The elephant in the room: triathlon diversity

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I want to believe that there is diversity in the sport of triathlon. I want to believe that triathletes are not racist. I wish I could say that triathlon is an easy-entry, welcoming-for-all sport.

We can no longer turn away from the truth. Looking away and remaining silent will not change the real-life consequences that others experience. The conversation has become too loud to ignore.

Triathlon is a costly hobby, requiring a lot of time, support and resources. It's an upscale sport.  Triathlon is predominantly a white man’s hobby, supported by organizations and companies targeting individuals with a high socioeconimic status. Lack of diversity in triathlon stems from entrenched disparities in privilege, wealth, culture and race. 

Across the nation, public discussions about race and racism have increased in volume and intensity. There's a sense of responsibility and urgency to bring these topics to the forefront within the triathlon community. While uncomfortable to many, the current state of our nation requires us to no longer ignore these tough conversations. Yes, deep discussions about race, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, and culture may be uncomfortable and conversations may bring feelings of anger, guilt, discomfort, sadness, and ignorance. But if we can all engage in constructive dialogue and learning about privilege, prejudice, inequality and power, we can all work together to shift the conversation into something positive. Diversity in the sport of triathlon.

To bring about positive change and unity to the sport of triathlon, we must not ignore the fact that social norms and cultural underpinnings influence our experiences. Struggles for place, power and opportunity are woven throughout history all because of skin color. No matter your background, if you are white, you can't overlook the fact that you have been given advantages due to affiliation. Yes, triathlon is a time consuming, expensive and egocentric hobby, but it's a sport that thrives from unearned entitlement.

I realize that this conversation is uncomfortable. If you feel like these words are delivering a verbal attack on your ego - "How dare you say that my success is given to me. I am not wealthy, I work incredibly hard, nothing has been given to me!" - you are among a large group of individuals who have yet to realize how institutional racism has made a favorable impact on your life.  Sadly, privilege removes people from reality. It keeps people believing that "you only get what you deserve and only earn what you work for." Certaintly privileges vary based on gender, disability, sexual orientation, socioeconimic statgue, age, size, weight, culture, religion, etc. but if you are white, you have privileges. 

If you still struggle to accept that you have privileges, how about this statement: Privilege is freedom to do what you want to do and think what you want and say what you want and act as you please. It is not based on what you have done or failed to do. It has nothing to do with whether or not you are a "good" person. You have been given opportunities, bestowed upon you by the institutions with which you interact - not simply because you are a hard working, kind and intelligent human being. Privilege is something you are either born with or without. You can't deny its exstence. It's the reality that some people were born with access to power and resources. Doors are open to some people that are not open to other people. If you are a minority, it's not easy to access the door to triathlon. 

Thankfully, we have tools, resources and voices to deal with racial situations in sport without looking incompetent. Like training for an event, understanding diversity in triathlon and the topic of racism is an intellecutal activity that we must continue to work on. But for equality and inclusion to work, drastic changes must occur. Not just adding people of color or adding new ideas or building off what is already established. We must start over and build a better plan, together as a diverse community. We can't fully dismantle structural racism if people of color only have a small voice or presence in the sport of triathlon. It's time for a new normal.

If you are ready to do the work so that triathlon can evolve into an inclusive environment, the first step is understanding your privilege and how it has shaped your perspectives, experiences and interactions. It will take time to to remove the influence of implicit bias so that you can understand situations for what they are and not how you perceive them to be. Learning to see your own privilege is an important pathway to self-discovery. Here are a few self-reflection questions to help get you started (adapted from NASP).
  1. When was the last time you felt uncomfortable about your ethnicity, race, gender identity, ability level, religion, and/or sexual orientation? What provoked you to think about it or acknowledge it?
  2. When watching TV, or a movie, how likely are you to watch shows whose characters reflect your ethnicity, race, gender, ability level, religion, gender identity, and/or sexual orientation
  3. When using social media, how diverse is your feed? How diverse are your friends and followers? How diverse are those that you follow?
  4. How do you feel, respond and act when others make negative statements towards individuals of a different ethnicity, race, gender, ability level, religion, sexual orientation, and/or gender identity than yourself?
  5. How often do you go to social settings and events where the majority of individuals are of a different ethnicity, race, gender, ability level, religion, sexual orientation, and/or gender identity than yourself?
  6. How diverse is the community in which you live?
  7. How diverse is the community in which you exercise? 
  8. How do you feel when you are in a community that is different than your neighborhood?
  9. What steps can you take to make triathlon more inclusive and diverse?
  10. If you recognized your privilege, what are you going to do with this realization?
Now it's time to get to some reading. Here is a short list of the articles that I found helpful in my learning, discussions and deep-thinking as it relates to the need for immediate action and change in the sport of triathlon .


READING LIST

If you found this article helpful, I ask that you share it with your friends, family and triathlon community. If you are deeply committed to social justice work, you have to be willing to listen, learn and engage in sensitive, uncomfortable and difficult conversations. 



from Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition https://ift.tt/2N19gTq

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