Racism in Sports Games: Moderation Must Be Improved

[ChaseB]

Sports video games and how they interact with the US and global discourse right around Black...

Written By: Chase Becotte

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[Noah Weber]

Re: Racism in Sports Games: Moderation Must Be Improved

I agree wholeheartedly with the message of this article, but I strongly disagree with the choice of image accompanying the piece. I understand the temptation to provide an example, and anyone who has gamed online knows how tragically widespread these examples are, but examples (and especially those presented before any context is established) often do more harm than good. Regardless of the intent behind the example, it gives a wide platform to the original hateful idea, and it subjects your Black readers to having to see and be reminded of those ideas. I would suggest you replace the image with one that won’t immediately subject Black readers to confronting examples of hate (it’s not their responsibility to confront it), and if you choose to provide examples put them farther down the article with an appropriate disclaimer.

-Noah

[ChaseB]

Re: Racism in Sports Games: Moderation Must Be Improved

Sure Noah, feedback appreciated and changes made.

[Noah Weber]

Re: Racism in Sports Games: Moderation Must Be Improved

Thank you for being responsive to the feedback.

And again, I think this is overall a really important piece. We all have to use our platforms to influence positive change and I think this article is a great example of what that looks like. I hope other outlets follow your lead and start addressing racism within their realms, and calling out the organizations who have the power to do something about it.

[LoadStar81]

Look, I hate to be the fuddy-duddy curmudgeon here, but I play games to get away from stuff like this.
Maybe if EA and the rest weren't pushing so much of the flashy new content online, while leaving offline modes to rot, we might not be seeing so much of this.  You think?
Yes, I know, improving offline modes would mean actually needing creative thinking on the developer side, instead of farming it off on the community. 
But if community based content can be so easily turned to just about any ignoble purpose, then maybe it's time for the industry at large to start refocusing on offline content.

[scottyo60]

LoadStar this  has nothing to do with online offline. This has everything to do with targeted hate from a group with a lack of accountability from the community and the gaming industry to police this.

While you may not play online, I do from time to time. I’ve never understood some of the rhetoric. I have reported people for stuff. At the end of the day, everyone should be provided the same decent gaming experience online for the game they want to play.  Not be called the N word over and over which I have had in lobbies. I’m not black however a guy I play with has hood in his name and gets it. And when you hit that person they don’t stop.  

Chase thank you for bringing this to light. I didn’t realize that existed in NHL. Ooof. We need to just be better overall. White, black, guy, girl, keep the trash talk about the game. Keep the racist phrases out. Work together in this to provide the best community. 

[Caulfield]

Re: Racism in Sports Games: Moderation Must Be Improved

if this issue really takes a hold, I can even see sports video game companies keeping the Redskins and Indians names out of their game.

[ChaseB]

Re: Racism in Sports Games: Moderation Must Be Improved

Wow! My post was deleted. Operation Sports. Why have a comments section if you only want like minded people? Just tell me if you want hive minded people.

(The post was deleted because you said it was a slippery slope to ban blatantly racist things because any censorship is bad censorship, and instead your opinion was just "log out" so yeah. If deleting something like that means this is now a hive mind then fair enough.)

[BBallBryan23]

“Washington Redskins”. That phrase should incite way more anger than immature 12-year-olds spewing nonsense online. The fact that it’s 2020 and there’s still a football team with a blatantly racist team nickname is just unbelievable to me. I love how we completely ignore certain types of racism, while being outraged by other occurrences. 

[Crimsontide27]

Re: Racism in Sports Games: Moderation Must Be Improved

I have been a member of this community for 16 years. Any talk of race has been forbidden here since I joined in 2004. Keep.it that way please.

[ChaseB]

Re: Racism in Sports Games: Moderation Must Be Improved

“Washington Redskins”. That phrase should incite way more anger than immature 12-year-olds spewing nonsense online. The fact that it’s 2020 and there’s still a football team with a blatantly racist team nickname is just unbelievable to me. I love how we completely ignore certain types of racism, while being outraged by other occurrences.*

While I agree with the general sentiment, this is a bit of "whataboutism" in that the Washington team name is not something we have as much control over curtailing within the community itself. The NFL and Dan Snyder need to figure that out, and public pressure can continue to be placed there to get the name changed, but that is an official team and trademark that has different legal elements to it than what I wrote about here.

I personally only put Washington or Washington DC football team in any article I write or edit that goes up on the site, but it's not specifically the same sort of moderation issue. Other racist names and such for Native Americans/American Indians should be moderated with the same focus within the community, but the official NFL team name is a thornier legal issue.

I have been a member of this community for 16 years. Any talk of race has been forbidden here since I joined in 2004. Keep.it that way please.

Crimson, I get what you're saying, but I have been a member of this community for 17 years, and it is forbidden except in specific situations, which have come up before this and have led to discussions before as well in very specific spots like this. I promise the site won't self-destruct due to this one specific discussion taking place in this one specific spot.

[Caulfield]

Re: Racism in Sports Games: Moderation Must Be Improved

“Washington Redskins”. That phrase should incite way more anger than immature 12-year-olds spewing nonsense online. The fact that it’s 2020 and there’s still a football team with a blatantly racist team nickname is just unbelievable to me. I love how we completely ignore certain types of racism, while being outraged by other occurrences.*

the first thing that needs to happen is for the NFL to force out Dan Snyder, not because he wants to retain the team name but because he is a blight on a once proud and winning franchise. if/when that ever happens, I wonder if it would be enough of a compromise to change the name to the Skins, or to the Reds. that should at least be less offensive than Washington Bullets or Washington Senators.


I'd also like to see Cleveland revert to being the Naps, or the possibly the Browns. I always liked how New York had a baseball and football Giants and St. Louis had a baseball and football Cardinals. maybe the NFL Washington football club could even become the Washington Nationals.


As for other types of racism in sports games, I dont encounter it because I dont play online. and if I did I especially wouldn't play against/with people I wasn't at least somewhat familiar with.

[HenryClay1844]

Re: Racism in Sports Games: Moderation Must Be Improved

Sports games and by extension sports game boards should not be a safe space for racists. You should not be able to escape "politics" through sports. For too long organizations like the NFL and EA sports have turned a blind eye to their racist fan-base and exploited black people and expected them to suffer in silence less they upset the user base. This can't be accepted anymore.

[scottyo60]

Re: Racism in Sports Games: Moderation Must Be Improved

if this issue really takes a hold, I can even see sports video game companies keeping the Redskins and Indians names out of their game.

As someone with a Native background, (Two of my great grandmas were 100%) the Redskins/Indians thing never bothered me. Just was a name of a team. I don’t speak for everyone though. I can only share my feeling.

[JHamilton9]

Re: Racism in Sports Games: Moderation Must Be Improved

The lack of moderators have stopped me from playing online. From "shock-value" screen names to the absolute disgusting "trash talk," it seems a lot of people have lost any sense of decency. And respect.

I started reporting gamers, but I found response times and the lack of bans very disappointing. I even took off the headset just to stop listening to the non-sense.

Today, I only game online with true friends and not some random people. Even though it doesn't happen very often, it provides something online gaming should be: fun.