Do White Fans React Negatively To Walker's Wiggle Because He's Black?

[Way Of The Ray <wayray@ix.netcom.com>]

Antoine doesn't think so...
      Boston Herald
      4/24/99
      
      Bad vibes: Today's great debate in sports: To wiggle or not to wiggle?
      by Karen Guregian 
      Saturday, April 24, 1999
      Fourth of a five-part series

      Antoine Walker does a wiggle after he scores a big basket. Ray Bourque 
      does a pump after he scores a big goal. 
      These are two very different forms of expression from two very 
      high-profile Boston athletes.
      So why is one considered cool, while the other sparks anger in even a 
      casual fan?
      In some circles, Walker gets criticized for his celebratory move. Bourque, 
      meanwhile, hasn't heard a peep.
      Richard Lapchick, the director for Northeastern's Center for the Study of 
      Sport in Society, offers one possible explanation.
      He claims cultural differences come into play, especially for those who 
      are providing the critical commentary, namely the fans and media. 
      ``I think we're starting to see, for the first time, a reaction to the 
      high percentage of athletes of color playing professional sports as well 
      as college sports,'' Lapchick said. ``That's probably an unmeasureable 
      factor right now, one that's out there. It's easier to become alienated 
      for fans who are overwhelmingly white when the athletes we're talking 
      about don't look like them.''
      Most of the writing, viewing and overseeing of sports and sports teams 
      remains predominantly white, while the athletes themselves in the major 
      sports are largely African-American -- hockey being the exception. 
      Baseball, meanwhile, has a growing number of Latinos in the mix.
      ``It's easier to become disengaged from somebody who isn't from the same 
      cultural background,'' Lapchick explained. ``You tend to be more forgiving 
      if you're white and it's a white guy, or if you're black and it's a black 
      guy.
      ``I don't see the same hostility in the black community when I go out,'' 
      said Lapchick, who does a lot of public speaking. ``I find that blacks in 
      the audience are very supportive, have had no disengagement at all, 
      whereas whites in the audience are pretty much an angry group. I'm not 
      saying it's because of racism. That's not what I'm saying at all.''
      The Walker vs. Bourque celebration certainly provides fodder for the 
      cultural/racial debate.
      It's all about emotion
      Walker, for one, disagrees with Lapchick's theory.
      ``I don't think it's a cultural thing. I think for the people who do 
      celebrate and do dance -- the people who win -- don't get criticized. 
      That's what happens,'' Walker said. ``If you're winning, it doesn't matter 
      what color you are. People look at wins and losses. That's what everything 
      is predicated on. And to a certain degree (fans) should do that.
      ``But I think every player has his way of playing the game and showing his 
      emotions. I don't think it's a cultural thing. I think we did away with 
      that a long time ago.''
      As for the public sentiment, random interviews with fans of all walks of 
      life produced some interesting views.
      Raphus Causey, a Celtics season ticket holder from Worcester, says he 
      doesn't mind the wiggle, the Dirty Bird, or any of the celebratory dances 
      performed by basketball or football players.
      ``If you're talking about the jiggling and all that stuff with Antoine 
      Walker, it doesn't bother me. He's just having fun,'' said Causey, who is 
      black. ``The thing that bothers me about Antoine is that sometimes he 
      plays a 1-on-1 game. Basketball isn't an individual game. It's a team 
      sport.''
      Walker has heard the wrath of the fans recently not so much for his 
      wiggle, but for his penchant for individual play and a perceived lack of 
      effort on defense. That much has certainly been obvious.
      Walker's wiggle hasn't been as much in evidence this season because the 
      team hasn't been winning.
      Connecticut resident Peter Loftus, who was at a recent Celtics game, 
      believes all the dances have become a part of the culture of the sports 
      themselves.
      ``I like the wiggle. It adds excitement to the game,'' said Loftus, 
      another African-American. ``I think you'll always find someone who won't 
      like it, whether they're white or black.'' 
      Steve Gomes and his 13-year-old son, who bears the same name, both 
      indicate they are fans of Walker's wiggle, as well as Bourque's pump. 
      Gomes, who is white, theorizes the Bruins' captain hasn't been criticized 
      about his move because he's been around longer than Walker, and has 
      nothing to prove to fans.
      ``I don't agree that it's a cultural thing,'' said Gomes, who is from 
      Taunton. ``It doesn't matter if you're white, black or purple. If someone 
      does a dance that's in the joy of the moment, and the team's winning, 
      that's OK. If it's done with arrogance, or to taunt, that's what bothers 
      me. Like (Patriot) Chris Canty. What he does, that's just arrogance. If it 
      was a white guy doing it, I'd feel the same way.''
      Walker doesn't think about time and place when he starts strutting his 
      stuff. It happens more as a release of emotion, a reaction to the moment.
      ``It's natural for me,'' Walker said. ``I'm an emotional basketball 
      player. I don't do it to get the other team. That's just me. It's my 
      emotion. At the times I've done it, it's always a big play or a big part 
      of the game. That's when I tend to do it. It's a natural reaction. 
      Sometimes you can't control it.''
      Walker claims Celtics coach Rick Pitino has never asked him not to do it. 
      Nor has any other coach. Sometimes, however, the fans have gotten on his 
      case.
      ``Obviously, kids like it,'' Walker said. ``But you have more serious 
      fans, who are more interested in the game than the players having fun.''
      A generation gap, perhaps
      Perhaps there's a generational difference as well. Peter Carry, executive 
      editor at Sports Illustrated, doesn't remember Celtics teams in the '50s 
      or '60s being a flamboyant bunch and many older fans still harken back to 
      the more low-key days of the Chuck Taylor high tops.
      ``I think there may be a racial/cultural element,'' Carry said. ``But I 
      also think there's a tremendous age/cultural element, too.
      ``I grew up covering players like John Havlicek and Oscar Robertson, one 
      is white, one is black. These are the least flamboyant men you could ever 
      hope to find.''
      Celtic legend Tom Heinsohn agrees. He also puts Boston fans in a 
      completely different category than fans in other cities.
      ``This is a traditional town, probably the most traditional city in the 
      country,'' Heinsohn said, ``but you have to remember something else. The 
      basketball fans here are different because of all the success the team had 
      in the past. There's also a tradition of winning.
      ``The Celtics have won many, many things here. Not many guys on those 
      teams gestured,'' he said. ``Bill Russell, after every shot he blocked, 
      didn't wiggle. Bob Cousy, after every assist, he didn't wiggle.
      ``No one was wiggling after winning all those championships, so basically, 
      they just can't relate.''
      Patriots coach Pete Carroll is another believer that age plays a role in 
      the mix.
      ``Take a look at what generation the people making the assessments on 
      (celebratory demonstrations) are from,'' Carroll said. ``This is new 
      sports culture stuff. It's hard for some people to accept that.''
      Canty, a first-round pick in '96 who has yet to prove himself a bonafide 
      cornerback, has been known to do a dance following tackles, while some of 
      the other defensive backs get together to do a groove after a touchdown. 
      Canty, however, has come under the most fire for his gyrating.
      Carroll defends the celebrating to a point. He doesn't mind having a 
      player wiggle, pump or groove as long as it's in the right context.
      ``When a player demonstrates a true emotion or a reaction to something 
      that just happened, I can understand that,'' Carroll said. ``I think it's 
      OK. It's part of the game. But when it crosses over into a self-promotion 
      or it taunts or denegrates, then I think it's dead wrong.
      ``I can certainly understand why some people don't accept it at all,'' 
      Carroll went on, ``but I truly believe it has grown out of the sports 
      experience.''