's cultural background. I think there should be serious backlash for his actions, as there has been. As a player who was highly respected and looked up to by younger kids, his actions were completely out of control. Although his actions might not have been intended to necessarily hurt Yu Darvish, his actions do have consequences and he should not have done what he did even if it was a joke or his intentions were different than the way people have perceived it. The MLB handed the situation well but he should have to do a different punishment besides paying a fine. It is sad but racism is present everywhere in every sport and people are not aware of their actions before it is too late.
ReplyDeleteRacism is still active in many sports, like soccer and hockey, but since baseball has a larger presence than both those classes it is focused upon more. Baseball has had its racist moments this year though, mainly around the Boston Red Sox organization; the racist chants at Orioles player Adam Jones and the banner "Racism is as old as baseball itself" really put the Red Sox in a negative light. However, in terms of suspension, it's hard to say whether or not the MLB handled this correctly. Gurriel's availability could've swayed the World Series decision one way or the other, and maybe it could've lead to a Dodgers victory, but it's hard to tell. I think the fine and the mandatory classes are good but it's hard to tell whether the suspension should've been during the World Series or not.
ReplyDeleteI do not think that baseball is the only sport that contains racism. I recall an incident back a few years a ago where FC Barcelona right back Dani Alves was thrown a half eaten banana as a racism remark. Although Alves laughed it off by eating the banana and continuing on in the game, this shows that racism is exists in other sports. In most atmospheres, you're going to have people, on sports team and in the arena, that have bad intentions. As far as the Gurriel situation goes, it was a subtle remark, but many say racism was still present.
ReplyDeleteI think that that racism is definitely visible in other sports, not just baseball. Even in other countries across Europe, Asia, and Africa where soccer dominates, you can see it there as well. An example in the United States would be when LeBron James had his home in LA vandalized just before the NBA Finals. Another example however, in a different country is when Kevin-Prince Boating an African American soccer player from Ghana was being shouted at by away fans monkey noises every time he touched the ball. He eventually left the stadium in frustration. This shows that racism is still very evident not only in the United States but other countries and sports as well.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the incident of what Yuri Gurriel was an obvious act of racism, i think that this was really wrong but i don't think he intended it to come off as racist. I honestly think that MLB did a good job responding to this accident and i think what he did should have a consequence even though he didn't mean to intend it to be racist.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think Yuli Gurriel's actions were racism, and I strongly believe racism is present in all sports today. I think in baseball alone there have been many cases of players saying fans have taunted them with racial comments. For example, Adam Jones, an outfielder for the Baltimore Orioles, said Boston fans yelled racial slurs and profanity towards him during a baseball game. Also, if you look at instances like NFL players kneeling for the anthem, not only are they protesting racial issues, but they are also met with many racially charged comments towards those who kneel. Despite this, I do think MLB did a good job in punishing him. I don't think it's fair to the team to take away such an important player in the biggest series of the year, but also they needed to set a clear precedent that they do not condone these actions.
ReplyDelete