SPOKANE, Wash. – It has been a difficult past week for the Inland Northwest and NCAA basketball teams. Two teams, Utah women’s and Gonzaga men’s, have been the subjects of alleged racism.
On March 21, Black members of the University of Utah team were racially harassed in Coeur d’Alene, drawing scrutiny to the culture of northern Idaho.
On Thursday, members of the Gonzaga men’s basketball team were seemingly mistaken for undocumented immigrants by Michigan Representative Matt Maddock (R), drawing condemnation from fellow Michigan lawmakers.
Over just a seven day period, two teams with several Black members were the subjects of reported racist incidents in the midst of the NCAA Tournament, with both teams sharing a connection to the Inland Northwest.
In a media landscape in which sports have emerged as resilient symbols of a mostly decaying American monoculture, it appears that the potential for college basketball to serve as a social lightning-rod does not just concern athletics, but racial justice issues as well.
