As we’ve seen from numerous athletes in the last couple weeks, systemic racism has permeated sports just as much as it has every other aspect of American society. The situation in Iowa with the Hawkeyes’ strength and conditioning coach, Chris Doyle, is one manifestation of how systemic racism has become insidious and intertwined with what was thought to be one of the premiere programs of its type in the nation. And it took former players, like James Daniels, making what felt like an off-hand comment, for the truth to even get out.
To me, there seems to be an obvious connection in the sports world (and other areas) between lopsided power dynamics and systemic abuses.