"Despite gains, anti-Native bias beliefs still plague Montana hoops"

mthoopsfan said:

A long and interesting article.

"To the Stars, the outcome was another painful reminder of a conviction held by Natives across Montana and, indeed, all of America: Historical racism permeating a bastion of passion and self-esteem, the basketball arena, in the form of biased officiating."

"In the mid-1980s, Crow coaching legend Gordon Real Bird Sr. tallied up 10 years of fouls for Lodge Grass games. He discovered his Runnin’ Indians were whistled for more than opponents in nine of those seasons. His findings were subsequently published in The Billings Gazette."

"Does overt racism exist? Natives and non-Natives alike interviewed for these stories agree that barely a generation removed from an era of “No Dogs, No Indians” signs tarnishing storefronts in reservation border towns, it’s folly to suggest high school gyms are immune."

"Such convictions are reinforced when a public-address announcer calls the Browning Lady Indians the “Lazy Indians”, or multiple signs in the same arena read "FTI!", or entire Native teams are shut out of convenience stores, or Native fans believe they were barred from a gym, or a student section makes monkey gestures when a Native player dribbles, or a radio talk-show host suggests separate state tournaments for Native teams because their supporters are inherently unruly."

"Even so, perceptions of anti-Native bias are so deeply engrained and can be so charged that the MHSA candidly acknowledges the challenge."

“For us it’s a huge, huge issue,” says new MHSA executive director Brian Michelotti, who can rattle off a list of efforts to combat perceptions while conceding much work remains."

"An example: Referees expect eye contact when addressing players but many Natives avoid it for cultural reasons. Officials are reminded not to feel insulted when players instinctively look away."

https://ravallirepublic.com/news/state-and-regional/a-huge-huge-issue-despite-gains-anti-native-bias-beliefs-still-plague-montana-hoops/article_d0d15207-6e8c-59d2-a874-a04973c910c5.html#tracking-source=home-top-story

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citay said:

mthoopsfan said:

A long and interesting article.

"To the Stars, the outcome was another painful reminder of a conviction held by Natives across Montana and, indeed, all of America: Historical racism permeating a bastion of passion and self-esteem, the basketball arena, in the form of biased officiating."

"In the mid-1980s, Crow coaching legend Gordon Real Bird Sr. tallied up 10 years of fouls for Lodge Grass games. He discovered his Runnin’ Indians were whistled for more than opponents in nine of those seasons. His findings were subsequently published in The Billings Gazette."

"Does overt racism exist? Natives and non-Natives alike interviewed for these stories agree that barely a generation removed from an era of “No Dogs, No Indians” signs tarnishing storefronts in reservation border towns, it’s folly to suggest high school gyms are immune."

"Such convictions are reinforced when a public-address announcer calls the Browning Lady Indians the “Lazy Indians”, or multiple signs in the same arena read "FTI!", or entire Native teams are shut out of convenience stores, or Native fans believe they were barred from a gym, or a student section makes monkey gestures when a Native player dribbles, or a radio talk-show host suggests separate state tournaments for Native teams because their supporters are inherently unruly."

"Even so, perceptions of anti-Native bias are so deeply engrained and can be so charged that the MHSA candidly acknowledges the challenge."

“For us it’s a huge, huge issue,” says new MHSA executive director Brian Michelotti, who can rattle off a list of efforts to combat perceptions while conceding much work remains."

"An example: Referees expect eye contact when addressing players but many Natives avoid it for cultural reasons. Officials are reminded not to feel insulted when players instinctively look away."

https://ravallirepublic.com/news/state-and-regional/a-huge-huge-issue-despite-gains-anti-native-bias-beliefs-still-plague-montana-hoops/article_d0d15207-6e8c-59d2-a874-a04973c910c5.html#tracking-source=home-top-story

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I for one have not responded because I believe that what you say is fully in conformity with objective reality. This country is still working out issues of racism, the deed, ageism, gender pay inequality, et. al., as it is and probably forever will be. But I do think this country is making progress. If you could transport yourself back in time and spend one day fifty years ago, you'd be surprised at the issues we tolerated back then that we do not today.

Meantime, Montana has produced so many fabulous Native payers (many of whom I got to see play), and their basketball traditions are one of the great legacies of Montana sports history.

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