So I created this blog a couple of days ago but I haven’t really had anything to write about. I’ve been sick the past couple of days and I decided to stay home from school today and avoid the insane San Diego rains. While checking my fantasy basketball team (which I currently up against David Cha, who has the most garbage team in my league..haha), I found something that really made me ask myself: are you serious?
Link: http://outofbounds.nbcsports.com/2010/01/post-133.html.php
For those of you who are too lazy to read it, a man in Atlanta named Don “Moose” Lewis wants to start an “all-white” basketball league. His reasons?? He claims:
“There’s nothing hatred about what we’re doing,” he said. “I don’t hate anyone of color. But people of white, American-born citizens are in the minority now. Here’s a league for white players to play fundamental basketball, which they like.”
Lewis said he wants to emphasize fundamental basketball instead of “street-ball” played by “people of color.” He pointed out recent incidents in the NBA, including Gilbert Arenas’ indefinite suspension after bringing guns into the Washington Wizards locker room, as examples of fans’ dissatisfaction with the way current professional sports are run.
“Would you want to go to the game and worry about a player flipping you off or attacking you in the stands or grabbing their crotch?” he said. “That’s the culture today, and in a free country we should have the right to move ourselves in a better direction.”
It’s sad to see that even today people take one example and create a stereotype to apply it to an entire group of different individuals. Whats even more sad is the fact that, in this case, Don “Moose” Lewis doesn’t even think he is being racist. A message to Don “Moose” Lewis: It is fine that you want a league for “fundamental” basketball, but the fact that you think only Caucasians-Americans are capable of playing your version of basketball makes you an ignorant and racist idiot.
Some interesting stats from the 2008-2009 NBA season I pulled up because I was curious:
- Around 82% of the active basketball players were black
- Minority head coaches (1 Asian and 11 black) made up 40% of all NBA coaches
- There were 77 international players from 32 different countries
- 43% of the professional positions in the NBA were held by women
Source: http://www.interbasket.net/news/2009/06/10/nba-lauded-for-diversity-of-players-coaches/
