The Worcester South Girls’ basketball finished the regular season with a 20-5 record.

The Colonels team spends some R & R time with Coach Diago McClain.

The Worcester South Colonels find their strength in their diverse backgrounds.

A Facebook video of South High Community School’s girls basketball team went viral earlier this month, amassing hundreds of racist comments. The ongoing vitriol and cyberbullying speaks to an underlying pattern of racial harassment levied at the Worcester team that extends beyond social media.

The video depicted gameplay from their Division 1 state tournament on March 6 against Andover High School. In it, a South High player appears to push an opponent after their own teammate was knocked down during an Andover play. Social media comments belittled their athleticism while calling the girls disparaging racial slurs and alluding to tropes of Black people as violent.

For head coach Diago McClain, the hate remarks are not unique, but part of a prolonged period of harassment and unfairness endured by the team – including McClain himself, who joined five years ago. During previous games, hecklers and families from opposing teams have shouted racist comments as well, including threats to call ICE on student players.

“It’s been happening every year since I’ve been here... it was really bad my first year. And, you know, as success happens, it becomes even worse... we’re a winning program... and now it’s getting worse and worse as we get to games. And I just had enough,” said McClain.

This is the third consecutive year the team has reached the esteemed championship tournament, establishing themselves as one of the most competitive programs in the state, according to a statement from the Worcester NAACP.

“What troubles me most is that this kind of hate is being directed at teenagers who are still developing their sense of confidence, identity, and belonging,” said Worcester city councilor Khrystian King. “Public humiliation, racial harassment, and cyberbullying can leave lasting psychological scars.”

McClain recalled a particularly memorable experience when his team faced Notre Dame Academy, a Catholic girls school.

“They didn’t give us a locker room. They didn’t even speak to us during the game. One of their parents was heckling me.” South High’s then-principal Jeffrey Creamer attempted to have the parent removed. Instead, Creamer was escorted out by Notre Dame’s athletic director.

While South High went on to file a complaint with the school, all they received in return was an apology letter. McClain expressed his frustration, feeling like nothing was being done to properly address the underlying issue of racial bias.

As South High went on to face other teams, McClain said the heckling only worsened, levied predominantly at their teenage players. Parents shouted heinous comments, such as the threat to call ICE on athletes during a recent tournament game against Wellesley High School.

“They call us all types of things.

And these are high school kids, but they want a reaction from me, you know? They want me to go out of character so they can say, ‘this is what they are like,’” said McClain.

The incidents were swiftly condemned by the local NAACP chapter, which demands accountability and urges local leaders to “take immediate and decisive action to fully investigate the reported incidents.”

“Athletic spaces must foster teamwork, growth, and character, not fear and intimidation. Reports of fans threatening to call ICE on youth are abhorrent, dehumanizing, and completely unacceptable,” the NAACP shared in a statement.

On Thursday March 19, a joint statement released by the school committee, Superintendent Brian Allen and Mayor Joseph M. Petty stated, “The Worcester community stands united in denouncing racism in all its forms. We are deeply troubled by the recent rhetoric.” The statement did not detail any specific plans to address the issue.

City Councilor King said that when he first became aware of the video, he reached out to McClain to express his commitment to lifting the team, and their families.

“The derision, the hate, the venom … has had an impact on our individual students and student athletes, and requires that we stand up,” said King. He added that, while attending a recent school committee meeting, he requested that all members and school leadership come up with a way to approach this issue that has not been properly addressed for several years.

Stating that there has to be “a zero tolerance from all institutions” when it comes to racism and harassment, King also suggested looking to past occurrences was the best way to decide how to move forward and create policy that would prevent future incidents.

Following the public officials’ statements, however, coach Mc- Clain stated in a meeting with the superintendent that not enough has been done. Pushing for more proactive messaging and standards, he hopes for something that would enforce a change.

McClain also expressed his frustration that too few residents have spoken against the harassment, which also contributes to the issue.

“What really gets me mad is there’s so many people in this city that are African Americans, that work with youth sports, but are afraid to say anything. You know why? Because their sponsors or their owners might be white, and they don’t want to say anything,” he said.

Hearing local leaders like King and others speak directly to the issue is in line with his hopes for a plan to move forward.

As conversations continue, Mc- Clain’s main concern is the wellbeing of his players. When they are on the court and someone shouts something, McClain said his team looks to him for guidance, and he does his best to talk them through it. Teaching them to hold their heads high and focus on the game is growing increasingly difficult.

Despite this, McClain continues to try to address it by speaking to opposing coaches, referees, or administrators during games to encourage fair treatment.

“I don’t want to be the poster child, but I’m going to defend my kids,” he said.

Laurel MacCollom, whose daughter Ava MacCollom was subject to racist harassment, explained what it was like at the Andover game. While not having personally heard any comments, she witnessed the reactions, which were surprisingly few. One administrator briefly approached commentators at the time.

Upon receiving full details from her daughter the following day about the racist comments shouted at her during the game, she grew more frustrated.

“Before the game, they say a whole speech about sportsmanship, and that clearly does not show any sportsmanship,” she said.

It wasn’t the first time her daughter had experienced such treatment in sports, having been an athlete for about 12 years. To continue to see it be an ongoing problem has only made her more adamant that something must change. She and several other parents continue to push for change and accountability, advocating for safe spaces for all who compete.

“It just infuriates,” she said, “because it’s being allowed and it should not be.”