sports // 18

theotherpress.ca

NFL players shouldn't be penalized for their language

» Proposed rule against racial language is ignorant and hypocritical

he NFL is thinking of

proposing a rule that would
impose a 15-yard penalty against
a team when one of their players
uses a racial term in the field
of play, or more specifically the
n-word. While the attempt to
curb racial language is admirable,
it is ultimately a misguided effort
that doesn’t address deeper
discriminatory issues within the
league.

The first problem is that the
NFL only wants to eliminate one

all offensive language from the
field of play? With Michael Sam
soon to be the first openly gay
player in the league, one must
question why the NFL does not
also target homophobic language,
along with any other slur targeted

- : ata ific group.
Moussa Sangare-Ponce, : specnic BrouP

tributor (The Ful
Contributor (The Fulcrum) : the n-word is part of the culture

: inside locker rooms. What if

: some players, regardless of the

: colour of their skin, don’t use it

: ina derogatory way but as a term
: of endearment after a teammate

: makes a big play? I’m not saying I
: approve of this language, but one
: of the things we learned from the
: Miami Dolphins fiasco, in which
: Richie Incognito was reported to
: have harassed teammate Jonathan :
: Martin, is that Incognito was

: considered an “honorary brother”
: by some of his black teammates
particular term. Why not penalize : and used the n-word freely in

: the locker room without any

: repercussions. Are we to believe

: Miami is the only team in which a
: white player had such “privilege”?

The second issue is that

We must also realize the

hypocrisy of the NFL proposing
: the rule at all. There are 32 teams
: inthe NFL, none of which are

: controlled bya black owner. :
: Roger Goodell, the commissioner, :
: isalso white. How is allowing old,
: rich white men to dictate how

: black players interact with each

: other fixing racial issues? Isn’t this :
: only perpetuating larger issues?

The n-word is a big part of

: the way black people interact, for
: better or for worse, so why should :
: they let anyone penalize their :
: team for what they say to each
: other?

The final issue with the rule

: is that last time I checked there

: isan NFL team in Washington

: with a name that is a racial slur

: towards native people. How

: can the NFL be anything but

: hypocritical if they are willing

: to penalize players for their

: language, while marketing one of
: their franchises under an equally
: offensive term?

If the NFL truly wants to

: eliminate discrimination from

Are we to believe
Miami is the
only team in
which a white
player had such
“privilege?”

: the field and the locker room,

: it still has a long way to go.

: Penalizing players in a game for

: their language to teammates,

: not in anger at the opposition

: or toareferee, sets a dangerous

: and hypocritical precedent for a

: league mired in controversy. The
: league should look at cleaning up
: its own act before it decides what
: its players should and shouldn't

: Say.

 

Richie Incognito
By www.lasportsanostra.com

 

Rising court star calls a time-out

» Madison Burt takes some time off

Jill Neumann
Contributor

t’s the fifth and final set

between Port Moody’s
Heritage Woods Kodiaks and
the South Delta Sun Devils
at the 2012 British Columbia
senior girls Quad A volleyball
provincial finals. Spectators
scream in excitement while
others shout encouragement
as a Kodiak serves the ball and
starts a 30-second rally that
brings everyone to their feet.
The fierce rivals pass, block,
and smash the ball at dizzying
speed, sending it back and
forth over the net. A Sun Devil
drives the ball over the net and
Kodiak Madison Burt jumps
to intercept it, bumping it
high in the air as she passes
it toa teammate. The Kodiak
forwards the ball to a player in
front of the net who spikes it to
the other side. A South Delta
player dives to the floor and
taps the ball, keeping it in play.
The crowd screams louder as
the frantic action continues.
The Sun Devils return a Kodiak

volley and Burt leaps up, blocks : in getting me,” says Burt, who
? turned downa scholarship offer :
: from the University of Guelph
fumbled bya Sun Devil, ending : to attend Douglas College in
: September 20133 and play for the :

Royals.

the ball once again, and sends
it back over the net where it is

the play. The Kodiaks win the
point and lead the set 8-7,
triggering the teams to change
sides.

Among the spectators
watching that championship

  

: head coach of the Douglas

: College Royals women’s

: volleyball team. Iannone first
: noticed Burt in her Grade 12

: year and liked the energy the

r 1”

: 5’” athlete brought to the

: game. Determined to recruit

: Burt, Iannone joined a fistful

: of suitors chasing her with

: offers to play for their teams.

