Long post (sorry, it's an issue that's important to me)...
Originally Posted by kurimski 
I really don't think there is much of a "race" issue in today's world. If people would just quit talking about it and thinking about it there wouldn't be one. The talking about it and thinking about it makes people think there is still an issue. I've never really experienced any kind of race issues or seen or heard of around where i live.
Ignoring racism does not make it go away. If racism was merely something that come out of our mouths, this might be the case, but the fact is that racism is a lot more than this - it affects people even if a word about it is never spoken.
Sports may actually be some of the most racially influenced institutions in America. In football, why are some positions dominated by blacks, and others by whites? (how many black kickers are there in the NFL??) Why are there so few Asians?
The type of racism in sports is easy to overlook, because it isn't intentional. It isn't caused by people consciously thinking "I only want a kicker who is white" - it probably is the case that the best kickers ARE white - but WHY??
I think a lot of it has to do with the economic situations people grow up in. Why is there such a higher percentage of blacks in sports than in the rest of society? Perhaps it is because there is a much higher percentage of blacks growing up in poor neighborhoods, so they see sports as their only way out. Maybe this isn't the case, but I think I know where I would put my money.
A December Opinion Research Corp poll on racism
(found here) shows that 49% of blacks see racism as a serious issue today in the US, whereas only 18% of whites do. There is obviously something that is making black people feel as if racism is still an issue. I personally don't want to overlook their feelings, since I think they are in a better position than I am to recognize and speak on racism.
Ultimately, I do agree that it is important to always FIRST recognize individuals for their efforts and accomplishments as individual human beings without focusing on race. BUT, that does not mean race should not be ignored altogether, because it is still very much a force influencing American society.
