Bianca Andreescu was awarded the 2019 Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada’s athlete of the year. The Toronto Star recently decided to remove Lou Marsh’s name from the trophy.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Hans Deryk
The Toronto Star’s decision to rename its Lou Marsh trophy reminds us of the ways sports journalism has amplified damaging and racist tropes.
Bianca Andreescu was awarded the Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada’s athlete of the year in 2019. The trophy is awarded annually to Canada’s top athlete as chosen by a panel of journalists.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Hans Deryk
While changing the name of the Lou Marsh Trophy is a necessary first step, the weight of Marsh’s legacy will be felt until we fully understand the damage done by his history of sports journalism.
Bianca Andreescu at a press conference in Toronto, Ont., on Dec.10, 2019. Andreescu was awarded the Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada’s athlete of the year.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Hans Deryk
The Lou Marsh Trophy was named after the famous sports journalist and editor. But Marsh’s sports coverage of racialized athletes was problematic — should this prompt a renaming of the award?