Black Player Scores Winning Goal; Racists Hit Twitter

The other night, Joel Ward of the Washington Capitals scored the winning goal against the Boston Bruins, and then the knuckleheads came out on Twitter.As a blogger writes:

t’s about time that the NHL tackled its race issues head-on. If the league wants to move forward as a brand, they need to recognize that they can do something about racism. When Kobe Bryant yelled a homophobic slur at a referee that was caught on camera, the NBA swiftly and justly fined him and then produced a PSA campaign against usage of the word. FIFA, the global soccer association, has very publicly taken a stance against racism from fans with some of the world’s most popular stars.

Can one league end racism in the world? Of course not. But a laissez-faire attitude in the face of an obvious problem is harmful as well. Oftentimes, it’s not the overt bigotry that can do the most damage. It’s looking away when the more subtle disrespect comes along that shows what you’re made of.