To: US Lacrosse
From: Coach Mike Song
Date: September 21, 2018
Re: The White Barrier to Entry in Lacrosse Effect: A Coach’s Perspective on Racism in Lacrosse
Dear US Lacrosse,
It has taken me a lot of deliberation to draft and send this email. I have thought and paced over it for months. How will the audience receive this message? How will the lacrosse community react? Will it be defensive? Or worse, Will no one care? After all, the lacrosse community is, mostly, white.
And maybe, I am fearful because we do not wish to relive these incidents. Reliving just means re-feeling.
But mostly, I am fearful for what negative repercussions may arise, because in my experience, as with all minorities, we have been reminded throughout our lives to not speak out, especially against those in presumed power, and often times those who are of white culture.
As with the “Me Too” movement, however, I believe it is the right time to expose, and now expect, sincere awareness, and thus action. That is, if we truly want growth in lacrosse. If we truly want diversity. If we truly want sport to serve as sport.
Why? I write this letter to describe a coach’s perspective on racism and how systemic racism is manifested in lacrosse. US Lacrosse has made great efforts in exposing racial issues in lacrosse, but I wish to make you aware of how it happens, the source, and perhaps give insight on how to address the issues.
The Story. Four years ago I was recruited to bring lacrosse to the flagship High School of Long Beach, which is highly diverse and 87% minority. As a minority who received great benefits from the sport of lacrosse, I embraced the opportunity, not because it was a new market or a money-making club opportunity, but because it was a way to offer lacrosse to a highly diverse school system and deserving community. It was an opportunity to break the cycle of the white lacrosse stereotype and expand the sport.
This past winter, we had 12 new players come over from the football team to join lacrosse. Naturally, I was excited that the program was growing, interest in lacrosse was growing, and many of the new players were very strong athletes.
After about a week or so, a group of five returning players pulled me aside to tell me that they did not like the football players, that they were disruptive, disrespectful, loud, not there to learn lacrosse, and so forth.
I thanked them for their coming to me and told them I would handle it as I see fit. However, from my perspective, I actually witnessed bullying from the returning players to the new players.
Thus, I structured practice to integrate the new players with experienced players, held meetings with players to encourage working together, and grouped them into teams.
In a follow-up conversation with one of the players who led the group, I asked what he thought about the progression with the new players, and he expressed deep anger towards “them” and that “they’re loud”, “they’re disruptive”, “they’re thugs”, and the like.
Of the 12 new players we adopted after the fall sports season from football, 11 were of color, all black.
Of the five players who pulled me aside to express their concerns about the new players, all were white.
I then received a meeting request from the newly formed booster club president. He stated that there was a group of players and parents dissatisfied with how I was handling the new players, and that the group has banded together and decided to quit unless I “do something about it.”
I informed the booster president that the only thing I would do is work with everyone, encourage everyone to learn lacrosse, and hold everyone accountable to the same standards and procedures.
The president then stated that parents had come to him to facilitate meetings with me to discuss their concerns. I stated that I would prefer to handle the matter in practice and on the field. However, I agreed to be amenable to meet with parents individually regarding their concerns.
Those “concerned” parents did not take me up on my offer.
Instead, over the following days, I witnessed and received reports of bullying to all of the black players, and over those days, all but two of the black players quit.
Back Story. Those players who banded together and the booster club board all came from a nearby club organization, and this is not the only incident where a representative from that club had attempted to influence me to benefit a small group at the expense of other members of the student body, which the team represents.
In previous conversations with the head of that club organization, the club director, whose son plays at the school, had told me that he was in control of the club’s parents, that most of the high school’s team consisted of players from his club (which was not true), and that he was going to control my program “whether you like it or not.”
The head of this club organization would make very telling comments of a disagreeable disposition towards minorities. He told me not to call the Long Beach HS an “inner-city” school, that the school was up-and-coming, and that it did not deserve the “inner-city” label. He asked to meet with him specifically to advise me to stop promoting lacrosse as a means to earn college scholarships, which will attract “the wrong players”, griping that the academic scholarships are unavailable for white people, and “you can only get them if you have a ridiculous GPA…or if you’re Chinese.”
In another meeting in the summer of 2017 with the booster club board, also parents of that club organization, their agenda included a discussion about me developing a JV team. One board member stressed that our recruiting target was “not the best athletes”, and that we wanted to recruit our core audience, which was “those kids who aren’t good enough at the other sports.”
In a parents meeting in the fall of 2017 to nominate additional booster club board members, one of the parents, whose son was one of the players who threatened to quit, argued that it wasn’t fair that they paid dues, but other players do not have to, and thus they are paying for others to play. Well, that is the nature of the public school system. We cannot make anyone pay team dues. None of the black parents were welcomed or present at this meeting.
I then held a t-shirt fundraiser for all players who cannot pay dues to afford their practice gear and to contribute to the program’s funds. The booster club then sabotaged that fundraiser.
The Significance. This example illustrates how seemingly justifiable and common behaviors have harmful and racist effects. Rapper Mos Def said it clearly, “It’s not the intent; it’s the result.”
I understand and appreciate that parents justify their actions by doing what they believe is best for their children. However, in that process, you may be hurting another child, and even a whole race of children.
Now consider the overarching effect on lacrosse. Kids are constantly struggling with identity, and they find their identity by joining groups: clubs, sports, gangs. However, when you create groups seemingly built on race, then that is how we perpetuate racism and racist dispositions in our youth, which develops into their adulthood.
When you define a sport by race, then other races do not feel comfortable in that sport, do not feel welcome, do not identify, and do not want to be a part of that sport.
One of the common data points I would receive from lower income communities in Long Beach was that lacrosse wasn’t cool, that it’s a white sport, for the rich kids. Lacrosse made them feel inadequate.
It’s not just the money and equipment. It’s the sentiment. This example illustrates how white privilege, behaviors, and feelings led to the exclusion of black athletes.
And thus, we describe the White Barrier to Entry Effect.
We’re Not Racist! Now, I have heard all of the rebuttals and defenses. Lacrosse has Kyle Harrison and Miles Jones. It’s not racist. We have a black coach. We have hispanic players. We’re not racist.
Just because you have a black player or a black coach (a black friend, a black employee) does not indemnify you from being racist, and it does not protect you from accusations of racism.
The sport is comfortable with a few black players, but a few, as long as minorities remain in the minority, is not a threat.
The descriptions above are a categorical compilation, and the people described are perfectly agreeable and enjoyable people otherwise. They could be you or your friends. Just not aware.
Solutions. This letter is a kind call to action to an entity that can actually affect action.
I believe US Lacrosse truly wishes to address the issue of racism in the sport. I believe it can do so with real perspectives and by educating its membership. And thus, I believe it would be a great benefit to the sport for US Lacrosse to consider the following:
Make adults and youth aware of such sources and effects of racism through awareness tools, perhaps online modules, perhaps launching an awareness video series and promote the series.
Have diversity and inclusion standards for US Lacrosse organization membership.
Be a leader amongst all sports in understanding racism in sport and promoting diversity and inclusion in sport.
I think about all the time what I could have done different to resolve the experience I had, and while we can never go back in time, I can write this letter and try to get US Lacrosse to influence change. In other words, I implore US Lacrosse not to condone such behavior. And make no mistake – inaction is condoning. Otherwise, we will have to endure the bullying dominance of white culture, and the sport will not grow.
I hope you strongly consider this letter and that it sparks meaningful thought and discussion.
Sincerely,
Coach Mike Song
