Last week, students at a Texas high school basketball game between Flower Mound and Plano East were photographed holding up signs that read “White Power,” leading to a viral fallout that has resulted in school officials now banning signs at future sporting events.
But that isn’t enough of a response, according to WFAA sportscaster Dale Hansen.
Hansen went on the air this week to deliver a beautiful speech about racism, ignorance and how it affected his own upbringing as a child. The eloquent and powerful monologue addresses the responsibility of elders to teach acceptance instead of hate for future generations.
Kids have to be taught to hate, and it’s our parents and grandparents (and our teachers and coaches, too) who teach us to hate. Kids become the product of that environment.
You can find a full transcript of Hansen’s speech here.
It’s not the first time Hansen has provided some wonderful commentary on social issues in sports, either. Almost exactly one year ago, his compelling take on the “controversy” surrounding Michael Sam went viral.
About Pete Blackburn