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"I couldn't take it any more. What I did was instinctive. They were in my head. My head was so full of what they were saying. I couldn't concentrate on the game, and I couldn't go on like that, and I had to pick up the ball."

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-Marc Zoro, Messina goaltender

A short description from the Toronto Women's Bookstore's webstore (go to "Theory", then "Critical Race Theory", and scroll to the bottom of the page):

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Who Da Man? attempts to account for the ways that Black Diasporic identifications intersect with the dominant misogyny and homophobia in contemporary men's sporting cultures. Offering a feminist and queer reading of Black masculinity, Abdel-Shehid suggests that thinking about Diaspora in the making of contemporary Black sporting cultures provides a more comprehensive framework than one that looks at sport solely within the framework of nations and nationalism.

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Edited to fix the friggin link....

[ 27 December 2007: Message edited by: bigcitygal ]

I recently returned from Israel and the Palestinian territories where I was doing some research for my doctoral dissertation in anthropology and had the chance to check out some soccer games both in Israel and the territories and it was quite interesting the way tha the teams ahve really become vehicles the advancement of ideology and that the sport itself is really secondary.

There's a team in Jerusalem called Betar Yerushalyim whose base of support is really strong among very right wing religious zionists. I was at a game where fans unvelied a Kahance/Chai banner. This is an organization that has been banned by the Israeli government after some of its members engaged in attacks against Arab civilians. At another game (I wasn't in attendance) that occurred on the anniversary of the assassiantion of Yitzhak Rabin, the announcer called for a moment of silence which was met by most of the stadium loudly booing before breaking into chance of "Amir! Amir!". Yigal Amir was convicted of Rabin's assassination.

In the Palestinian Territories, because there's not as much infrastructure or wealth to support major sports, it's on a smaller scale but even more extreme. I went to a youth soccer match in Nablus where isntead of the national anthem before teh game, there was about an hour of fiery political speeches (though i don't speak Arabic). In the youth leagues, lots of teams have names such as The Martyrs or The Mujahadeen.

I have a brother who works for the UN and is based in Denmark and a big soccer fan and went to a game tehre and told me that there's a particular team comprised mostly of Muslim immigrants to Denmark and is supported by that country's large Muslim population. There's also a team that these fans see as "Jewish" because one of their players is an Israeli immigrant. He said that several times during the game, the fans broke into chants of "Hamas! Hamas! Jews to the gas!."

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Goaltender Ray Emery, waived by the Ottawa Senators just one year after starting in the Stanley Cup final, will be playing hockey next season in Russia.

Emery, 25, signed a $2-million US deal with Atlant Mytishchi of the new Continental Hockey League.

"The reality is that since Ray's buyout there hasn't been a lot of interest. It doesn't seem like someone [in the NHL] wants to give him a second chance right now," Emery's agent J.P. Barry told the Canadian Press on Wednesday. "It's a terrific offer from Russia and we've been speaking to them for several weeks since the buyout.

"I've been talking to Ray a lot over the last couple of months and I know he's taken a lot of steps to make changes. This is his best opportunity to play next year."

Emery made a splash during the 2007 playoffs, when he posted a 2.26 goals-against average and three shutouts to help lead Ottawa to the final.

The Hamilton native then signed a three-year deal worth more than $9 million in the summer but he followed that up with a season that was marred by disciplinary issues and injury.

Emery is one of just nine active goalies with substantial Stanley Cup final experience, but he was passed over in the free agency period while the likes of Patrick Lalime, Andrew Raycroft and Ty Conklin quickly found new homes.

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Mike Toth(he's a wacky sports reporter that just likes to generate controversy and has made some insensitive racial remarks in the past) has weighed in on the issue and is taking some heat.

Sportsnet

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Let me get this straight: Here's a guy who backstopped the Ottawa Senators to the Stanley Cup final two years ago...

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So, besides unsubstantiated rumours, what grave sins has Emery committed?

He showed up late for some practices, was upset about not playing enough and had a few minor traffic mishaps...

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In my opinion, there's a hint of racism in the air. Canada is becoming more multi-cultural by the day, especially in major cities. But for the most part, the hockey culture is still predominantly white and many NHL power brokers grew up in a Canada that was completely different. Unlike their compatriots in the NBA, NFL and Major League Baseball, NHL general managers don't have any experience dealing with the Allen Iverson's of the sports world. Many black people have their own distinct culture and when a guy like Emery walks into a dressing room with his flashy clothes and hip-hop spirit, some hockey people tend to raise their eyebrows.

Don't get me wrong; the NHL isn't guilty of overt racism. But I believe there is something bubbling below the surface that needs to be discussed in an open forum such as this blog. For one thing, it should be pointed out that Emery definitely could have handled certain situations better and has, in fact, admitted making some mistakes. But there are lots of NHL'ers guilty of errors in judgement that had much more dire outcomes. Mark Bell, Todd Bertuzzi and Dany Heatley are just some of the players who have found themselves in various forms of hot water. However, they were all afforded a second chance in the blink of an eye and the last time I checked, none of them were receiving their mail in Moscow.

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I agree that there is something rotten here.

Regarding Nolan I'm even more incensed. First, I should ask if I listen to the FAN590 and they're occasionally, how do you call it, what I see as "safe" racism is that totally bad.

Anyway, if you're interested you know about it. Doug Maclean (former GM) was on with Bob McCown(really, the worst one for it) and brought up race WRT Nolan's latest dismissal and he said that while Nolan was unemployed for that decade, he called and left a message with Nolan's son. When Nolan said he hadn't got a call Maclean made derisive comments about Nolan needing to get his messages. This just happened 2-3 days ago and I was pretty perturbed when I heard it. Nolan does seem to make power plays on his GM's but Maclean seemed to make it worse in my view.