Raheem Sterling Takes a Stand

December 8, in Stamford Bridge, a showdown was about to begin. Chelsea and Manchester City, two of the best teams in the Premier League and the world, about to go head to head. Stars from both teams would give it their all in order to secure the win. This was the ideal soccer game, one that would make spectators jump out of their seats while watching through television. The game was intense and the ball went back and forth. After a brief conflict between players to obtain the ball, it rolled outside the sidelines. Manchester star Raheem Sterling headed towards the sidelines to pick-up the ball for the throw. This is where it all began.

According to video clips from various social media, many distasteful and offensive remarks were thrown at the 24-year-old footballer who was born in Kingston, Jamaica, on the very same day as this match. The source of these comments is an unnamed male Chelsea fan.

Due to these hurtful comments, one would think that Sterling’s spirit would be deterred, but he handled it quite professionally, and has even been praised for his approach. The 24-year old criticized UK’s media for inciting this aggressive demeanor. He critiqued them for having racially corrupted plans. Sterling took a stand on something that had not been acted upon by years. The young star later addressed another instance of racism on Instagram. He talks about how a newbie African soccer player was disdained for buying his mother a 2.5million-euros house, and a Caucasian was praised for doing the same deed.

Racism in soccer, especially in England, has existed since way before this incident. Players, officials and even fans have been abused because of their skin color, ethnicity and/or nationality. Many instances account for individuals being targeted by their own party and fans. In England, the majority of soccer authorities and officials have been Caucasian. People of color have been standardized due to their appearance, and this has limited their appearance in the soccer industry.

Sterling inspires others to stand up with him and to end this corruption in soccer, a sport meant to be played on an equal field. Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola was proud of his player for acting like he did and supports this cause. Many other players playing for countless other teams in various leagues have backed Sterling up whether this is on Instagram or in real life. This force may cause the soccer world to change in the future.