One of the disgraceful thing in the world is racism. It
desecrates everything that is holy and beautiful in this world. And when it
happens in sports, it is a pain that can’t be tolerated.
In cricket, we have witnessed many cases of racism affecting
the game. The racism row of South African still runs afresh in the minds. And
one of the victims of it, Mike Procter, believes that racism still runs within
the game.
He described the deeply-enmeshed racism from the root level
in South Africa.
"At school-level cricket in South Africa, two bowlers
of the same colour cannot open an attack,” he was quoted as saying on Cricbuzz.
“Be it two whites or two blacks, it won't work. There's got
to be a bowler of different colour from each end."
The South African then went on to stress that racism is
still very much alive in the country and once again used quota as an example.
"What's the definition of racism? It is certainly not
about whites against blacks. Prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed
against someone of a different race based on the belief that one's own race is
superior is racism," he says.
"There have to be six non-white cricketers, regardless of
who should fit in by way of performance," he says
There is a stereotype that runs around in the world that
brown people can’t be racists, something which shocks the South African even as
he uses the Monkey Gate as a reference.
"I was told I believed in a white man's story and not a brown man's story. It was shattering. The first big disappointment was the total non-acceptance that Indians can be racist," he says.
Picture credit: Getty Images
