A Woke Teacher Complains About Oppressive Structures In High School Basketball

Our Tax Dollars Hard At Work Dismantling Fantasy Structures Created By Race Hustlers

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

On March 25, 2022 the most woke gym teacher of all time (who clearly is not playing with a full deck) not only wrote the following email (claiming Highschool basketball referee’s are white supremacists), but actually circulated it around the Peel District School Board. See for yourself:

Here is the body of the email written by Benjamin Smith:

Examination of Oppressive Practices Amongst ROPSSAA Basketball Referees

This year, more than ever, I have viewed the purpose of ROPSSAA sports to be putting students first. In every game that I have coached up until this point, I have felt that every other adult in the room was committed to that same purpose. The Peel Board has been immersed in monumental shifts to decolonize our practices, and to empower students, particularly from historically marginalized communities.

The conduct of the referees officiating today's game puts much of what we are prioritizing as a board, particularly through the lens of dismantling anti-Black racism and decolonizing our practices, at risk. I would, quite frankly, refuse to coach another game officiated by that crew until they receive extensive training in critical race theory, and in dismantling anti-Black racism.

The officials’ in today’s game performed repeated microaggressions to many Black players and spectators at the game. Comments regarding the intelligence and credibility of these students were stated. Obsessive infractions we called on what I would call oppressive and tedious plays - carries, traveling, and free throw shooting lane violations to name a few. I have honestly never seen so many called in a game, and I have been coaching rep and high school basketball for 12 years. Amidst these calls, at no point did these referees make any attempt to correct or to speak with the players about how/why these were infractions. These calls were about control, not about helping young people. This is tier two basketball, two years into a pandemic, between a 2-2 and 1-4 team. It’s not the NBA. It’s not even playoff high school basketball. This has made me reflect on the culture of officiating present in ROPSSAA basketball, at large, and has made me more conscious of the frequent microaggressions carried out by referees against historically marginalized students on a daily and systemic basis.

The way that referee X, specifically, interacts with students - particularly Black students - is a significant concern. I saw him put his arm around some students and physically touch them on multiple occasions - not aggressively and his intent may be to be comforting, but it can be interpreted as patronizing and oppressive. Adults have no right to touch students, particularly without consent, and particularly complete strangers. This sort of behaviour also sets an oppressive tone, as though attempting to show the players that “I am in control and you are subservient to me.” I have been consulting student athletes for their testimonials, and am compiling a list of their observations regarding these sorts of microaggressions committed by referees, at large, in ROPSSAA sports.

These interactions and this tone continued with their interactions with fans. We had a staff supervisor present for our fans. We had the opposing team’s principal present to supervise the spectators. And yet, the officials - primarily, again, referee X - antagonized our fans, who have no track record of any issues at games. Referee X specifically targeted Black male students, taking a ball from one and rolling it to my bench, unprovoked, and not even asking if it were our ball. I was literally told to “fucking quit” by a white male fan in a game against a Catholic school officiated by Referee X two years ago, and no consequences were levied at that

fan, and yet Black male spectators in my gym are targeted by his actions for performing much less significant infractions.

One spectator said that Referee X came over during half time and said to him “hey, can I see your ball,” and the student handed it to him respectfully, then the ref rolled it over to our bench without saying anything else, then left. The basketball may not have even belonged to my team, but the referee made that assumption.

The officials at today’s game made the game about them. They set a clear tone that they are the top priority and that everyone else is just a part of their domain. A part of their show. Under their control. I feel sick to my stomach thinking about how parents would have felt watching the referees operate in this way. I would not have tolerated seeing my son treated in this way.

I do not have enough information or evidence to suggest that the actions of these officials were intentionally racist. I am not making that claim. I can say, with confidence, that the impact of their actions and that their conduct is racist. It is an extension of colonial oppression that has marginalized Black and Indigenous communities for centuries. I am not willing to be complicit in their oppression. The infrastructure requires dismantling. The referees representing our board need the knowledge and training to better supports for youth athletes and their families.

All of this is before even considering the way that they responded to the injury that my player received, hospitalizing him and causing a seizure. The play was the result of a reckless play from an opposing player, who hurled his body under my athlete in a non-basketball play, in a transition situation at the rim. Referee Y argued that the play was not “malicious.” I may be able to concede that. But the play was reckless, which he agreed. He said the infraction did not warrant a suspension, but rather a disqualification. I disagreed. He said take it up with our ROPSSAA convener, who has since clarified that a disqualifying foul carries an immediate one game suspension. The tone that this official took, however, again takes the focus away from supporting students and places it back on the power of adults - officials, specifically.

The message that we are sending to teens in our schools and their families, by this official’s interpretation, is that it is ok to recklessly injure fellow humans, cause seizures and hospitalize them, so long as the intent is not “malicious.” There were nearly one hundred folks in the gym yesterday who had to live with this interpretation overnight, and deal with the trauma of not feeling supported by the authority figures who are entrusted to protect them.

The irony is immense. Their interpretation of that play is that “without malicious intent, even if there is reckless action, future consequences are not warranted.” These refs practice what they preach. If the intent of their actions is not outwardly racist, it’s ok in their books, regardless of the reckless, oppressive and dehumanizing impacts.

Are we really so hard pressed for referees that we are going to let these colonialist and white supremacist mechanism represent us, and uphold the anti-Black racism that we are trying to dismantle in so many other ways?

I hope you recognize that this is not me coming off as sour over a loss. We were up by 11 in the fourth when the game was called. We are not playing for anything other than the love of the game - we are 1 and 4! This is not even about these specific referees, although their conduct was particularly eye opening for me. It has caused me to reflect on a series of repeated microaggressions, and the general operational procedures of ROPSSAA referees. I am genuinely concerned about the eventual fallout over affiliating with referees like these.

The fact that their focus was on finishing the game after the injury also speaks to a lack of sensitivity, and training in the face of situations like this. I’ve not been part of a ROPSSAA game where an ambulance stretchered a player out of the game and the team was asked to consider continuing. There needs to be a clearer policy to protect players, teams, and even coaches who may be experiencing shock in such circumstances.