[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

RE: Mihm

At 01:24 PM 1/8/2004, Enrile, Roy wrote: 
Actually, I've been on the list and reading Boston papers for years and
don't remember any recent outraged cries of racism when white players
came to the C's.

When Declerq and Travis came, there was just excitement for the new
coach/players.  When Chris Herren came, there were feel good
posts/articles because he was local.  But when he couldn't produce at an
NBA level, the C's didn't keep him on as a token popular white player,
they released him and picked up Overton.

Kim or Kestas, can you clarify what were the recent racism
accusations/cries against the C's?

Sorry if I confused you, as I didn't mean to say there were any particular recent ones. I was actually expressing shock and awe that for a change there weren't any, when our team got significantly whiter and not just at the far reaches of the bench. I think the lack of recent ones has more to do with the irrelevance of the Cs to a lot of people, although it's still the sort of thing that fans of other teams use as a shot. I believe I recall it coming up on Declerq, in the form of why him vs other options. Which is the most common sort of 'proof' offered. Could probably google up some stuff if you really want it.

It's an accusation that's popped up regularly going back through at least the 80s, with varying degrees of intensity (largely depending upon the agenda of who's raising it). If you want to see some of the high hot button sort of stuff, read a 10 year old book titled The Selling of the Green.

Can't answer for why you haven't seen anything about it. The fact that it gets seen as an issue has certainly been raised as a discussion item in the Boston press. Can't recall if anyone in the press actually backed the accusation, although I've memory that Michael Holley in his first incarnation here as Walker's jocker might well have done so. And I believe talk backing some of that when Reggie died helped get Jimmy Meyers in trouble. It's been a regular on usenet groups and other forums, although I gave up reading the Cs group a year or so back when troll feeding became a competative sport and can't vouch for any recent outburst of it.

I'm not saying it's valid and have in fact argued against most so called evidence given for it in different places. But it's definitely still a perception among non-Celtics fans in particular, from conversations I've had, and one that I don't think has been entirely erased. Partially because it gets included in a larger presumption of Boston and everything associated with it as racist. It's just that the Cs haven't mattered enough for people to bother stirring it up about them when there were other idiocies to point to first...

Best
Kim



-----Original Message-----
From: owner-celtics@xxxxxxxx [mailto:owner-celtics@xxxxxxxx] On Behalf
Of Kestutis Kveraga

 this is the first time I can recall the Cs  making deals that
> increased the number of white players on the team that  have not
> lead to outraged cries of racism all over the place.

Maybe it's because they're better than most of the players we have/had?
Kestas