The weekly report about a youth or high school football game and the offensive actions of fans, coaches and spectators continues. The latest incident took place in Illinois this past Friday evening in the third quarter of a football game between Homewood-Flossmoor High School and Lincoln-Way East in the suburbs.
Video circulating on social media shows five students appearing to harass and taunt fans of a rival high school during the game.
During the former’s homecoming and 10-year anniversary celebration for the class of 2016, students not only reportedly made monkey noises but also mocked the movements and directed this towards Black fans and alums.
“They were making monkey sounds, and they were flapping their arms like monkeys, and they were crawling like monkeys,” parent Vicky Carter told local ABC affiliate ABC7. “It was very disturbing to my children.”
In fact, Homewood-Flossmoor High School administrators say they are considering legal options against those offensive students from Lincoln-Way East.
Lincoln Way Leadership Apologizes For Racist Students
The video drew immediate reactions from both schools and eventually social media.
“We would like to sincerely apologize to the HF community for the behavior displayed by these students,” wrote Lincoln-Way administrators in a statement. “We have identified the students involved and will follow through with the district’s discipline policies and procedures to the fullest extent.”
Authorities have identified the five students involved in the incident, and they aren’t members of the football team. It is also reported that those perpetrators were immediately removed from the premises. Their punishments have not been announced.
Meanwhile, students, parents, and graduates across Homewood-Flossmoor say they will not use this incident to divide the communities.
“There’s so much love. There’s so much community that’s happening right now that we’re not going to let a video really deter or take away from that,” Homewood-Flossmoor alum Sophia Osabuohien told the station.
Online Users Speak Out About Racist Incident at HS Football Game
As with many issues of race, Black people were not surprised by the incident and many white people came to the defense of the kids, somehow equating the use of the N-word by Black people to people being humiliated by students at a high school football game.
“Nothing less than expulsion should be the punishment. They have demonstrated themselves to be terrible persons who lack humility and, without learning a harsh lesson. would continue to foster hate wherever they go,” one fan commented.
“These are STUDENTS, not LWE football PLAYERS. Do not get that mixed up. This is awful and it doesn’t represent east football. The school has already identified the students and they will be punished accordingly,” one person said in defense of the Lincoln-Way East football program.
“But it’s ok when blacks call whites honkies or crackers,” one online user whined.
“You get like this when black teens shoot and kill other black teens?,” another user asked.
Students Say Racism Still Exists Today, Feel Sorry For Black Friends
At the same time, one student acknowledged the report on the incident that racism is still alive and well in her town.
“It’s really hurtful to see how my friends had to tolerate this. Racism is everywhere people think it’s gone or just overlooked and it’s really everywhere it’s not going away,” she said.
One parent said: “The recording of what happened makes this inarguable. There’s no way anybody can look at that video and call it anything but racism. We need to have an open and honest conversation and be proactive about racial diversity.”
The Fall sports schedule is barely underway and we are already seeing an elevated pattern of fan malice throughout youth sports, especially at football games.
On Saturday, Illinois High School Association Executive Director Craig Anderson issued the following statement:
“The IHSA strongly condemns the racist actions that were perpetrated by a small number of Lincoln-Way East High School students in attendance at its football game against Homewood-Flossmoor High School on September 4. High school sports are defined by community and camaraderie, and every high school student-athlete in Illinois deserves to compete in a safe and respectful environment. These values are requisite to remain a member in good standing of the IHSA, and the Lincoln-Way East administration has affirmed that they recognize the serious nature of this situation and are acting accordingly. We will be working with both schools to make sure an appropriate resolution is reached and to be a resource in any way that we can.”
