Bad it’s just everywhere: Utah women face racism
It is of course true that what happened to the Utah women’s basketball team was horrible. Members of the team told KSL.com they were subjected to racial slurs on multiple occasions while entering and later departing a restaurant in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
It is also true that whoever decided to put the team in a hotel in that town lacked the historical understanding, or simply didn’t care, about the ugly white supremacist history of Idaho and that town in particular.
It is true that Brad Little, the buffoon governor of the state, recently signed an anti-DEI law that is one gigantic dog whistle (bullhorn?) to extremists. Just several posts later, after proudly announcing that anti-Black piece of legislation, he condemned the attacks on the Utah team, apparently unaware of the irony that laws like the one he signed inflame racism.
It is true that people with beating hearts who are capable of love and care and decency can feel for what happened to the Black athletes and others on that team who were called the Nword on multiple occasions while just living their lives. Just trying to enjoy the Madness.
“We all just were in shock, and we looked at each other like, did we just hear that?” Charmelle Green, the Utah deputy athletics director, who is Black, told KSL.com. “Everybody was in shock − our cheerleaders, our students that were in that area that heard it clearly were just frozen. We kept walking, just shaking our heads, like I can’t believe that.”
All of that is true. All of that is valid. But you are making a mistake if you focus on the fact this happened in Idaho and somehow that state, or parts of it, are more racist than other states. Do
not be one of the people looking down their nose and saying: yeah, look at those horrible people in Idaho. At least we’re not them.
That’s because racism is bad everywhere, all the time.
Let me repeat: it’s bad everywhere, all the time.
There are places where the hate is more up front, more out in the open, but there are no places in this country where it doesn’t exist, and it exists in voluminous amounts. Hate is a virus more contagious than anything known to humankind. It infects every corner of the Earth and every inch of the United States. It’s hardwired into countless millions of
Americans. It’s not relegated to Idaho or the South. It’s all around us.
What happened to the Utah team happens every day. It’s just that in this instance it was a high-profile team during the high-profile event that is the tournament. This, and worse, happens to people who aren’t college athletes, and it’s not reported or even known.
This isn’t, in any way, meant to take away from the pain suffered by the Utah team, which is real and stinging, but what happened to them is very, very American.
The proof of this is everywhere. In Pittsburgh, a white supremacist murdered Jewish worshippers. In Buffalo, a white supremacist murdered Black grocery shoppers. In South Carolina, a white supremacist murdered Black worshippers. In Texas, a white supremacist murdered Latino shoppers at a
Sweet 16 games on tap this weekend, only South Carolina is a bigger favorite than Iowa. The outside world will expect a resounding Hawkeyes victory, as was the case entering Monday night.
Elsewhere in Albany ample distractions are waiting to pounce. Along with the usual chaos that comes when Clark goes anywhere, chatter about a potential LSU rematch in the Elite Eight will hit the Hawkeyes the moment they enter the building. Last season’s national championship game between these two still ignites conversations nearly a calendar year later. Navigating through hypothetical hype is crucial for Iowa until the matchup actually materializes.
That’s because the alternative is no less daunting. No. 2 seed UCLA will get the first crack at the Tigers in Albany at noon to start Saturday’s doubleheader, hoping to spoil the storyline many are craving. The Bruins toyed with a No. 1 seed most of the season inside a loaded Pac-12 conference before stumbling in their conference tournament. Handling UCLA’s size and versatility could easily
Walmart. Those places aren’t distant Idaho outposts. Those are many corners of the country.
Large swaths of America are sundown. The NAACP issued a travel advisory for the state of Florida. The whole damn state.
The coach of Utah, Lynne Roberts, said on Monday how disturbing the incident was.
“Incredibly upsetting for all of us,” she said. “You think in our world, in athletics and the university settings, it’s shocking. There’s so much diversity on a college campus and so you’re just not exposed to that very often. And so when you are, it’s like, you have people say, ‘Man, I can’t believe that happened.’ But racism is real and it happens, and it’s awful.
“So for our players, whether they are white, black, green, whatever, no one
become Iowa’s Elite Eight task.
None of it matters, though, if Colorado isn’t conquered. The Buffaloes led Iowa at halftime last season in Seattle and stayed right with the Hawkeyes into the third quarter before another Clark onslaught squashed any upset chance. Several of Colorado’s key players are back again this season hunting a different outcome.
Whether it wants to or not, Iowa will know who’s potentially waiting for it in the Elite Eight ahead of Saturday’s tip. The Hawkeyes may even pass or hear the winning jubilation inside the bowels of MVP Arena. More smoke that’ll try to cloud what Iowa’s top objective is.
“We don’t have to say anything crazy. It doesn’t have to be some inspirational message,” Iowa guard Kate Martin said. “We know what we need to do and we’re staying mission-focused, locked in. Have a next-play mentality for every single play. That shows our maturity and our veteran-led group.”
The Hawkeyes have touted that all year, and rightfully so. Iowa couldn’t
knew how to handle it and it was really upsetting. And for our players and staff to not feel safe in an NCAA Tournament environment, that’s messed up.”
Roberts’ words are thoughtful and important but Black students face racism at PWIs and other places all the time. No place is excluded. In fact, in 2021, the Justice Department excoriated an entire Utah school district after years of ignoring hundreds of Black students saying they were called slaves, the N-word and threatened with lynching.
There are lessons here and they are not happy ones but they are clear ones. There are places in this country where the racism seems thicker, places like this part of Idaho, and others.
But what that Utah team faced could have happened anywhere.
Because it has. Because it does. All the time.
have had a better trial run for NCAA Tournament intensity than they did in the regular season, where every game felt like a monumental showdown with external elements to handle.
The Hawkeyes don’t need to deliberately emphasize how experienced they are to each other behind closed doors; more so let what has been acquired work organically in elevating confidence across the board. Undoubtedly, the secondround drama faced against Creighton and Georgia the last two years made a difference Monday night. Once the Hawkeyes land in Albany, the second-weekend familiarity they gained last season should come rushing back.
“When you’re in situations and you can use that experience to fall back on,” Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said, “we’re going to use that wherever we can.”
Then we’ll see who’s still standing when the smoke clears.
“No game is going to be perfect,” Marshall said, “and we know that.
“Just keep driving through the smoke.”