Tuesday, November 09, 2010

We Celebrate Sports Star Immigrants and Vilify the Rest

We should assume that many people who want all immigrants to "go home" are happy they are playing on their sports teams. - - Donna Poisl

By Nellie Nelson

Sports coverage all too often ignores when successful athletes are part of groups targeted by right-wing fear-mongering.

During the National League Championship Series a couple weeks back, a roar would go up from bars and living rooms at the close of every winning game. You could hear it in all parts of the city. During the World Series the roar went up at every home run, accelerating in the last couple games for every Giants hit and then for the Texas Rangers' rapid accumulation of outs. At the close of that final inning, the roar reached a crescendo, carrying well across the bay as San Franciscans of all ages poured into the streets.

In the midst of all the vocal opposition to the right, there was one thing that almost no one was talking about: how much people categorized as immigrants had contributed to the unprecedented success. The players and coaches we showered with cheers and ticker tape hail from Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Colombia, CuraƧao, France, Panama. Their families came from the Philippines, Mexico and Japan.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.

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