U.S. sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson took to Twitter on Monday to whine about being suspended from the 2020 Summer Olympic Games for failing a drug test. In doing so, Richardson compared her case to that of Russian Olympic figure skater Kamila Valieva. Whereas Richardson was suspended for her infraction, Kamila so far has not been. Richardson blamed racism for the inconsistency.
“Can we get a solid answer on the difference of her situation and mines? My mother died and I can’t run and was also favored to place top 3. The only difference I see is I’m a black young lady,” Richardson tweeted.
Yet, it appears that Richardson’s logic in comparing these cases is as flawed as her comprehension of the U.S. Olympic athlete drug policy. While she immediately resorts to racism, she blatantly ignores the most essential factor in the difference between cases: the governing body that decided to suspend her. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency suspended Richardson. Just in case anyone was wondering, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency does not have any authority to suspend Russian athletes. One would think Richardson would know this. It is kind of odd that she does not.
By all evidence available, it seems Valieva should be suspended. But the agency that suspended Richardson doesn’t have the power to suspend Valieva. Comparing Richardson’s suspension to Valieva’s non-suspension is comparing apples to borsch.
Of course, it is easier to make baseless accusations of racism rather than follow the rules or understand the parameters of sports governing bodies. Such baseless claims are what dominate society nowadays. People attempt to rationalize and justify poor decisions by blaming racism. This is easier than admitting fault.
Even more troubling, albeit completely expected, is how the narrative of false, baseless racism has dominated social media. Richardson was trending on Twitter, and many media outlets and personalities highlighted her case as an example of racism. It’s almost as if no one bothered to spend the 17 seconds it took to verify who made the decision to suspend Richardson and who made the decision regarding Valieva.
This phenomenon of fake racism is sad and pathetic. It is also very frustrating. From Covington Catholic to Jussie Smollett to Sha’Carri Richardson, people need to be much more responsible when making such claims. Moreover, when proven wrong, those who do make these claims need to be held accountable. Sha’Carri Richardson made an obvious false equivalency, and thousands of people fell for her scam.
The only person at fault for Richardson being suspended is Richardson. Her pathetic attempt to blame racism is indicative of a significant problem in our country. Too often, people who break the rules or make poor decisions get coddled because of their race. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency has authority over U.S. athletes. It is a pitiful logical fallacy to express fake outrage because they can’t suspend Russian athletes. If one does not want to be suspended by them, then follow their rules. It’s quite simple.