: Ultimately, Iannone convinced
Burt to join the Douglas squad.

“Kyra was very persistent

Burt, 19, has lived and

breathed volleyball since she
: first tried the game at age 12.
: Her childhood was anything

game in 2012 was Kyra Iannone, : put typical: when she was six

: her mother died of cancer,

: Cameron. Figuring that the

: best way to keep Burt out of

: trouble was to keep her busy,

: her father enrolled her in

: multiple activities. However,

: dance classes and soccer didn’t
: appeal to Burt. It wasn't until

: she attended a volleyball camp

: put on by the Coquitlam Ducks,
: acommunity volleyball club for
: female athletes and coaches,

: that something clicked. She

_ ~ ; : her teammates.
: Madison Burt // By Jerald Walliser :

leaving her father to raise
Burt and her younger brother,

tried out for a Ducks club
team and enjoyed the growing
camaraderie she shared with

“I grew up with them and

they are my best friends to this
: day,” says Burt.

Many of Burt’s friends

spent the 2013-14 volleyball

: season playing for Canadian

: Interuniversity Sport (CIS)

: teams, which are a level higher
: than the Douglas College

: Royals. However, Burt does not
: regret rejecting the offer from

: Guelph, which is a member of
: the CIS league.

“I chose to stay and play

locally for family reasons,’ says
: Burt, who lives in Port Moody.

: “Tam glad that I stayed. 'ma

: strong believer that everything
: happens for a reason, and

: staying home for my dad and

: my brother was the best thing

: for us asa family.”

However, Burt isn’t as

glad about the outcome of
: her inaugural season with the
: Royals. After years of success

: with her school and club

: teams, Burt found it difficult
: to be on the losing end of

: the scoreboard. She won the
: provincial title in 20 as a

: member of the Coquitlam

: Ducks Ui6 club team and

: was chosen to play for Team
: BC at the Western Elite

: Championships. She’s also

: helped the Fraser Valley club
: team win the provincial title in
: the Ui8 class.

One week after the Royals

: were a first-round knockout at

: the provincial championships

: this past February, ending their
: season ignominiously, Burt sits
: at a bare table at a local Dairy

: Queen. She passes on an offer to :
: eat or drink, her clear blue eyes :
: giving no hint that she attended :
: a team fundraiser the previous:
: evening that extended well into :
: the early hours of the morning.
: “Player for player, we should :
: have had a good year,” muses
: Burt. “We couldn't seem to :
: push ourselves to go as far as we :
: wanted.”

Burt maintained an

optimistic attitude throughout
: the Royals’ losing season, :
: which ended with a 6-18 record. :
: “I didn’t go into the games

: discouraged. I was always ready
: to bring it.” :
: Playing left-side, Burt made :
: an impact on the court despite
: the team’s overall performance
: and was named to the

: PACWEST all-rookie team.

Says coach Jannone:

“Maddy was a strong
: competitor, strong arm, one of

: the top rookies in the league
: as well—she did a good job

: adjusting to the new position
: and to the new level.”

With the volleyball season

: over and the end of her second

: college term looming, Burt

: remains undecided about her

: educational and athletic future.
: The past year has been a blur of
: courses, homework, practices,

: and games, prompting Burt to

: take the next college year off to
: spend more time with family.

“I’m putting my stresses

: away fora bit,” she says. Burt’s
: father has been her biggest

: supporter on and off the court
: and she is paying it forward.

“I want to be as strong and

: generous as he is. His whole life

has been dedicated to me and

: my brother.”

Although Burt does not

: know what the future holds,

she is certain of one thing: the

: highlight of her athletic career
: is the 2012 championship game

against the South Delta team.

: The momentum that carried
: the Kodiaks to an 8-7 lead at
: the midway point of the final
: game in the match ultimately

fell short and the Sun Devils

: won the match, game, and
: provincial title.

Says Burt: “Hands down,
that’s the best game I ever

played in.” She leaves unspoken
: “to date’—with four more years
: of eligibility to play collegiate

: volleyball and standing

: invitations from Douglas and

: Guelph, her story is, as the

: saying goes, to be continued.