Whoa. What's up with their coach? I don't know the backstory.
Racist pot-stirrer
Multiple stories
Here's one...
Dawn Staley is a self-righteous hypocrite
Washingtonexaminer
University of South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley canceled a two-game series against Brigham Young University over the volleyball slur hoax incident. It’s a far cry from her attitude toward such accusations just four years ago.
Duke volleyball player Rachel Richardson alleged that the BYU student section yelled slurs at her, which prompted Staley to cancel basketball games with BYU without waiting for evidence. But both BYU and the police found no evidence any slur was ever uttered, and not a single person, including black BYU students in the section and Richardson’s own teammates sitting near the crowd, could substantiate her story.
Staley could have admitted she acted impulsively and that she was wrong to punish BYU for something that never happened. She did not, instead declaring in a statement that “I continue to stand by my position. After my personal research, I made a decision for the well-being of my team.” Even the mere accusation that the crowd may have yelled the N-word at a player is enough for Staley to cut ties.
Except that wasn’t true back in 2018. Then-University of Missouri athletic director Jim Sterk accused South Carolina fans of directing racial slurs at Missouri’s women’s basketball team (and of spitting on players). Staley did not care for the well-being of Missouri’s team then, instead defending her team’s fans.
“Our fans are great,” Staley said. “They're loyal. They're passionate. They understand basketball. They understand how to act in the stands. If I could uproot them and put them in every women's basketball arena, every coach that represents that particular fan base would be tremendously proud of what they bring to the table.”
She went even further: “I stand by our fans. I stand by what they represent.
I stand by how they cheer. I stand by every single thing that they bring to the building because it's appropriate and well within game rules.”
Either the use of a slur aimed at players is a serious accusation or it is not. Staley treated Richardson’s claim as a five-alarm fire despite
no witnesses verifying the claim and camera and audio footage effectively
disproving the accusations. When South Carolina fans were accused of the same (and worse), Staley simply declared that it didn’t matter. She stood by “every single thing that they bring to the building.”
Staley didn’t make this decision because of the “well-being of her team.” She canceled the games because it would give her good publicity from media figures who believe racism is everywhere in America (and fall for every racial hoax in the process). She is peddling toxic racial politics and dividing people based on race and, to top it all off, she is a hypocrite.
If Staley wants to make a fool of herself in the name of social justice, she is free to do so, but she shouldn't drown sports fans in politics in the process. Everyone would be better off if she stuck to basketball, including Staley herself.
Staley sooo…
