“They Said ‘Go Back to Afghanistan’”

Abstract

I was at the 2006 Chicago Indo-Pak National basketball tournament conducting ethnographic research on South Asian American sporting cultures, with an emphasis on basketball. I interviewed team captains and players on most of the 17 teams in Chicago for the extended weekend tourney. These teams came from major U.S. and Canadian cities with large South Asian communities. Additionally, there was a gamut of ethnic and religious identities at play. I met with players from Philadelphia-based team Golden Eagles Philly1 after one of their games. The key players, point guard K-Rock and shooting guard Karthik, were stretched out on a large red gymnastics mat to the side of the court with a keen focus on the game taking place on the court. These two Hindu Americans were resting before their next game while taking in and gauging the teams on the court. Harpreet, their tall, lanky Sikh American teammate, was sitting behind them. I asked K-Rock questions about his experience with basketball and his reasons for playing in Indo-Pak Basketball.2 He shared the joys of playing Division II collegiate ball with Golden Eagles teammate Karthik. K-Rock paused for a second while to address the differences between collegiate basketball and Indo-Pak basketball. He explained, “There is racism in other leagues. Fans were shouting at me.” There is nothing peculiar about hostile fans but what he said next underscored the racist politics of U.S. publics: “They shouted, ‘Go back to Afghanistan!’ I couldn't believe it.” He then pointed to his teammates to showcase the ethnic and religious heterogeneity and a sense of community through difference that he did not experience in collegiate basketball.