Saw an interesting article on Facebook today talking about London football clubs and their first black players. Apparently ours was Steve Stacey in 1970. I have no recollection of Steve Stacey, assume someone on here would be able to confirm? I have to believe that we had a black player in the 60’s , but I can’t remember one.
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A caller to Mark Mansfield many years ago insisted John Hewie was mixed race and therefore our first ‘black’ player.
I wonder who our first openly gay player will be…I know that we have had some in the past who have felt obliged to hide their sexuality.
Now the hosts (like pretty much everyone else) had the answer as Steve Stacey. Regular caller Vic from Charlton was insistent that the answer should have been John Hewie. Steve Sutherland one of the shows hosts would not hear of it and the row went on over several weeks shows.
Really bizarre
He released an autobiography a few years ago in which we get a very brief mention.
He self-indentifies as an African-American in the book as his dad was a GI.
The museum was contacted a few months back by football historian who found a reference to a Charlton player, Henry Mordey, in an Everton scouting report.
The scouting report refers to him as having mixed parentage (that wasn't the term used!) and the historian asked if we knew more.
We'd seen photos of Mordey but had no evidence of his heritage so the question of him being our first player of colour remains open.
Our first player from an ethnic minority was almost certainly the great Abraham "Kosha" Goodman, star of the early 20s side.
Hopefully will get to a point where someone's sexuality and skin tone is not a major issue and not even a point of discussion as per the colour of someone's hair.
Couldn't give a toss whether a player of ours is gay or straight. If they are abused the perpetrators will be dealt with as they would be for dispensing homophobic abuse anywhere else. Same as skin colour.
Seems to be a hugely important and integral part of many people's identity in the current zeitgeist which seems at odds with the fact that we should be teaching kids that it's a non issue
I can understand why it is but wonder if it is actually counterproductive by "othering" and emphasising differences which are or should be pretty superficial in this day and age.
It would probably be celebrated by many on here and probably in the media if a Charlton player stated they were gay but I would say by the fact it was been celebrated would be a sign of the opposite that we still had a long way to go before people are just seeing and treating each other as people without perceived identities that shouldn't make much difference.
I am probably articulating this very clumsily and as a white straight bloke no doubt missing some insight (and Im sure there will be a number of straight white blokes along imminently to tell me why) but I have noticed throughout my life in the early years (as i do with my children) being taught that people are no different just because of their skin colour or sexuality but now we seem in an era where so much emphasis is placed on those characteristics and that such inherent characteristics are elevated to such importance in today's society....seems really at odds with what surely is the long term welcome objective that people stop looking at each other's characteristics as any more different or relevant than the colour of their eyes and other inbuilt factors.
EDIT and of course I am aware that people of colour and homosexual people still face immense discrimination....but that it perpetrated by people who have been brought up to see them as different. Surely if we are in a world where kids grow up not even considering race or sexuality as an issue it would get rid of racism and homophobia within a couple of generations as it would be seen as irrelevant as eye colour etc?
He was of mixed nationality but neither of his parents were black.
It doesn’t matter anyway even if he was……..he was a fine player and a fine old school gentleman to boot.
There are possibly many gay women in women's football including Charlton's womens' team but it is not seen as worthy of discussion nowadays beyond all but the most oafish types in 2022. I wouldn't know if we have any gay women in the team and don't care.
Same as without counting we probably couldn't say how many black players are in our squad as it's not an issue and doubt most football fans could in England nowdays.
It (being gay) is not seen as relevant or in any way important by anyone and when that is the case with mens' football then that is progress.
I think that whilst people generally are attacked and marginalised for being part of a minority group then being a trailblazer for that minority group (if only by being open) remains a significant and rather brave thing to do. A player need not be ‘open’ about their ethnicity because it is usually pretty clear, although will still lead to hatred from some, but I think there is still some distance to travel when it comes to male footballers being confident enough to be open about their sexuality.
I can’t remember the players name but this loon was insistent on
im not sure if he even represented the first team
True...but all the while that society "others" people by inherent characteristics is it not a danger than it will maintain/ further create division and continue.
If it is emphasised (as it seemed to be when I was growing up) that we are no different as people and it is character that is important as what is your worth and identity as a member of society rather than skin colour or sexuality ...then surely we bring generations through with that worldview to the point that abusing someone or treating them differently (ie the police/ employers etc) for having a different skin tone or sexuality would become as moot and irrelevant as to not even be thought of by future generations in the same way people are not viewed, treated differently, abused or discriminated against because they may have brown or green or hazel eyes.
I find the emphasising of identity characteristics/ identity politics that seems to be a huge part of the media and many aspects of society now is perhaps unintentionally being detrimental long term for wider progress in this respect.
But again, as a straight white man maybe i can't see why it isn't.
I also believe that some members of minorities in the past have judged it is best to keep their heads down and not make a fuss about being othered.
Possibly in the hope things would equalise, settle down, and in the hope it all goes away.
In recent decades minority groups have seemed to say they are not going to put up with prejudicial behaviour and abuse any more, or that at least they’re going to push back.
I wish it was going better, but looking at the reaction to something as mild as taking the knee, I believe there remains a long road to travel to the destination where character matters above anything else.