There are some things that will never change about sports. Through every cycle of basketball short styles, after the death of Dick Vitale (finally) and even after ISU wins a Big 12 Conference football title, there is a fact about sports that will not cease to exist. That unfortunate constant is that racism exists in athletics.

Before I get in to this very complicated issue, please let me admit that I am not by any means an expert on this dilemma. But that does not prevent me from seeing examples of discrimination occur in the sports world.

The reason that the issue of race has been thrust once again in to the public cerebrum is because of an incident that occurred after Utah’s stunning victory over North Carolina in the Final Four semifinals.

After the game, Tar Heel player Makhtar Ndiaye accused Utah’s Britton Johnsen of calling him a “nigger” at several points during the game. Johnsen claimed that Ndiaye spit on him in the course of play.

After the accusation was made, Rick Majerus countered with one of the most courageous acts of the year in college basketball. He stood by his player. He asserted that Johnsen did not use any racial slurs during the game, and that if it were proven that he did, Majerus would retire from coaching.

A few hours before the final game versus Kentucky, Ndiaye retracted his claim and admitted that Johnsen had not said anything after all. Apparently, the incident solved itself, and everyone can go home with a happy face.

However, just the fact that this sort of thing can happen shows the shadow of racism that stretches out over the sports world. This is not an isolated incidence.

Remember Fuzzy Zoeller’s remarks after Tiger Woods won the Masters last year? How about the lack of black coaches in the NFL, an issue that seems to pop up in a cover story every year or so in Sports Illustrated. The list of problems could go on and on.

Where does all of this prejudice stem from? I think it is just a true reflection of the attitude of our mainstream culture. I don’t consider myself a leftist type of guy, and I certainly don’t relate with The September 29th Movement, but I will wholeheartedly agree that racism exists everywhere. And because of that, racism in sports exists everywhere.

But unlike in the “real world,” I think the roles become reversed when sports are concerned. Athletically speaking, most people consider whites second-class citizens and blacks to be superior athletes.

Even among my own friends I can see prejudiced feelings. When we were watching the finals between Utah and Kentucky last night, Utah’s players were over and over referred to as “Wonder Bread.”

The fact that Utah’s squad had an above average number of white players should not have mattered at all, but there was no denying that it did. We could not look at Utah without seeing their whiteness.

This is the same kind of feeling I get when I see Kevin Little run. For those of you who don’t follow track and field, Kevin Little is a world class sprinter who attended Drake University. He can compete with the best of the best in the 200-meter dash, and has even won a world indoor championship in the 200.

Little is often the only white man in his heat, let alone his event. And his success continues to surprise people because of his skin color. Once again, people cannot look past a white man and just see an athlete.

It’s very difficult for a bunch of guys who grew up in a rural, predominately white state like Iowa to try to pretend that color doesn’t matter.

When I see an African-American basketball player at the Rec Center, why do I automatically assume he’s better than me? Well, let me rephrase — every player at the Rec is better than me. Why do I automatically assume he’s an above average player?

Why do I even distinguish at all between the blacks that I see at the Rec and the whites? Why can’t I wait to judge their abilities after I see them play a few points instead of the second I walk in the door?

The reason is simple, I am prejudiced. I don’t mean to be that way, but I am, because of my geographical and socio-economic backgrounds.

Hopefully some day I can walk into the Rec and not see anybody for their color, and just see them for their game. Hopefully, some day I can watch a bunch of Utah players stick it to North Carolina without even mentioning the fact that they are white. Hopefully, some day I can get over my prejudices and just see athletes for who they are, not what they are.

And hopefully, that day is coming soon.

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David Roepke is a freshman in journalism and mass communication from Aurora.