Nooses, lynches, and hangings have been a part of society at large. It is not just part of black history, but a centuries old tradition part of World-European history that we inherited in the US. Benedict Arnold. Saddam Hussien, victims of the Salem witch hung, facilitators of the Lincoln assassination, Nazis hanged after WW II, and many more non-black people have been hanged.
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I think its rather scary that some of you are ready to dismiss her use of "noose". Her team traditionally has been majority African American or all African American, there fore her use of the word was insensitive and degrading. Every race and culture has different meanings and traditional connections to certain words, so that could be used to defend her case. But at the end of the day its known that In the United States, a noose is sometimes left as a message in order to intimidate people, as it was the main object used in segregation era lynchings. Everything in context. Know who your crowd is. She was absolutely insensitive toward her players and lost their trust. I dont believe she should have been let go, but her verbage definitely needed to be adressed in a serious manner.
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@Sammy
Context means everything. If the coach used the word noose to suggest punishment against her African-American players then, you’re right, that’s serious enough to warrant the coach’s dismissal. But if it was used, say, to suggest that the opposition was closing in on victory—the noose was tightening—then that, to me, is acceptable because race doesn’t factor into the expression. There is no intent behind it to intimidate or subjugate. It pains me to see racists using nooses to intimidate and harass African Americans, but I think it puts a greater burden on all of us to consider a person’s intent before rendering judgement because people’s careers and reputations are at stake.
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The fact that people are on here trying to justify her actions and talking about silver linings proves UNC has a larger problem of racism. For crying out loud, UNC is at odds with its students right now, they are threatening a walk-out due to racist on-campus policy and inappropriate campus police relationships with pro-confederate groups. Students had to band together to remove the racist "Silent Sam" statue, which when originally installed came with a rousing speech to protect white power. Wake up people, UNC is a racist institution and anyone who says different is part of the problem.
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Documented long-standing corruption in men's basketball program... racism in the woman's...? Where's the university administration? Oh right, ole Carol Folt skated off for USC, another "ethically challenged" university, skipping out of Chapel Hill as fast as she could.... How about some real accountability from the UNC higher-up for this appalling, corrupt mess at UNC?
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If the black singer and civil rights activist Paul Robeson uttered those words one has to think that his take would be "decidedly ironic."
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/19/sports/kate-smith-new-york-yankees-philadelphia-flyers.html
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Wow, I guess I’ll drop “old mules” from my arsenal of obloquy.
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Given the context in which nooses and mules were uttered, any fair person would conclude that the charge of racism was weak at best. As for the other accusations about forcing players to play with injuries, why now? When the powers-that-be want you out, they find ways to get rid of you. Add to that a dumbing down of our culture in which people can’t discern nuance in language and are primed to destroy careers and reputations on the pettiest of slights, and institutions that are more interested in preserving the appearance of principle in adjudicating these matters. Hatchell is probably resigning with without having to admit to anything, the school will get to appoint a person of color as coach to show their sensitivity, and the aggrieved students or alumni will get an undisclosed payout for the harm they endured at the hands of a demanding coach. There should be a less dramatic way to get people to retire.
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This a smaller piece of larger corruption at UNC with regard to their sports programs and academic requirements. They were found guilty and remain unpunished. As serious as these charges are, this cynical scapegoating won't clean the bigger stain.
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@Bryan Gilliam
Don't let Mr. Gilliam's listing of "Chapel Hill" as his home fool you. He is a longtime professor at Duke. I find it entirely inappropriate for an academic professional at one university to make such smears against The University Of North Carolina.
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@Charles, yes, but UNC was involved in a 20-year (or more) academic cheating scandal for athletes taking, I believe Swahili language, and not having to do any work for it or attend class. Previous football and men's basketball coaches -- usually control freaks of the highest order -- suddenly had amnesia on this issue. UNC should've had to vacate all athletic titles during this era. They got slapped on the wrist.
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A male coach for a high power men’s team would never even have these charges surface.
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@Mike The previous University of Illinois football coach was dismissed on very similar charges. So was its previous women's basketball coach.
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Talk about your double-standards. The men's program benefited from 18 years of academic fraud that actually polluted the entire school and nothing happened. Roy, et al are beloved by one and all. And after 33 years, this is what she gets.
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Given the many difficulties in this story for all concerned, it appears to have been handled with care. I respect the parents for listening to their daughter-players and coming up with a plan to wait to the end of the season to report. And I respect NC for listening to the parents and players and acting promptly to investigate. And I respect Hatchell for accepting that it was time for her to leave. It is a sad story for sure. But a few silver linings...
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In order to avoid hurting people's feelings, and their bodily parts, ALL colleges and universities should just drop any and ALL athletic programs from their collegiate existence.
Students should be going to school to be educated, to study, to gain knowledge, to do homework and write papers. There should be no "playing of sports" of any kind on college and university campuses.
The best way to avoid hurting people feelings and bodies is to eliminate collegiate sports altogether. We would have a much smarter and healthier society as a result.
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@Reggie: this article isn't about sports per se. A professor could just as easily make lynching "jokes" to black students...the issue is about abusing positions of authority to harass people and dismissing them when they speak up about it
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@Reggie
Is reading a book or taking an exam the only kind of education you think worthwhile? How very unfortunate for you. The term phys ed is an abbreviation of physical education. Why shouldn't colleges or high school teach physical excellence as well as intellectual? Do we only value mental growth and improvement? That would be elitist.
Perhaps you're right that the semi-professionalism now inherent in football and basketball programs has gone amok and needs to be curbed. Certainly when billions of dollars are exchanged it is outrageous to call these programs amateur. So let's have that discussion. But why is this always framed as a zero sum game? Why are the solutions always binary?
Sports are an invaluable tool for teaching those who have talents other than mental acuity how to hone their abilities, and how to achieve excellence. Let's not leave them behind by throwing the baby out with the bath water.
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@Laurence Bachmann he didn't suggest dropping all PhysEd programs. The discussion is about college athletics teams and the point is valid - if everyone took a step back to consider, it's not unreasonable to suggest that schools focus on academics. College sports have expanded to have an outsized role in many universities. Meanwhile many college athletes, particularly basketball and football players, bring in millions of dollars in revenue and get no part in the proceeds.
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