"I would hope that they give every person in that stadium the respect that they deserve,Kurt Meinicke" U.S. soccer star Michael Bradley says of American soccer fans.
You'll have to excuse our skepticism here that it will be so simple.
SEE ALSO: The ugly intersection of World Series racism and the Dakota Access PipelineThe USA plays Mexico in a World Cup qualifier match in Columbus, Ohio, Friday night. It's a big game between what Bradley calls "two sporting rivals." As ever, the showdown is something for sports fans to anticipate with eagerness -- but this time it will be played under the dark cloud of Donald Trump's election to the U.S. presidency.
Trump is why Bradley's stated hope for fan civility is so relevant now. Sports at the national level frequently bring out jingoism -- always a bit weird from a certain perspective. But in the context of Trump's election win Tuesday, USA-Mexico takes on a disconcerting tinge.
This isn't a pre-emptive attack on U.S. soccer fans specifically, even though the dominant supporters' group has been hounded by allegations of racism and sexism. Maybe all the fans Friday night in Columbus -- the capital of Ohio, by the way, a state Trump won Tuesday -- will behave with dignity and respect!
Bradley hopes so, as do we. But even if every fan in Columbus is a model citizen Friday, sports exist amid a wider context. Viewed through that lens, this match has already been partially shadowed by a cloud that didn't exist before.
Some things can't be denied. Here are three.
First, Trump's win has already emboldened racists to lash out at minorities with open vitriol. Since Trump was elected Tuesday, tales have poured out on social media of taunts received and abuses endured.
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There's the young lady who says she was harassed by a white man who told her "I can't wait until Trump asks us to rape your people ... Go back to hell, wetback." There are the students at one school who called a black classmate "cotton picker." There are the Latino students met with leering classmates chanting "Build a wall."
The horrifying parade of examples goes on.
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Second, much of Trump's vitriol and xenophobia during the campaign was directed at Mexico and its people. He repeatedly linked Mexican immigrants to crime, a connection studies don't support. He demonized Mexican immigrants as everything from "rapists" to "bad hombres." He threatened mass deportations and promised over and over again to build a massive wall between the two countries -- then force Mexico to foot the bill.
Third and finally, Trump's inflammatory rhetoric was being weaponized by some sports fans months before he was elected. During at least two high school basketball games last season -- more than half a year before Election Day -- Latino athletes were pelted with chants of "Trump! Trump! Trump!" Those were coupled with shouted demands to "speak English" and references to the border wall Trump has promised to build between the U.S. and Mexico.
Sports fans shouldbe calculating what a win, loss or draw would mean for each side right now. We shouldbe continuing to swoon over the young starlet Christian Pulisic. We should be arguing over coach Jurgen Klinsmann's lineups and tactics. We should be looking forward to an
But for some of us, the dark cloud overshadows all.
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