When acting as a media advisor to @sterling7 , I once asked a tabloid news reporter who had written several derogatory stories about Raheem why he was singled out above seemingly every other Premier League footballer for this kind of treatment.
This came off the back of Sergio Aguero fracturing a rib in a car crash in Amsterdam when he'd taken a private jet to a concert during a few days off. It made the papers but barely raised a ripple
My argument was, had it been Raheem, he would have been denounced and accused of living the 'bling' lifestyle (tabloid shorthand for a young black lifestyle) and made a scapegoat whereas Aguero didn't receive anything like the same level of opprobrium
Despite a lengthy discussion, the reporter couldn't give me any answer other than, 'Well, you know, Raheem should expect it. That's just how it is.'
And sadly, that is HOW IT IS.
I love newspapers. Until seven years ago, I made a career of being a tabloid sports reporter so I'm hardly going to wholly denounce an industry that gave me a comfortable lifestyle and allowed me to travel around the world covering the finest sporting events
But we cannot ignore the fact elements of the newspaper industry propagate covert and overt racism. Not against ALL young, black footballers but against those who don't fit into an historic white, middle class view of 'knowing their place.'
I've thought long and hard about this series of posts because I don't want to be accused of biting the hand that fed me for many years. But I've seen it from the other side and I'm distinctly uncomfortable with the kind of attitudes that see somebody like Raheem as 'fair game'
I will always have an admiration for those who work tirelessly in the newspaper industry to provide a service which is entertaining, informative, thought-provoking and which often holds those in power to the kind of account they deserve
Yet there are certain sections which go beyond the boundaries of what is acceptable. I'm glad that @sterling7 has had the courage to voice his views. It's probably long overdue
