Chant at high school basketball game stirs controversy

[Syco21]

You may or may not have heard about this already. In San Antonio, fans began chanting USA after their team had won a high school basket ball game. This has prompted the school to issue an apology for what some are calling a racial demonstration. The losing team's school is made up primarily of Hispanic students.

 

Now, there seems to be four main groups debating the situation. They are:

 

• Those that don't care
• Those that believe it was not racist
• Those that believe it was racist
• Those that are uncertain and desire more information before they pass judgment

 

Summary of the various arguments:

 

Those that do not care:

They say what does it matter, it's not a big deal and they were kids anyway.

 

Those that say it was not racism:

They say that it's not racism because the team is American. They say that it's likely just them expressing national pride. Some also claim that chanting USA can never be racially motivated.

 

Those that say it was racist:

They contend that the chant was based the immigration issues, that the winning school saw the losing school as mostly illegal immigrants and that was the reason for the chant. They say that the reason they believe this is based on the ethnicity of the other team.

 

Those that are undecided:

This is where I fall in. I am unsure whether or not it was racist or had racial undertones. Myself and those sharing my position want to know what the context was. Why they felt the need to chant USA after their team won a game against another American team. Do they do this after every game or every game they win. What was the extenuating circumstances surrounding both teams? Was there a local controversy about how a large number of the opposing school's students were illegal aliens? These questions and many more need to be answered before I will believe that it was one or the other. I can see it both ways. It's possible that they did it because of nationalistic pride and that it had nothing to do with the other team. But at the same time I can also see it the other way.

 

 

So what are your opinions on the matter? Where do you stand?

[Marxist ßastard]

SAISD made their own decision that the chant's instigators should be punished, and that decision shouldn't be scrutinized by a national audience ignorant of the chant's context. Here are some local quotes:

 

...this isn't an isolated incident. The school that started that "patriotic" chant has, for years, offended many other minority schools. They've thrown tortillas at predominately Hispanic schools, watermelon at black schools...they're notorious for being "funny". Yeah, you're right, our PC culture has gotten out of hand. We should just go back to the good ol' days, huh? :-/

On the Alamo Heights/Edison game controversy - something similar happened in a Alamo Heights/Kerrville Tivy basketball game. AH fans chanted "hillbillies" to Tivy fans.

As soon as the coach heard them chanting USA he told them to stop. He knew what their intentions were, or else, nothing would've been said. That's the part you are missing they were told to stop chanting USA. There's nothing wrong with being proud of our wonderful country. It's when it is used as an insult, that's when it's wrong. They were wrong and so they accepted that and they apologized.

I'm still infuriated as to how it all ended. As Edison High School friends and family walked out of Blossom Stadium we endured loud chants from the student body and fans of Alamo Heights over 50 or more people chanting USA USA. USA .. as to insinuate and mock that people from Thomas Edison high school family and friends are non American? This has to stop and it needs to come from the top of Alamo Heights Board and parents. No further audiences or spectators of a Hispanic descent should ever have to tolerate this. Alamo Heights High School owes an apology to Edison's family and friends for that blatant disrespect. I was subjected to the chant on Edison’s side and I am a tenth generation Texan with a Spanish surname. Furthermore, what are the parents of this high school teaching their children about Hispanics in this city and their role in the founding of it??? There needs to be some form of correction and education to the student body of Alamo Heights right from wrong!!! No more shall any school with a largely Hispanic population tolerate this. These types of racial comments have been rumored to be a standard type of behavior during competition by Alamo Heights...It needs to stop NOW especially in a city where we value all ethnicities...I would also imagine this is uncomfortable and insulting to some students, parents, and the community of Alamo Heights that are hispanic and not hispanic. I have requested an answer from the AHISD board. Obviously from your post above from (mysahighschool) this isn't a one time incident. I hope that we can create a public awareness that this should not occur any longer.

