issue 05 // volume 41

Sport Shorts

» Racist reporting, sitting out to ta

Natalie Serafini

me. Editor-in-Chief
™ editor

pt @theotherpress.ca

 

Sometimes sports news
requires tidbits and brief
bytes, rather than lengthy in-
depth articles, For those times,
we suit up in our Sport Shorts
and delve into the curious

occurrences of athletics.

   

That Vancouver newspaper in the red

The Vancouver Sun is apologizing for running an article
featuring a photo with a racially insensitive caption on
September 23. The online article noted that Vancouver Canucks
player Jordan Subban had scored his first NHL goal, and the
caption for the photo of Subban celebrating with his teammates
identified Subban as the “dark guy in the middle.”

The Vancouver Province also ran the photo, and both
newspapers have tweeted that they will ensure such
insensitivity never happens again, and that they’re investigating
the matter. The Vancouver Sun’s digital deputy editor, Gillian
Burnett, is claiming that a photographer wrote the caption. For
his part, Subban had a very gracious response to the egregious

caption.

In an interview with the Vancouver Province, Subban said,
“T heard about that. I had a chance to talk to a representative
from the paper and it seemed like a pretty honest mistake. Am
I worried about that? No. If people should be talking about
something, it should be the way I played last night rather than
that. Hopefully it will just die down.”

ke astand, and a new sports quiz show

So you think you can sport

There’s a new sports game in town, and it’s
not one that will test your brawn or mettle;
this game is a quiz show which tests your
sports know-how. Sports Jeopardy is hosted
by sportscaster and host of The Dan Patrick
Show, Dan Patrick, and premiered on
Crackle on September 24. Crackle’s website
describes the show as a take on the classic
Alex Trebek-hosted Jeopardy, but “with the
rich and diverse world of sports.” Patrick
reports that they've taken on Howie Schwab,
of ESPN’s Stump the Schwab as a consultant
to ensure the questions are tough enough,
and famed Trebek will also be making

an appearance in one of the episodes.

Qatari players sit out to take a stand
The Qatar women’s basketball team walked
away froma tournament in protest of the
International Basketball Federation (FIBA) ban
on headscarves. In Article 4.4.2 of FIBA’s official
rules, hijabs are banned from international play.
When UmmahSports.net contacted the
International Basketball Federation regarding
this matter last May, communications coordi-
nator Simon Wilkinson responded that these
rules applied “on a global scale and made no
distinction between the various religions so
as to ensure that none of them are being tar-
geted specifically or discriminated against.”
Regardless of whether the federation is or
is not trying to discriminate against players,

 

Mocking entertainment that brings Joy to millions
» Why nobody cares that you don't watch sports

| Cazzy Lewchuk
Staff Writer

 

s we get back into hockey,
basketball, and football
season, millions of people will

played by their favourite team.
Goals will be scored, bad calls
will be made, and the cheers
and boos will be louder than
ever. However, like many other
people, I won't be watching
any sports or caring about any
teams. The only entertainment
I'll see on FOX is The Simpsons
and that delightful new show
Gotham (reviewed elsewhere in
this issue).

Sports can be hard to get
into. Many people have never
played them, never been toa
professional game, or simply
never had a chance to get
familiar with the rules and
teams. You may very well have
seen displeasure or confusion
of major sporting events on
Facebook in the forms of
mocking cartoons or statuses.
Some people like athletics and
some people don't. It’s normal,
and neither side should be
called out.

It’s very easy to show

: disrespect to the art of teamwork :
: and sports. It’s often forgotten
: how difficult, passionate, and
: intensive playing the game

: can be. Professional athletes

: dedicate their lives to being

: successful enough for the

; : : big leagues, in a competitive
kick back to enjoy another game : environment unmatched
: anywhere. Fans often have

: personal mementos or stories

: of athletes, teams, or games

: meaningful to them. Sports

: can be, and frequently are, the
: most unifying, entertaining,

: important, or even educational
: forces in someone's life. All

: professional organizations

: have great values—promoting
: teamwork, honesty, fairness,

: professionalism, and

: graciousness whether they win
: or lose.

There's a vast number of

: positive forces that drive the

: spirit of sports today. It can

: beasmall-scale level ofa dad

: bonding with his son at a game
: ora young athlete’s confidence
: being boosted after scoring a

: goal. There are much bigger

: levels of greatness that exist—a
: new team overcoming adversity
: ora special needs child getting
: to be on the field with his

: great respect for sports and

: their values, and never make

: a big deal out of the fact that I

: don’t care about the specifics.

: Just as I appreciate sports fans

: not voicing their confusion on
: why the Doctor is suddenly

: an old man, I don’t question

: what difference the current

: coach of the Canucks makes to
: the season. I just respect and

: trust the sheer passion that

: the players and fans have. I

: sometimes don’t understand

: the jargon of assists and

: power plays, and they may not
: know the difference between

: midichlorians and centaurian

: leagues get, it’s important to

: remember the underlying

: principles and devotion

: everyone feels. People genuinely
: care about these games, and it’s
: something to believe in. That

: should be respected, always.

: favourite athletes. No matter

the number of people watching

sports // 19

 

: the fact of the matter is that Muslim players are
: unfairly prevented from playing because their

: religious beliefs do not conform to federation

: rules. Ahlam Salem M al-Mana of the Qatar

: women’s basketball team said, “We have to

: show everyone that we are ready to play, but

: the International Association is not ready.”

There are no definite plans to alter

: their rules, despite repeated requests from

: affected cultures and societies. Wilkinson

: states that “FIBA’s Technical Commission

: ... has, as of yet, not recommended ... any

: modification to Article 4.4.2,” while the

: Guardian reports that FIBA may discuss the
: matter over a “two-year ‘testing phase.

”

 

UE @ULIER PRESS
OS GWabsclG

 

: or importance of the game,

: everyone on board is united by

: acommon bond. It’s something
: that should never be taken away
: from them.

That’s why I have such

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