Comments on Leave the Man Alone: Michael Wilbon Offends Some Guy In Boston

Wilbon thinks everything is racist/racial.

2007-08-09T16:42:00.000-05:00

Wilbon thinks everything is racist/racial.

So why is KG going to Boston if, according to Wilb...

2007-08-01T20:29:00.000-05:00

So why is KG going to Boston if, according to Wilbon, he would not go due to the race issues in Boston.....Maybe Wilbon made that up? No. Never. Reporters never make anything up!

Flash forward a month and change and Kevin Garnett...

2007-08-01T12:55:00.000-05:00

Flash forward a month and change and Kevin Garnett willingly came to Boston via trade and immediately signed an extension.

Translation: Michael Wilbon completely and totally fabricated his interpretation for why Garnett didn't want to come here.

I don't doubt Wilbon has experienced racism in Boston, but I find it completely unfathomable that this is the only city that's happened in.

Boston has the same problems the rest of the country does.

"Sports news and opinions from a knowledgeable and...

2007-07-30T11:08:00.000-05:00

"Sports news and opinions from a knowledgeable and witty woman"...... "Michael Wilbon distinguished the willingness of Black Hispanics like Manny Ortiz"....

Knowledgeable? Who the hell is Manny Ortiz? Unless you were trying to use the verbal foibles of John Kerry as humor, which I doubt, you should probably think about packing this blog in.

I heard the Wilbon comments live and I couldn't be...

2007-07-19T22:50:00.000-05:00

I heard the Wilbon comments live and I couldn't believe what I was hearing. First he made the comments like he and KG discussed plying in Boston which he admitted on Bill Simmons podcast that it was Wilbon's opinion the KG did not want to come to Boston. It is simple KG does not want to play for the Celtics because they STINK. It is pretty simple. The situation in Boston is no better than than the one in Minn. I leave with this if Wilbon is right and Black athletes do not want to come here how do you explain Stallworth, Moss and Thomas all signing with the Pats. In fact both Stallworth and Moss took less money to play here. It is simple they are coming to a team that is a favorite to win the SuperBowl. If the Celtics were close to a title KG would behere by now. Instead Ainge traded for a guy that is 32 nd has bad ankles.

Just a response to the Barry Bonds comment. Accor...

2007-07-13T22:39:00.000-05:00

Just a response to the Barry Bonds comment. According to several bay area reports including on the Giants flag ship radio station KNBR, Bonds reception in Boston was much better then he expected and not as bad as most other places.

As someone living in the Bay area who watches enough Giant road games, I would certainly state that as true. Given all of the negative articles in the Globe/Herald about Bonds, I felt his reception was almost rosy.

Bonds actually sent one of his kids to a boarding school in the Boston suburbs. Reportedly, if Bonds doesn't reup with the Giants that he would prefer to sign with the Angels. But if a team like that isn't likely, I would no longer be shocked if he signs with the Sox -- assuming the Sox would be willing to make room for him by moving Ortiz to first base.

Red was known as a progressive; when I think of Bo...

2007-07-07T02:47:00.000-05:00

Red was known as a progressive; when I think of Boston and race, however, I think of the riots against busing in the 70s. Fair or not fair, it's still thought of as a racist city by a lot of blacks, so I totally understand where Wilbon and HC are coming from. I feel the same way.

Burt totally croseed the line. This isn't a hysterical talking head (like S.A.S.) - Wilbon is as rational a sports guy as we have out there. To ridicule him for his story is just flat-out wrong.

Ap, just one question: people have suggested the c...

2007-07-06T15:38:00.000-05:00

Ap, just one question: people have suggested the city of Boston's racist history as a factor, but has anybody accused the Celtic organization of having a racist history? My understanding is that the organization itself was rather progressive under Red Auerbach.

John, while you make some really good points, you ...

2007-07-06T14:01:00.000-05:00

John, while you make some really good points, you are misguided for a lot of reasons. Of course if the Celtics win more titles it will become a more desirable destination...this doesn't change the fact that the history of racism (just like the weather) will be a negative factor in making the decision. But perhaps the chance to win will make it a more desirable place and athletes will get over the history of racism and come anyway.

But you try so hard to dispel the fact that Boston has had a terrible history with race relations. It HAS; no ifs, ands or buts, and that MATTERS. If I'm choosing between two organizations and one has a history of racism and one does not, I'm going to go with the one that does nto REGARDLESS of how the other organization treats race relations now. The history of that company matters because PERCEPTION matters. Boston hurt its image as a city in the AA community because its history of racism, and it will always be undesirable because of that history....there's no shaking that, but with maybe a few more generations.

I go to school in Boston, and no, I don't think its a racist city (crazy drivers though). But at the same time if I'm KG I dont want to go to a city with that history. And you ask what will happen to him. Its more subtle than being lynched....its a propensity to blame the player more for losses and not give the credit for wins. Barry Bonds is demonized yes because of the steroids, yes because he's a jerk, but also its intensified by the fact that the man is African American...he is much easier to hate (and notice that Boston had the most vociferous hate of him...but I'm sure thats because they are the "purist" fans, but have a couple users on their roster). When racism is an issue its not that every white fan hates every black player, its a propensity to have different reactions to the same events. White players are just more likeable in Boston due to racial biases. In the same way Shaq is more likeable than Kobe...thats why you hear that the 3-peat was all Shaq and Kobe was piggybacking, its just biases and how people feel about others.

why are there so few beloved black athletes in bos...

2007-07-06T08:52:00.000-05:00

why are there so few beloved black athletes in boston? for starters, there are hardly any black americans in baseball in general, so i dont know why we would be different than any other city in that respect. how many beloved yankees over the years have been black?
secondly, the celtics have been irrelevant for 20 years so its obvious why none of their players are beloved. paul pierce is semi-beloved, but might be more so if his team didn't stink to high heaven. ironically, al jefferson is one of the most popular athletes in the city even though he hasn't accomplished much. i don't think he is experiencing any of the racism that wilbon is talking about. hell even sebastian telfair is openly begging not to be traded.

and what about the patriots? there are several african-american patriots who could run for mayor in this town.

what the hell does kevin garnett think is going to happen to him if he comes here? he's going to get lynched? he's not going to get served in restaurants? what a dick. the only thing that would happen is he would be embraced and probably wouldn't be able to leave the house without people fawning over him. what a terrible fate.

its all about perception anyway. you could slap the racist label on any city and then go and pick out incidents, people, and controversies to support that theory. maybe black athletes are hesitant to come here because people like wilbon keep perpetuating the myth.

oh by the way: do you think nba players don't voluntarily come to boston because the team SUCKS and is run by morons? that might have something to do with it. i don't see a lot of black players clamoring to go to the memphis grizzlies either. must be a racist city.

if the c's win another championship, i've got a strange feeling that this would be a desirable destination for black NBA players once again. just a hunch.

very informative and professional post, great work...

2007-07-05T15:20:00.000-05:00

very informative and professional post, great work

how can burt really try to discredit wilbon's claims of racial slurs?

that's despicable

The worst is when he questions whether Wilbon is t...

2007-07-05T14:42:00.000-05:00

The worst is when he questions whether Wilbon is telling the truth about being called a racist slur:
"Is he serious? When did this happen?" and "Maybe he was. Maybe he wasn't. I don't know." So Burt is implying that Wilbon is making up being called racist slurs in Boston: this is his argument for why Wilbon is wrong.

Though I learned in the long ago "Is PV bigoted against the South?" controversy, people get defensive about when you suggest their region/city has a racist history, even if that history is clearly documented, and even if you aren't directly calling any individual racist.