 

Local news article (promoted by mysahighschools):

SAISD athletic director Gil Garza filed the complaint with the University Interscholastic League, the governing body for Texas public schools. It was the second year in a row that a complaint about racially motivated chants was filed after the Region IV-4A basketball tournament.

 

A similar incident occurred last year in a game between Cedar Park and Lanier high schools...

 

In last year's incident, Cedar Park students chanted “USA, USA,” and “Arizona, Arizona,” the latter being a reference to the controversial immigration bill passed by that state. Leander ISD officials formally apologized.

 

“What's different is that Cedar Park's chants were throughout the game, and Alamo Heights took immediate action,” Garza said. “But it's really frustrating that kids work so hard to get to this level and there's another group of kids degrading them.

[Syco21]

SAISD made their own decision that the chant's instigators should be punished, and that decision shouldn't be scrutinized by a national audience ignorant of the chant's context. Here are some local quotes

Even if it is blatant racism, I don't think they should be banned from other games. Unless they're actually players, in which case they should only be disallowed to play. If they want to watch the games, they should be allowed, but they have to arrange their own transportation.

 

...this isn't an isolated incident. The school that started that "patriotic" chant has, for years, offended many other minority schools. They've thrown tortillas at predominately Hispanic schools, watermelon at black schools...they're notorious for being "funny". Yeah, you're right, our PC culture has gotten out of hand. We should just go back to the good ol' days, huh? :-/

This can't be verified, I looked for sources to collaborate the claims made, but found none. Maybe somebody else will have better luck.

 

As soon as the coach heard them chanting USA he told them to stop. He knew what their intentions were, or else, nothing would've been said. That's the part you are missing they were told to stop chanting USA. There's nothing wrong with being proud of our wonderful country. It's when it is used as an insult, that's when it's wrong. They were wrong and so they accepted that and they apologized.

No, in this day and age of overly sensitive PC police, this doesn't really mean much to me.

 

I'm still infuriated as to how it all ended. As Edison High School friends and family walked out of Blossom Stadium we endured loud chants from the student body and fans of Alamo Heights over 50 or more people chanting USA USA. USA .. as to insinuate and mock that people from Thomas Edison high school family and friends are non American? This has to stop and it needs to come from the top of Alamo Heights Board and parents. No further audiences or spectators of a Hispanic descent should ever have to tolerate this. Alamo Heights High School owes an apology to Edison's family and friends for that blatant disrespect. I was subjected to the chant on Edison's side and I am a tenth generation Texan with a Spanish surname. Furthermore, what are the parents of this high school teaching their children about Hispanics in this city and their role in the founding of it??? There needs to be some form of correction and education to the student body of Alamo Heights right from wrong!!! No more shall any school with a largely Hispanic population tolerate this. These types of racial comments have been rumored to be a standard type of behavior during competition by Alamo Heights...It needs to stop NOW especially in a city where we value all ethnicities...I would also imagine this is uncomfortable and insulting to some students, parents, and the community of Alamo Heights that are hispanic and not hispanic. I have requested an answer from the AHISD board. Obviously from your post above from (mysahighschool) this isn't a one time incident. I hope that we can create a public awareness that this should not occur any longer.

I'd like to point out that the other side is claiming Edison chanted "Alamo Whites." Though there is no mention of whether this was before or after the USA chant.

 

Local news article (promoted by mysahighschools):

SAISD athletic director Gil Garza filed the complaint with the University Interscholastic League, the governing body for Texas public schools. It was the second year in a row that a complaint about racially motivated chants was filed after the Region IV-4A basketball tournament.

 

A similar incident occurred last year in a game between Cedar Park and Lanier high schools...

 

In last year's incident, Cedar Park students chanted "USA, USA," and "Arizona, Arizona," the latter being a reference to the controversial immigration bill passed by that state. Leander ISD officials formally apologized.

 

"What's different is that Cedar Park's chants were throughout the game, and Alamo Heights took immediate action," Garza said. "But it's really frustrating that kids work so hard to get to this level and there's another group of kids degrading them.

