Racist fans of F1 (and most other sports)

[axle]

I've read today that a section of the Spanish crowd watching the F1 testing this week have been racially abusing Hamilton....just like they, the Spanish, are reported to do to most black football players etc.

Is it the media in the UK that I read or are the Spanish people more likely to racially abuse a black person?

[manchild]

Racism is a global disease so it has nothing to do with Spanish people or any other people in general but with backward groups and individuals with low IQ within any nation. How many people attended that testing? Few thousands, perhaps few tens of thousands. Even if they all were racially insulting Hamilton that still leaves over 45.000.000 Spaniards who are not insulting Hamilton on racial basis and therefore generalization of whole nation is unacceptable.

[axle]

Racism is a global disease so it has nothing to do with Spanish people or any other people in general but with backward groups and individuals with low IQ within any nation. How many people attended that testing? Few thousands, perhaps few tens of thousands. Even if they all were racially insulting Hamilton that still leaves over 45.000.000 Spaniards who are not insulting Hamilton on racial basis and therefore generalization of whole nation is unacceptable.

Good I'm glad to hear it's not "normal" and that Spain is no worse than any other place, it's obviously just the way it's been reported.

Can't be sure while a 1000 miles away.

[Principessa]

I really don't believe its on a racial base that they are insulting Hamilton. I really believe it is because they feel that Hamilton and Dennis have been holding their idol (Fernando Alonso) back last season. I really don't believe its because Hamilton is black.

And as Manchild said, it's not because there are a couple of idiots insulting Hamilton (or insulting a footballplayer, a basketballplayer,.....) for the colour of his skin that everybody from that country is that way.

[johny]

First i must say that i'm really ashamed, mainly because i'm spanish. Most of those "fans" are atracted by alonso and they're bringing football style (i mean constant abuse, trowing things to the pitch, racism) to f1. We still in this days have many problems here with racism, it's a long process and mainly it's in football where those problems arise, yesterday watching a match you could hear those gorrilla-kind-voices and nobody said anything, even sometimes players (it has happened 2 or 3 times) want to leave the pitch.

Obviously we aren't a racist country but we have a long way to go, especially in those events where a few can make a big mess. Let's hope everythings get allright in jerez because i'll be there.

[axle]

I really don't believe its on a racial base that they are insulting Hamilton. I really believe it is because they feel that Hamilton and Dennis have been holding their idol (Fernando Alonso) back last season. I really don't believe its because Hamilton is black.

And as Manchild said, it's not because there are a couple of idiots insulting Hamilton (or insulting a footballplayer, a basketballplayer,.....) for the colour of his skin that everybody from that country is that way.

I agree that a whole country shouldn't be tar'ed with the same brush. I had just seen too many articles where "fans" in Spain had used far too aggressive racism.

http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/n ... 2452.shtml

It's a real shame that the minority that get reported about, degrade the standing of the whole.


Thanks for you input Johny...glad to hear from the silent majority on what actually happened.

[checkered]

We've got to

be very wise and very purposeful about this. As manchild says, generalisations will get us nowhere. I've been pretty much limited to web sources in following this phenomenon develop over the last year and haven't been outspoken about the whole affair, trusting it to remain as marginal as to remain completely insignificant. The events that have taken place at Barcelona do represent an escalation of a recent trend (some abuse was already evident in Jerez and Valencia, I do not want to repeat the exact content) and a continuation of racist material that has accumulated over a longer time in dedicated websites and user contributed media websites like YouTube. The material ranges from innuendoes and double entendres to very overt expressions of prejudice, with a solely hurtful purpose.

As the Barcelona track manager had to take action and also McLaren personnel has gone on record on the issue, I feel that the FIA and possibly also the commercial rights holders of F1 have to step in somehow to "reverse the flow". This has to be done before the thing gains any more momentum. We do not need to see this live. Whatever they do, it needs to be constructive so perhaps it'd be prudent to consult human rights organisations on furthering tolerance rather than threatening punitive actions that might be seen as indiscriminate and collective. Local fans who appreciate the sport for what it is also need to raise their voices about this and challenge insulting behaviour, preferrably by reporting it fortwith to track authorities - and law enforcement if necessary. We, who interact online, can actively search any and all social networking sites and media websites like YouTube and report every bit of abusive material to the sites' respective administrators, at the very least.

This is a complicated issue and there's bound to be more than meets the eye. It's a challenge to anyone and we also need to be very self-aware of our own motivations. We've got to be prepared to listen as well and avoid self-righteousness to the last. Challenge ideas, not people.

[Spencifer_Murphy]

The problem is that once somebody gets away with something, others of a similar (lack of) IQ will try to do the same thing. And soon you get a stereotype.

Look at football, a small minority of Spanish football fans have been racially abusing players in recent years, on a large scale, and a small group of italian fans are becomming hugely violent.

BUT ask any of the authorities in football and they'll tell you that the most violent fans are: the English. Where's the basis in that? This stereotype has been applied to english fans in football ever since the 1980's (when, admittedly we were disgusting in our behaviour - i mean "we" as in the English, not myself personally lol!). Ever since then the English are supposedly the worst, dispite the recent problems at Man Utd .v. Roma matches in italy where Roma fan's started a riot, english fans ran away, and then got beaten by the police because "The english must have started it!" an old age pensioner was beaten by the police, his 60year old wife had to try and protect him!

