Casual Racism at ESPN - but it's ok, Conor is a WHITE guy

I was checking the front page of ESPN's boxing site, as I often do, and noticed...

RACISM.

Maybe I was made more aware of it by the hoo-hah over bad, bad Bill Maher the other day. One is NOT allowed to use certain words. Unless, perhaps, you are of a certain color. ("NIGGA" is ok if said by infamous Comedy Central late-night host Larry Wilmore).

You aren't supposed to talk about race or religion in identifying sports figures.

Howard Cosell could not identify "Muhammad Ali is the black fighter, Jerry Quarry the white fighter." He told viewers what color TRUNKS they wore.

So what about the last line here?

You'll notice Floyd Mayweather was not characterized as a "rich loud-mouthed black man." He is, isn't he? As much as McGregor is a "rich loud-mouthed Irishman?"

Shouldn't sporting events be governed by the same rules, and level of taste as, say, a late night HBO comedy show? Moreso? Which is likely to have kids watching?

I don't recall a boxing announcer saying during a Yuri Foreman fight, "The Jew is taking a lot of punishment...but look at the Jew coming back with an uppercut and an overhand right!"

I do note how often boxing announcers admiringly say, "The Mexican fighters have hard heads. They have strong chins. They are hard to knock out."

Seems like selective racism, then.

When Andrew Golota struck Riddick Bowe low, announcers chuckled that he was "The Foul Pole." But they would not have said anything in reverse, like "Riddick just hit Golota low. That's a black mark against him."

You might recall ESPN actually firing some poor jerk for accidentally describing the "chink in the armor" of an Asian basketball player. The jerk was too young and sheltered to even know "chink" was the "C-word" to Asians.

It's nice, isn't it, that ESPN figures an Irishman can be pointed out by his race. He's tough enough to not be offended, or are the Irish stupid? Or drunk? Or insensitive? I just don't quite get why ISPN would NEVER have said, "We're all waiting for the Black man to sign that contract and fight Conor McGregor."