<div class="quote_poster">Quoting InNETSweTrust:</div><div class="quote_post">But what about his comment that the league needs "one or two white players" coz the fanbase is generally white?</div> I think he was referring to it from a marketing standpoint.
Wave and I have discussed about Larry Bird before, he's told me about comments made by Dr. J and Zeke against him. They were pretty harsh especially that "If he were white, he'd only be average." comment. I mean come on geez, lighten up, just because you're jealous. As far as this goes, I'm not with or against anybody. I'd much rather say, "We need more *players* period." I mean Darko? Come on people, geez. You got talent, you have extreme potential, hell come to the NBA. White people aren't that much of a minority, also, what's wrong with the way it is, you seem to be and have other things including sports. Leave and let them be the best at what they are, sports.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting olskoolFunktitude:</div><div class="quote_post">and whats youre problem anyway? saying ive shown zilch. I've posted here a long time. anyone will tell u im one of the better ones. my brief essay comparing auerback and jackson was articulate and made some really great points. ive only been back for a few days but you havent exactly shown me any piles of intellectual gold in the small handful of posts ive seen from u either</div> well for one. People that state an opinion and consider it the be all,end all of everything are not people I generally see as someone I would want to conversate with at any length. And the reason I don't post alot is because I spend the majority of time on here cleaning up posts,editing and the like.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting InNETSweTrust:</div><div class="quote_post">But what about his comment that the league needs "one or two white players" coz the fanbase is generally white?</div> The main fanbase is America, and altho the country is very diverse, whites make up the majority...therefore, the fan base has a white majority, its just a fact... What Bird was saying has been said for a long time in Boxing, they are searching for "the Great White Hope." He's saying that perhaps a white superstar would create additional buzz among the whites in this country...
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Dre:</div><div class="quote_post">I think he was referring to it from a marketing standpoint.</div> So white people would prefer to see white people out there on the court? It could've been a different thing if he said that we need white players for diversity.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Dre:</div><div class="quote_post">well for one. People that state an opinion and consider it the be all,end all of everything are not people I generally see as someone I would want to conversate with at any length. And the reason I don't post alot is because I spend the majority of time on here cleaning up posts,editing and the like.</div> um....i think youre thinking of someone else....sorry.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting InNETSweTrust:</div><div class="quote_post">So white people would prefer to see white people out there on the court? It could've been a different thing if he said that we need white players for diversity.</div> well if you think about it (and I'm black btw) what he says make sense because a majority of people really cheer for someone they can readily identify with. People from the same type of background etc. It's not racist,it's just the way it is. Anyone in marketing could tell you the same thing.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting InNETSweTrust:</div><div class="quote_post">So white people would prefer to see white people out there on the court? It could've been a different thing if he said that we need white players for diversity.</div> well sadly racism is alive and well in america and there are a lot of white people who would never admit it even to themselves but would rather whatch a white NBA star than a black one
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting InNETSweTrust:</div><div class="quote_post">So white people would prefer to see white people out there on the court? It could've been a different thing if he said that we need white players for diversity.</div> I guarentee u if there was a filipino ball player in the NBA, u'd root for him too. That's just human nature...
Well I guess you can take a look at it two different ways. But some would take it as a racist comment coz he's white and he said that the NBA is a black game. It's as if he's afraid that the NBA would be a black game forever. <div class="quote_poster">Quoting notMuchgame:</div><div class="quote_post">I guarentee u if there was a filipino ball player in the NBA, u'd root for him too. That's just human nature...</div> Yes of course. I guess it's the way that he said it. He could've said it in a better way. We all know how some people react.
birds comments aren't offensive, i know they aren't intended to a hurt any segment of the population but factually they are spurious and stupid. to suggest that blacks are the best athletes in the world is to tacitly indicate that race as biology is real. well genetics has proven that race is not real; no racial group is inclined to be more athletic than another race. although, athletes disproportionately come from the poorer rungs of society , this is an universal trend. plus, i think there is a stigma against white american players to play a certain way. the chris anderson?s, bobby sura and jason williams who play "black" have been routinely criticized by the media for their style of play. phil taylor of si wrote a compelling piece a few years back when the european invasion of the nba occurred, he argued that european players like dirk nowoski (sp.) don't play "white" but play a more athletic game. Arguably the 3 most athletic 7 footers in the game are pau gasol, dirk and kg. ironically kg is the only black player on that list. moreover, u guys think ginoboli plays "white"? black athletes work incredibly hard at their craft to suggest its inherent racial ascribed gifts eviscerates their hard work.
haha...wow..oh boy first Junior Seau then Bill Parcells and now Larry Bird...all in what? one week??? it boggles my mind i mean i don't think Larry is racist or anything...and im not offended by the comments...but in todays day and age you can't say stuff like that...think before you talk everybody....but in a slight fairness Jim Grays question was stupid...if you can play the sport you can play the sport regardless of you color....Larry was almost led into that answer or into an answer along those lines...ofcourse there would always be a better way to answer a question like that
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting deception:</div><div class="quote_post">birds comments aren't offensive, i know they aren't intended to a hurt any segment of the population but factually they are spurious and stupid. to suggest that blacks are the best athletes in the world is to tacitly indicate that race as biology is real. well genetics has proven that race is not real; no racial group is inclined to be more athletic than another race. although, athletes disproportionately come from the poorer rungs of society , this is an universal trend. plus, i think there is a stigma against white american players to play a certain way. the chris anderson?s, bobby sura and jason williams who play "black" have been routinely criticized by the media for their style of play. phil taylor of si wrote a compelling piece a few years back when the european invasion of the nba occurred, he argued that european players like dirk nowoski (sp.) don't play "white" but play a more athletic game. Arguably the 3 most athletic 7 footers in the game are pau gasol, dirk and kg. ironically kg is the only black player on that list. moreover, u guys think ginoboli plays "white"? black athletes work incredibly hard at their craft to suggest its inherent racial ascribed gifts eviscerates their hard work.</div> Well, Bird never said that black athletes excel because of their biology. The question was about race, so he of course he'll be talking about black athletes and comparing them to white athletes. But that doesn't mean he thinks its their "blackness" which makes them good ball players.
