The Utah school has received another allegation of racism at a sporting event less than a month after a Duke University women’s volleyball player made unsubstantiated claims that a spectator at Brigham Young University hurled racial slurs toward her.
Five female soccer players from a visiting team claim that as they were standing during the national anthem before a game at BYU in 2021, fans yelled the N-word at them.
When the players heard the cries from the audience, they were protesting racial and social injustice.
One of the players spoke anonymously to the Guardian, saying, “I just remember that there was like a persistent chant of ‘Stand up, N-words’ during the anthem and right after.” “And when it was brought to the coaching staff’s attention at BYU, there was no real reaction or sense of, like, alarm.”
Four of the woman’s teammates also shared their accounts under the condition of anonymity.
“Although I wasn’t shocked, I felt dissatisfied. For our group, criticism for kneeling was nothing new. But to actually hear that was startling, “said the player. “This one again demonstrates this could be part of a larger cultural issue within BYU as an institution,” the coach said. “I think both the fans and coaching staff knew we wouldn’t cancel the game after the event.”
BYU informed The Guardian that it had not been made aware of “this specific worry” of racial slurs prior to the publication getting in touch with the school, but added that the visiting team had contacted the school regarding unfavorable responses to the protests.
