Quote Originally Posted by Beanz View Post
Quote Originally Posted by TitoFan View Post
Wow... this has devolved.

Me... I just saw two world class teams go at it for a couple of hours, and one just executed better than the other one in the penalty kicks decider.

Both teams had their share of dives, great plays, and swings of momentum.

What I DO find abhorrent though, is the racism issue which apparently got highlighted following the missed penalties by the three black English players.

Instead of the players taking a knee before matches... it should be all the fans instead.

Sad.
It is sad but not surprising. We live here in the UK in a country that is led by racists. Our PM and Home secretary refused to condemn the booing of our own national team for making an anti-racist statement and then today pretended that they were disgusted by the racists that they emboldened. Look at the racists on here who share similar sentiments and have no shame about it.

Sadly, it seems no country or region is totally devoid of the scourge of racism. I would be more shocked if I wasn't already used to (and disgusted about) the continued racism plague in the U.S., which goes up to and includes people in power and what is even worse... law enforcement.

Having said that, I was struck by a couple of things. One was the total and heartfelt comradery and consolations extended to the England players who missed penalties, by their own teammates. That was heartwarming to see. The other was the publicized abuse of the three players who missed their penalties... who unfortunately happened to be black. It's almost like a tinderbox for racism to break through the surface, given the enormity of the moment for England... and having the trophy slip through their fingers in the most heartbreaking way possible.

The one difference I see between the U.S. and Europe regarding racism in sports is that in the U.S. you rarely, if ever, see fans being racist toward black players... at least on the field/court/stadium. Away from the playing field it's another matter altogether... but at least on the field the fans don't let on. Also, Europe has so many countries one has to wonder how the racism aspect varies from country to country. That would make for an interesting discussion. As far as the kneeling, which I saw but didn't really focus on throughout the tournament.... which countries knelt, and which countries didn't? Does that in itself speak about the team only? Or about the country's culture in general?

I still go back in my mind to the movie "42", about the life and career of Jackie Robinson (the first black player to be allowed to play in Major League Baseball). It was a terrific movie... and I'd recommend it to anyone.