This reinforces the claim that the chanters could have very well intended to suggest that the other team aren't Americans. However it doesn't do much more than that, as that was a different team and they added Arizona, whereas Alamo Heights simply chanted USA. Further, it should be noted that Alamo Heights students are also claiming that it's their victory chant, regardless of who they are playing and what ethnicity they are. But as before, it can not be verified. I just felt that since you posted comments from Edison, I should try to balance that with comments from Alamo.

 

 

 

Personally, I see a sharp rise in bigotry geared towards those of Hispanic descent. While this bigotry is often times straight up racism, it should be noted that the core issue is illegal immigration. It's my belief that the inflamed and passionate opinions of those that strongly oppose illegal immigration are slowly turning into bigotry. I feel the same way about terrorism and the Muslim community.

 

So yeah, whereas normally I'd just deny the racism allegations, I can't help but to be suspicious about their intent. Especially when you start reading the arguments of their defenders. Many of them are blatantly racist and only spew bile and hatred. Sad state of affairs.

[Marxist ßastard]

Let's not do line-by-line rebuttals of Facebook comments. The fact is, SAISD was in the best position to judge the evidence, and it had already made a decision before the story spread nationwide. The three instigators in the audience will be banned from the school's future adolescent ball-handling ceremonies.

 

I only have this to ask: Are we really so concerned over the fate of three teenage race-baiters? Why is the whole country leaping to their defense on the off-chance that this was all just a mistimed display of patriotism? When did nationalism become such a virtue?

[Nintii]

Sure it would have been patriotic if the opposing team came from outside of the US borders ... but that isn't the case, they were also American citizens..

Unless they do it after every game ... and it's because of this that I'm voting "I'm unsure and want more info".

Edited March 8, 2012 by Nintii

[marharth]

Sure it would have been patriotic if the opposing team came from outside of the US borders ... but that isn't the case, they were also American citizens..

Unless they do it after every game ... and it's because of this that I'm voting "I'm unsure and want more info".

I agree with this.

 

If it is something the team always does it is fine. If it was this single situation it is clearly racism.

[antonkr]

I find it racist for THEM to CONSIDER it racist

What does screaming USA, USA have to do with anything? They are as American as anyone else

[Nintii]

I find it racist for THEM to CONSIDER it racist

What does screaming USA, USA have to do with anything? They are as American as anyone else

 

Imagine two teams playing and at the end one team starts chanting Moscow, moscow, moscow ... then it's obvious they're rooting for their city if the other team was from let's say St. Petersburg ... no problem there.

If the one team was from Krylatskoe (a suburb of moscow) and the other team was from Promzona (another suburb from Moscow), and they chanted the name of their suburb then clearly no problem there either.

Or even if it was the name of the high school, then no problem there either.

 

But here you have a team chanting for their "nation" which is out of place because the other team is from the exact same nation ... and so confused you look a bit closer and an answer seems to leap out at you ... "Hey these other guys don't "look" the same they're from minority groups originally from "other" countries".

 

This casts a whole new light on the event say those from the school board ... even the coach from the winning team itself is well aware of the connotations his team are sending out by this chant and stops it.

 

But like i've said, if they do this every match then it should be no problem at all.

 

Problem is though that even if this was "racist" and done deliberately, this could violate the freedom of speech laws but how it would work with hate speech I don't know.

Edited March 9, 2012 by Nintii

[Marxist ßastard]

Problem is though that even if this was "racist" and done deliberately, this could violate the freedom of speech laws but how it would work with hate speech I don't know.

The US does not enshrine in law an absolute right to watch adolescent ball-handling ceremonies.

[Syco21]

Problem is though that even if this was "racist" and done deliberately, this could violate the freedom of speech laws but how it would work with hate speech I don't know.

The US does not enshrine in law an absolute right to watch adolescent ball-handling ceremonies.

It does, however, guarantee the right to freedom of speech. Punishing people for exercising that right is straight up wrong.