The news that England women’s national cricket team captain, Heather Knight, has apologised after a historical photo of her in ‘blackface’ emerged on social media, serves as a valuable warning to young players, amateurs and professional sportspeople alike.
Knight, 33, issued her apology on Monday 23 September, after admitting to a charge of bringing the game into disrepute under England Cricket Board Directive 3.3. She was fined £1,000 (suspended for two years) and received a reprimand from the cricket regulator for behaviour that was deemed “discriminatory and offensive”. She is nevertheless still set to captain England in the upcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in Bangladesh.
The photo, originally from 2012 when Knight was just 21, was taken at an end-of-season fancy dress party and shows the current national team captain in blackface. Blackface refers to the practice of applying make-up to present a caricature of black people. Popular with performers on stages, theatres and subsequently television from the mid 1800s up until the 1980s, blackface is now considered racist and highly offensive.
Apologising for the incident, Knight said: “I’m truly sorry for the mistake I made in 2012. It was wrong and I have long regretted it. Back then, I simply was not as educated as to the implications and consequences of my actions as I have become since. There was no ill-intent meant.”
Fortunately for Knight, she was able to demonstrate that there was no racist intent in her conduct and provide references that showed her positive influence on players from different ethnicities and backgrounds over the course of her career since then.
There is no shortage of examples of sports stars who have committed similar offenses online. Somerset fast-bowler Jack Brooks apologised in November 2021 for using offensive language in social media posts to England star Tymal Mills and Stewart Laudat. Like Heather Knight the comments were originally posted in 2012 but came to light later, although unlike Knight he avoided official sanctions.
Chelsea Football Club star Enzo Fernandez apologised to his club team mates in July this year, after video footage of members of the Argentinian national team singing racist and homophobic songs after their Copa America win emerged. And away from sport, who can forget the furore in 2005 when a then 20-year-old Prince Harry was photographed in a Nazi uniform at a fancy-dress party?
Organisations, in sport as elsewhere in society, are rightly expected to take action to combat racist, offensive or discriminatory language, including comments or content expressed via social media posts. Following the Yorkshire County Cricket racism scandal, the ECB has been keen to demonstrate that it is taking the robust action needed to tackle discrimination in the game.
Blackface was considered very unacceptable at the time the photo of Knight was taken in 2012. However, given her age was just 21, and her explanation that at the time she was ill-informed and has since taken steps to make amends, one may feel inclined to put this down to the ‘folly of youth’ and a lack of understanding, than something that was intended to be overtly offensive or hinted at some latent racist agenda.
The incident should serve as a powerful warning to youngsters starting out in the game that once something is on social media, it is then very difficult to control when and where it might resurface. As with Knight’s case, discriminatory or offensive posts can have the potential to derail a career years or even decades later. Indeed, it is often only when players become sports stars and role models that the photographs become worthy of media attention and make their way into the wider public domain.
Sports clubs also have a responsibility to protect and educate their players and staff about the dangers of posting content that falls short of the standards expected of them. One can only wonder why the Kent-based cricket club where Knight’s indiscretion occurred in 2012 did not act then to tackle behaviour that was clearly unacceptable and inappropriate.
Clearly the consequences of failing to adequately educate players and enforce appropriate standards, both in terms of the potential for reputational and financial damage to the club and the player, could leave them knocked for 6.
Good luck to England in the ongoing T20 World Cup! After a loss to Australia in the opener at the weekend, England next face off against New Zealand and before taking on hosts Bangladesh.
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The above is accurate as at 30 September 2024. The information above may be subject to change.
The content of this note should not be considered legal advice and each matter should be considered on a case-by-case basis.
