The Pathology of the ‘Neo-Peculiar Institution:’ Sport, Race and the ‘New Normal’

Robin HughesThere were a number of things that went through my head as I listened to the taped conversation NBA owner Donald Sterling had with his girlfriend (mistress in some writings). I had also just listened to the Supreme Court affirmative action deliberations on a mildly conservative news show and juxtaposed the racially charged conversation with the ruling, the racial and current context, and with thoughts and questions about the pathology of race.

The owner’s conversation speaks to the very real manner in which certain folks of color, in this case Black, are excluded from the structure and administration of large organizations — including sports. The discussion reeked of institutionalized racism in its most rudimentary form. The owner speaks from authority when he states that the current culture of the world acts exclusively — and that is normal. There is no right or wrong, this is the way the world acts. That is not racism.

His own subtext suggests that Magic Johnson may be good enough to play in the sporting realm, but, in reality, he cannot lead and is not welcome in his internal circles of acquaintances. One can assume this to mean business and personal.

The question becomes, if Magic and others are not included or allowed into those important circles, then how are people of color to move forward? The Horatio Alger metanarrative that is often quoted as some tangible trajectory makes little sense to people of color in this “new normal.” Many folks have heard, ‘Just work hard and you will move up. Go to school and you will move forward.’ These narratives infer that everything and everyone is equitable now. After all, we live in a democracy.

However, the fly in the anointment is racism.

Horatio Alger’s frame of reference only works when people are not impacted by the very real system of privilege based on race — racism. While the owner clearly exposes the underbelly of institutional racism, he also sets the context for the new normal. I cannot but wonder whether young Black males have been hip to the new normal and are pushed to become sports participants in lieu of ownership? In the new normal, they can be players. In racist context, Horatio Alger metanarratives are not normal.

The conversation speaks to the deep-seeded pathology of racism and how it can impact individual thinking. The owner tells the mistress that she is a demure White woman, or a Latina (which may just be White to him), although she is admittedly of mixed race, Black and Mexican heritage. What he ultimately suggests is that in this normal, you get things from the value of “White” property (Cheryl Harris told us this years ago). In a sense she is forced to “pass.” She notes that, by the way, Matt Kemp can continue to be a friend, because he is Whiter than she is … and she has met his mother.