OT How black Utah Jazz players have embraced SLC

Has relevance to Portland in terms of Free Agency and in other ways. Arguably an actual small vs. large media market article.

http://theundefeated.com/features/h...mbraced-salt-lake-city/?addata=espn:nba:index

 

Now we just need ESPN to come out with division that only covers white athletes and talk about white athletes adjusting to life in Detroit.

 

jesus christ, I don't see how this matters. Wow I feel bad for all those black players in Utah, they have to be around white people, why can't they just magically send in thousands of black families to live in Utah, I am gonna go protest now...

 

It's about entering what is perceived as a different culture. It definitely has relevance to Free Agency. Thanks, but my avatar is Wizard Mentor - I only go by Jesus Christ outside of these boards.

 

it's more of a response to the article. I mean it might have relevance to free agency but there aren't a ton of places in the United states where it's majority black or at least most of these cities that have NBA teams. If you can't be around tons of white people who support you then I just don't get it. Imagine if an article was written the opposite way, white players having to adjust because there aren't many of them in a particular city. Shit would be racist. Heads would fly.

 

Oden would have thrived in Utah.

 

“I never had any problems. The people always treated me nice,” said former Jazz forward-center Thurl Bailey, an African-American who converted to Mormonism.

IN UTAH?!?! NO FUCKING WAY! lol

 

You're Mike Rice?

 

He probably would

 

Just curious, have you lived outside or Oregon/Washington?

 

I understand it's probably hard for you to get it. I'd say it's much more difficult for a white person to find themselves in a situation surrounded by a bunch of black people than it is for a black person to find themselves in a similar situation (in this part of the country anyway). Trust me, I'm from Portland, live in Vancouver and I'm black. While I'm pretty much used to it (being around and among caucasians most of the time) every now and then I get a longing for "home". For me it's not so much that I "can't be around tons of white people", I'm fine with that. For me it comes down to being my "black self". That article pointed out a pretty good example. The white families that did not know what grits were or thought the catfish was bad. In my experience, I've felt the need to temper some of the "blackness" cause it will either confuse or scare (especially white females) people. This is just my experience, not saying all white people are a certain way, etc.

 

Nope. So maybe that came off a little ignorant. Okay to, explain better. What I meant was there are a lot of places where it's more black than white but as far as NBA cities go, I would think other than the southern states, cali obviously. Brooklyn, DC. Maybe a couple more not a lot of the NBA cities are a predominately black area. Areas within the cities but not the actual city. If that makes any sense?

 

No I get that you probably would want to be around what you were brought up in just to get that feeling. It makes sense. Everybody needs that sense of home, there is a reason why Dame brought up all his family from Oakland to Portland. I get all that. I get maybe how it could play a part in free agency but I honestly think money is a bigger factor in free agency as well as market size than the race of the people there to most players.

 

Don't live in Portland by the way. Gresham. Definitely areas here where the minority is the majority.

 

Well, you always got the Church of Subgenesis going for you. Remember, slack is precious and we must do what we can to maintain it!

 

Yeah man. I've been to both of the flea markets in rockwood. One of them I felt like everyone was very welcoming. The other.....not so much.

But still, pretty freaking white. An ever growing latino and russian population im gresham it seems.

 

You would never relate so it's interesting you would say that

 

Twas a joke but feel free to be triggered

 

yeah it's still pretty white. A lot of latinos. More blacks than there was I would say 10 years ago by far. A lot of russians. I go to the LA fitness out in Gresham station and there are a lot of russians, ukranians, etc.