A Defining Characteristic Of The True Racist

Tonight as I drove home from work I was listening to the Jason Page show, a program syndicated by NBC Sports Group. 

The host of the program is Jason Page, and one of tonight's topics was the Masters golf tournament. Mr. Page, like many, many, many members of the media proclaimed his opinion that the Masters didn't mean as much this year because Tiger Woods was not playing (due to back surgery). and that the fact that a twenty-year old kid (Jordan Spieth) was poised to possibly become the youngest golfer to ever win a green jacket (7 months younger than Tiger Woods was when he won his 1st) was inconsequential, as young Mr. Spieth is, as Mr. Page put it, the same as all the other guys who had won green jackets before Tiger Woods came along - i.e., a Caucasian.

Mr. Page even stated that people seemed to have forgotten that Tiger Woods was a black man, and that he had literally changed the complexion and color of the game. It was remarkable to me how Mr. Page ranted on and on about just how important and significant it was that Tiger Woods was a young black man when he won his first green jacket, and insinuated that Tiger Woods was the first black golfer that had made an impact in the world of golf.

Actually, Mr. Page insinuated that Tiger Woods was the first non-Caucasian golfer who had made a significant impact on the world of golf.

BTW, the italics for emphasis on the word was is because that is exactly how Mr. Page stated it, as if being black was something Tiger Woods left behind.

Mr. Page, what you said on your show tonight was ignorant and racist.

First off, Calvin Peete. Google him, as apparently you have no idea who he is. And Google Lee Elder too, a black golfer who played in the Masters tournament the year Tiger was born. You might want to Google Ted Rhodes as well, for he is probably the closest to a Jackie Robinson that professional golf has.

Second, Lee Trevino, Chi Chi Rodriguez, Vijay Singh, Isao Aoki, Hassan Hassanein, Angel Cabrera...

Third, Tiger Woods did not dedicate his life (with apt tutelage and encouragement by his father) to becoming a great black golfer. He dedicated his life to becoming a great golfer. The color of his skin was an accident of his birth, something which he had nothing to do with.

The only reason Tiger Woods is celebrated on a golf course, the only reason Tiger Woods is considered to be one of the very best golfers to ever play the game, is because he spent thousands of hours perfecting his game. Thousands and thousands of hours practicing, focusing, concentrating, getting better and better and better.

To state his real importance to the game is his racial identity is so insanely racist and narrow, it boggles the mind. Tiger Woods did not break down any color barriers. He did not blaze any trails other than resetting the standard of what a great young golfer was capable of doing. 

Any young golfer, no matter the racial identity.

Mr. Page's rant smelled of that thinly-veiled racism that was rampant decades ago, usually spewed when people of any minority group were more successful at a sport than a Caucasian had been - the claim that it was only because they were "naturally athletic."

I grew up in a primarily black neighborhood. In all the schools I attended, I was the minority. In my entire life I never met one person, white, black, brown, whatever, who was "naturally athletic." 

And I went to school with athletes who went on to play professional sports, for significant periods of time, with great success.

They were not "naturally athletic." They were, however, people who were driven to succeed, dedicated to becoming the best at their craft, and the type that pushed themselves everyday to go beyond their limits, real or imagined. 

That's hard work, not "natural athleticism," getting them where they wanted to go. 

Being "naturally athletic" doesn't mean crap. It's hard work that makes the difference, and anyone who says otherwise is either making excuses for their inability to compete because they wouldn't or couldn't put in the hard work, or because they refuse to recognize that someone outworked them.

Whenever I hear or read anyone saying that an athlete has only succeeded because they were "naturally athletic," I get to fumin'. It's a base insult steeped in ignorance and racism. 

Just as Mr. Page's comment's regarding Tiger Woods recognition for his success as a golfer was due primarily to his being black was - and also that the possibility that young Mr. Spieth could win a green jacket at the age of twenty was insignificant because he is Caucasian.

Both of those men worked their asses off to become the best golfers they could be. Golf is hard, it requires thousands of hours to master, and even then it's a tenuous mastery. 

Millions of people on this planet golf. Tens of millions. Only the top 50 made the cut for the final two rounds of the Masters this year, whether they were white, black, brown or whatever. 

The top 50 hardest practicing, working, golfers. And one of them might just make history tomorrow. Too bad he's white, otherwise he might get a bit of recognition from the popular sports media for his efforts.