It's disgusting, and it all come by stereotypes, yes the Spanish fan's probably used racial abuse againt Lewis, and no based upon their current footballing fans its not a suprise, but equally we cannot label an entire country by a few select individuals for we risk running Spanish fan's out of the sport who (quite rightly) will get fed up being labeled as racist based upon the frankly stupid actions of a few.

[manchild]

Problem is the moronification of F1 in recent years. Masses of typical football (soccer) fans have started watching F1 for reason unknown to me. You know, people who are turned on by fast and furious philosophy of "racing", 20 year olds who can't replace wheel on their neon lightened cars "tuned" by KN filter and 7000W subwoofers.

They cheer for teams and drivers based on which car they have or the driver's nationality. That goes even lower, like "Kimi got drunk, haha, I got drunk frequently too so I cheer for Kimi". Or, "DC shagged some actress so since I'm turned on her I cheer for DC and RB". "Or, I smoke Marlboro so I cheer for Ferrari."

Wide spread of betting on F1 in recent years also moved football fans closer to F1 since they started betting on F1 too and following it because of betting and only trough betting.

Knowing what is the average football fanatic mental profile it isn't surprising to hear that such people come on F1 circuits and insult sportsman just as they do it on football stadiums.

F1 always had some class and dignity but now it's become big business more than anything and any kind of fans are welcomed as long as they don't bring they own beer and stick behind the fence. Sell, sell, sell and they buy, buy, buy so they became acceptable to F1 industry which cares for nothing but TV ratings and profit.

[mx_tifoso]

My view on this issue lies mostly in agreeance with the content of Principessa's comments. That perhaps the racist comments towards Hamilton aren't being said just because of his skin color, but mainly because of what happened last season alongside Alonso.

So maybe within these fan's minds they're simply defending their national hero. And it just happens that verbally abusing Hamilton is the only way to do so.

Pretty much some cheap shots thought up by some ignorant few.

...just some thoughts to consider.

[Spencifer_Murphy]

Oh I think we all agree with you mx_tifosi, but the point is that there is a difference between giving somebody a good "booing" and jeering, and being downright offensive.

Put it this way: Football chants that go "Who are ya? Who are ya?" great, tongue in cheek and funny. Football chants that follow a racist theme are not however.

The same goes for standing up for FA, that's exactly what they're doing, and there's nothing wrong with that. But it's how they're going about doing so that's the issue. And it cannot be tolerated.

Likewise I think the issue is equally applicable to any driver being called names based on his nationality or race.

[mx_tifoso]

Oh I think we all agree with you mx_tifosi, but the point is that there is a difference between giving somebody a good "booing" and jeering, and being downright offensive.

...The same goes for standing up for FA, that's exactly what they're doing, and there's nothing wrong with that. But it's how they're going about doing so that's the issue. And it cannot be tolerated...

Don't get me wrong, I understand and agree that it is wrong to do.

[Principessa]

http://www.f1technical.net/news/8191

The FIA will take sanctions if the abuse doesn't stop. It is suggested that they might pull the F1 tests away from the Spanish tracks just as the Spanish GP. This would be heavy penalty for the Spanish circuits. The officials at Barcelona tried their best to stop the abuse as they put up fences around the McLaren box and removed all the abusive banners. They even put in extra security guards and there was already a lot of them on track as there were expected so many visitors for this test.

I think its good that the FIA gives sign that this kind of behaviour is not acceptable. First I really didn't know it was this bad as the first reports were only from English newspapers, but even Marca and El Mundo Deportivo reported that the abuse was racial. I hope that they can put a stop to this as I don't want F1 to turn out like football. I have been to a GP more than once and I always enjoy the friendly atmosphere between the fans. Fans from different teams/drivers, fans from different countries, people with another race,.... I hope that this relaxed and friendly atmosphere will not be changed in racial atmosphere.

[Rob W]

This is the exact same reason Barack Obama will have a hard time if he gets to run for president - there are just too many muppet/red-necks who will gladly march blind-folded into any government other than one they see as being led by someone who is 'black'. Especially sad because this seems to even transcend political affiliations.

However - on a slightly closer to home not - if you water down racism into the broader xenophobia (anti-country/nation) I'm sure you could make an argument that F1 has shown considerable bias towards Italian teams for many years. So when does it go from just being good business to promote certain interests to actually becoming nothing more than a deep-seated bias against others?

The most common discriminations are not racially based and it's worth thinking about the perceptions/views/biases people might have on groups based on factors other than their race - since these are the types of things which can develop into xenophobia or racism if they're allowed to run out of control.

R

[jaho101]

Problem is the moronification of F1 in recent years. Masses of typical football (soccer) fans have started watching F1 for reason unknown to me. You know, people who are turned on by fast and furious philosophy of "racing", 20 year olds who can't replace wheel on their neon lightened cars "tuned" by KN filter and 7000W subwoofers.

They cheer for teams and drivers based on which car they have or the driver's nationality. That goes even lower, like "Kimi got drunk, haha, I got drunk frequently too so I cheer for Kimi". Or, "DC shagged some actress so since I'm turned on her I cheer for DC and RB". "Or, I smoke Marlboro so I cheer for Ferrari."

If it wasn't for fans F1 would exist, I mean you can't hate them for liking a team for stupid reasons. I mean, I like Kubica because I'm Polish. I always cheer for Maclaren over Ferrari when I started watching because I liked the underdog with the sympathetic drivers (i.e. Mika, Kimi). I don't think the problem is with who's cheering for who, but how they heckle the opposition in this case. The biggest problems they fans have is, unlike when Fernando was battling Schumaher, his relationship with Hamilton is a lot more full of controversy than it should be.