The Marblehead Youth Soccer Association sent a letter to its families Friday, alerting them to several “unfortunate events” at recent games, including one where spectators and players were “directing racial slurs at an opponent.”
“The reports from our opponents of this situation are difficult to read,” the email from the MYSA Board reads. “They make us sad and embarrassed… There is no place in youth sports, or in our society, for comments that attack a human being’s race or belonging. Similarly, there is no place for foul language.”
Rev. James Bixby with the Marblehead Racial Justice Team reacted, “We are dismayed to hear racial slurs in our town. The intent of these words matter little, coming from a place of hate or humor makes no difference to the person who feels unsafe or targeted upon hearing speech like this. We need to do better than this as a community.”
The MYSA email continued: “As a community we need to focus on what we can control. Clearly our own behavior is within our control. Going forward, we ask that all players, coaches and spectators be cognizant of their own behavior and be sure that it is maintained to a standard that you would be proud to see on video. MYSA leadership is treating all of these incidents with the utmost seriousness. In accordance with our Zero-Tolerance Policy, MYSA has implemented measures to facilitate learning from these incidents and to prevent any future recurrence.”
MYSA is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. It welcomes hundreds of players each season, from kindergarten through high school.