Well imo opinion the fanbase that the League needs to try to bring back & appeal to the sport is the older generation, the basketball purist. That is the fanbase that has seem to leave basketball in droves. It seems like the pre-jordan basketball fan doesnt like or respect the sport anymore. The NBA's saturated marketing of over hyped players, poor on-court product & NBA image problems have made them shy away from the the game. So the NBA needs to start marketing the basic team concept of basketball intsead of just marketing indiviual players from teams. And I think that will bring back& appeal to alot of fans from all races.
I haven't had a chance to hear the interview from Bird but from what I heard on this post it sounds as if he was asked a question that set him up to potentially say something inappropriate. In saying that, I don't think what he said was inappropriate. It was just his opinion. Larry very well could be racist, but that isn't going to affect my day to day and I don't think that he has the type of influence on the American public (now) that his comments would influence the minds of others. To be honest w/ everyone, I think that many people in the league are dying for a white superstar. I think that the recent surge in European's to the NBA and defensive rule changes (allowing zone defense) are both evidence that the league is trying to bring in more white players. I'm not saying that all of these Europeans can't play (b/c I played in Europe and there is a lot of talent there) but there have been a lot of mistakes made in the past couple of seasons in drafting Europeans who were not even stars on their own club teams (Skita, Nachbar, Zoran Planninic (sp?) to name a few). Could you imagine how much a team's fan base would be upset if a team drafted even the fourth best player on a major college team in the lottery? All of this hoopla about how high schoolers should not go directly into the pros is primarily a racial issue. In the sports where blacks are not dominant, the players often turn professional w/o going to college (some even while their in high school). Only in basketball and football are there the arguments that these athletes aren't equipped for life as a professional. Why aren't these same people up in arms about the maturity of the Europeans who are drafted and coming to America at age 18 and 19, not knowing how to speak English? If there was a LeBron James caliber athlete in high school who was white you would see the hypocrisy in the view points of most of these "stay in school" advocates. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. If we don't voice them then race will continue to be the elephant in the room and nothing will ever get accomplished. People shouldn't fear talking about racial issues, provided that there remarks are relevant and appropriate. If Larry wants more whites in the NBA that's fine. If he wants these white players in the league even if they aren't better than their black opponents then that is another issue (especially considering the position that Bird holds within the Pacers organization).
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting durvasa:</div><div class="quote_post">Well, Bird never said that black athletes excel because of their biology. The question was about race, so he of course he'll be talking about black athletes and comparing them to white athletes. But that doesn't mean he thinks its their "blackness" which makes them good ball players.</div> well i said he tacitly implied that, of course he didn't explicity say as such. about selling the game, the nhl is almost uniformly white yet they don't have a commited fanbase like the nba in america
Well of course black ppl dominate the NBA, they love basketball the most. Most white ppl are focused on other things. If white ppl only luv'd basketball and practiced it day and night, they would be just as good as black ppl. But most white ppl focus on school and other things thinking they wont become a famous NBA player, thats why, values in different things. Look at hockey, its a white dominated sport. Lotsa black ppl just hate ice and snow in general, but if they luv'd it, there would be a large amount of black hockey players. Different values in different things, thats all.
Like at least one journalist has pointed out, I don't think it's a big deal at all. Bird was once called the great white hope and if anyone has a 'right' to comment on the ability or athleticism or what-have-you about whites, it's him. Nobody can deny the fact that white players during his era were rare, and I don't see what's wrong with him feeling the way he does. I haven't read the other posts on this thread, but ESPN had a live online chat where people brought up the example of Luke Walton, and how LA fans cheer "Luuuke" whenever he's in the game. Now, I'm a Washington guy myself and we have the exact same deal with our Luke (Ridnour).. It's not even a sign of respect, really.. More of a half-joke encouragement for the rookie white boy--I'm not saying it's bad, but he gets the same kind of cheers as would the team mascot. I personally can't think of any black players who've received the same treatment.. The closest this past season would probably be Earl Boykins.. It's like cheering the underdog or something. I'm a minority American myself and I am probably guilty of being sensitive about issues of race more than average Joe White. However, I honestly find no problem with his commentary.. Like many people have pointed out already, a white man talking about white people isn't a big deal. Neither is a black man talking about black people. It's when they 'cross' over that things truly get touchy, and with 'good' (or at least BETTER) reason. It's no stretch at all to say that GM's look for the next Bird to captivate white America.. It is not like they will draft a Keith Van Horn over a Lebron James, so it is still (and always will be) secondary to talent & potential. Just look at Yao Ming and the huge boom in Chinese interest in the NBA.. From a dollars-and-cents standpoint it's not really debatable..
Some interesting points brought up on this thread. I never considered the fact that people typically only bring up the "stay in school" line in black-dominated sports. That's a very interesting observation .... I also never really paid attention to how crowd favorites tend to be the dopey, white bench players (Walton, Madsen, Ridnour, Nachbar, etc.). Occasionally, you'll have a black player like Mugsy or Boykins who are "cute" enough to garner some special attachment from the fans as well. But, all in all, I think that DOES indicate a good section of the fanbase are, in a way, rooting for the white guys. I think that "hick" Larry Bird might be better attuned to human nature than the media will give him credit for on this one.
