Utah County high schools investigating whether fans made racist comments at soccer game

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SALEM, Utah County — The Nebo and Provo school districts are investigating whether fans made racist comments during a recent girls soccer game at Salem Hills High School.

The Provo and Salem Hills teams were playing on Sept. 22 when the referee called a foul. Provo players asked the referee to stop the game after saying they heard racist comments from the crowd.

“We’re about to kick it, but then our goalie started screaming, ‘They’re yelling racist comments, they’re yelling racist comments,'” a Provo team captain told KSTU. The captain did not want to reveal her identity due to concern of being targeted.

“They’re like, ‘It’s ’cause she’s black,’ after the foul was called,” the captain told the TV station. “I hear from the student section, ‘Snitches get stitches,’ about like, three times.”

Nebo School District spokeswoman Lana Hiskey confirmed a foul was issued and that the crowd “got loud” about the call. Following the call, Hiskey said the administration and referee talked to the crowd about being positive.

“Our administration takes these reports very seriously and has spent many hours and days looking into this situation. We are saddened that any opposing player would feel unsafe or ridiculed,” Hiskey said. “Our schools and district do not condone any inappropriate behavior or racial comments. We will continue to educate and work with our students on appropriate behavior.”

Because the game took place during homecoming week, Hiskey said the school had many school officials spread throughout the crowd and on the field. She said the district hopes others will come forward if they know of any additional details about the incident.

Provo District spokesman Caleb Price said the district is aware of the incident and has been in contact with Nebo School District and Salem Hills High School as they investigate.

“(We) will continue to work with them as they continue their process,” Price said. “We are grateful for the collaborative effort of both Nebo School District and Salem Hills High School as we work together on this investigation. We take any allegations of this nature very seriously and are committed to do what we can in an effort to make sure these incidents no longer take place in our schools.”

Last Thursday’s game is the latest of a series of incidents that paint Utah sports fans in a less than favorable light.

In August, BYU made national headlines after a member of Duke’s volleyball team alleged she was racially heckled during a match against BYU. The university apologized to the player, made changes to its fan code of conduct in response and banned a fan. The university later rescinded the ban after an internal investigation did not find any evidence of the alleged slur.

In February, two Salem Hills High students were escorted out of a Provo vs. Salem Hills girls basketball game after making monkey noises while two players of color shot free throws. The school said the students were disciplined the morning after the game.

In May of 2021, the Utah Jazz banned three fans who made lewd, racial comments to family members of Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant.

In March 2019, NBA player Russell Westbrook had a viral heated exchange with a Jazz fan who he said told him to “get down on your knees like you’re used to.”

In January 2019, an elderly Tabiona High fan allegedly yelled, “Blackie, go home” at Intermountain Christian School head coach Tim Drisdom, who is Black. The incident, and Tabiona’s failure to remove the fan from a subsequent game against Intermountain, resulted in Intermountain filing a complaint with the Utah High School Activities Association against Tabiona.

According to the NAACP Salt Lake Branch, these types of incidents have earned Utah a reputation.

“Utah has a reputation where athletes do not want to play here because of racist comments and attitudes directed toward them,” the NAACP Salt Lake Branch said in a statement after the BYU-Duke volleyball game. “It is unfortunate that Utah has this reputation. This has happened with in-state players as well as professional players. Players do not come to Utah to be ridiculed or called names.”

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Sydnee Gonzalez is a multicultural reporter for KSL.com covering the diversity of Utah’s people and communities. Se habla espanol. You can find Sydnee at @sydnee_gonzalez on Twitter.

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