Kylian Mbappé speaks out against racist comments made by Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla. Amarilla falsely claimed that, instead of drinking breast milk, he sucked on coconuts, and Mbappè responded, by calling her a despicable woman.
Mbappè is the captain of France’s national soccer team, and he is considered not only a good player but also one of the best in the world. He is famous for his crazy speed, making it difficult for opponents to keep up.
These distasteful comments were about Mbappé’s upbringing, education, and appearance. Amarilla posted these comments on her X account, which have now been deleted, saying that Mbappé is “The brute that didn’t learn how to write,” then went on to compare him to a chimpanzee. In another post, she said, “ Colonized Cameroonian, pretending hard to be French, resentful, newly rich, arrogant, and ugly. He was nervous and scared to deal with the whole match, like his entire team; they couldn’t even score a goal; they won by a fluke.”
Mbappé didn’t let her get away with these remarks as he responded, giving her a taste of her own medicine. Amarilla later deleted her posts from her X account, saying that her account was hacked.
Society tends to look up to celebrities, follow their lead, and do what they do. Mbappé speaking out against the racist comments made by the Paraguayan senator is a big deal. The monkey see, monkey do effect fits this situation perfectly because it gives people the courage to speak up about racist incidents happening around them. Because Mbappé is a high-profile celebrity that people look up to and want to be like, they feel if he can do it, so could they.
Athletes have a big influence on today’s world. They hold the ball in almost everyone’s court on certain topics. Fans tend to follow a popular athlete’s thoughts and ideas before their own, especially with social media front and center in today’s society.
Racism has always been a big problem in this country, for the last couple of years, people have been comfortable saying things out loud that they shouldn’t say and people from all walks of life. The World Cup being held in America has given people like Celeste Amarilla a platform to make racist remarks.
Racism has gotten too comfortable, and yes, freedom of speech is a real thing. How low should the world go in terms of demonization? At the end of the day, it’s just a game.
Playing soccer or any sport should not lead to conversations about skin color, origin, background, family, or personal choices. It should focus only on the person’s performance and what they should do on game day to improve.
When you have a big platform like soccer players, such as Mbappé himself, speaking up about what is right is expected, but should it be? With social media having a lot of negative reputation, seeing something good, someone standing up for themselves, is always great to see. He didn’t have to say anything; he could have just continued playing soccer and not cared, but racism is nothing you sit back and let slide.
Plus, it’s not just about him. The comments were directed towards him, yes, but what about the other black and brown boys and girls who play sports nationwide? Speaking up is important because it teaches you how to use your voice, and using your voice without being scared is still something that needs to be taught.
Having a platform can be used for good or bad, but why not use it for good if you can? People who are in entertainment shouldn’t be forced to do so because of who they are, but leaving an impact for good, when you can, should always be encouraged.
Athletes are not superheroes; they can’t save the world, but they can help. It’s up to each person how they want to use their platform and what’s important to them when speaking up. Racism will continue to be a problem, but with athletes like Mbappé speaking up, hopefully sports will be more focused on the sport itself.
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