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I heard Wilbon's most recent comments on the matter. I've heard him say similar things in the past.

I'm at a loss to understand how you can assert that his claims "were ridiculous." You're accusing him of lying? Were you there? Have you ever been a black man in his position? Your refutation is ridiculous.

Boston has long had this reputation. I've never lived there. But, i know of the reputation, both from residents and from people 'victimized' by residents. It's not a myth.

I do have some issue with Wilbon's repeated assertions that this is STILL an issue in Boston. But, he himself has also acknowledged that his experiences and confirming experiences of others were 'historical,' and may be less applicable today. I'm not sure why he would continue to push this - i can only assume that his experiences were so ugly and damaging that they have been thus far impossible to forgive. This, again, is not something you are likely to understand unless you have been similarly victimized.

How about this: You're a journalist, no? Your denial of the allegation suggests bias. Why not ask the appropriate questions of those who might be in the position to confirm or refute Wilbon's claims? Look into it, before leaping to the defense of your precious city.

I do not believe free agents do not go to the Celtics because of rascism.They do not go there because the management is clueless.The Pats have no problem getting free agents of any color.The sox also.In the years past I am sure there were problems,&still some attitudes now that are wrong.Boston is not any differant than any other large city.I live outside Ft. Lauderdale.

Dexter
The bottom line is the way Wilbon handled himself in what was supposed to be a quick interview on the Celtics failed attempt at getting free agents. All of sudden he's giving us a history less on race and Boston. His trying to convince Doc he shouldn't take the Celts job is disgraceful. He is a sportswriter. That's it. If he wants to help the cause, then help it. All he did was throw gasoline on it. I'm not going to debate race. I'm going to debate something stupid without facts. Boston has come a long way over the last two decades. That is a fact. Thanks for the post, Dexter.

Bill,
The one fault i have with your response is found in your classification of Wilbon as a "sportswriter. That's it." He is a sportswriter. But, in the modern age, even those who consider themselves "journalists" also consider themselves "commentators" with broad editorial license. Witness the mockery of humanity in Steven A. Smith. He might also be called a sportswriter, but his diatribes go far beyond that.

But, whatever. I don't know the specifics of the Doc Rivers situation, as Wilbon didn't go very far into that. But, perhaps his advice to Rivers would be considered more appropriate if they were known to be friends? In that instance, the fault would not be in the advice itself, but in the public release of the 'information.'

I agree that Wilbon should not be engaged in a public campaign against a city, regardless of his personal history. I don't agree with the characterization of "throwing gasoline" the cause. He presented his opinion on a potentially inflammatory issue. If these things, real or imagined, go ignored or undiscussed, then there is no "cause." There's no movement to "help the cause" without discussion of it.

Your statement that Boston has come a long way over the last two decades seems to indicate your awareness of a problem, even if it is less current in your mind. The world has come a long way in two decades. But, not far enough. And, because the issue has not, and cannot be fully 'resolved,' it may still be a valid issue and worthy of consideration by people who have to make life decisions when Boston is a factor.

Believe me, i'm not really a Wilbon fan, and i don't believe his remarks were professionally presented. But, there's a difference between ignoring the substance of the remarks and ignoring the commentator. This isn't too far removed from the Imus / Sharpton debacle. Too many people dismissed the damaging comments because they didn't like Sharpton. One would think reasonably sophisticated adults could discern the message from the courier, but America isn't as smart as i would hope.

Dexter
Not to belabor the point, but simply put, Wilbon took a sensitive subject and started whipping it like a rented mule.
I'm not going to debate race issues. They are there. But his arguments were 20 and 30 years old.
We have made inroads. We have a black governor. We have black writers. We have black radio personalities.
Wilbon took a question, which was easy to answer, and yes, threw gasoline on it.
If I was a black person living in the Boston area, I would be offended. Basically, he's saying, "Why do you live here?"

Hi Bill-

I grew up in Cambridge, and my mother teaches on Mission Hill with largely underprivileged youth. We have both witnessed racism extensively in Boston, even through the 90's and the 00's. Sometimes the racism is subtle, and sometimes it is outright, but it's there.

To a prospective free-agent, there is not a lot to like about playing in Boston, including racism: the weather is cold, the city is wildly dedicated to the Red Sox and Patriots instead of basketball, Rivers is totally out-matched, Ainge is erratic and makes bizarre trades, AND there is a surprisingly large amount of racism throughout the City from the "people's republic of Cambridge" to Mission Hill. Wilbon is right to bring this to the forefront. You won't find any lynchings happening anytime soon, but there's a lot of quiet hostility towards Black people in Boston.

It saddens me, because the Celtics are my favorite team from any sport, but the truth hurts sometimes.

-Ben

Ben
You are wrong. Wilbon brought nothing to the forefront during a throwaway interview about the NBA Draft. He just talked old garbage offering no insight.
He's talking about incidents with fans at the "Boston Garden," which was ripped down 12 YEARS AGO! He brings Bill Russell, Pumpsie Green and so on.
He's talking about telling a coach "Why are you doing it?" referring to coming to Boston? Is he a journalist or sports agent?
The bottom line is the Celtics are not an attractive franchise for big-time free agent, black or white. The team is in semi-turmoil.
Is Boston a great place for young, black males? Probably not.
But is the reason solely RACISM?
What about black athletes like JoJo White, Jim Rice, Andre Tippett, etc. who chose to make this area home? Isn't Wilbon slamming them?
As you can see, we are running up a slippery slope, and throwing out stupid, idiotic generalizations doesn't help anything or anybody, especially if they are not true.
To be honest, I would love be involved in real, well-thought out discussion about this topic, not just in Boston, but everywhere.

Mr. Burt,
My hat's off to you in a mode of reverence. I read all of the comments and didn't even want to respond to any of them with a 30 foot pole! Dexter and Ben went so far off from the point that you were making that it was disturbing! To the point of affliction! Curiosly Dexter, "...Boston has long had this reputation. I’ve never lived there (but heard rumors, heresay, untestified myths)." Dexter has issues to resolve and it isn't going to get to done here on a sports blog. How do the kids say it? Chillax? Whew! Then Ben, Oh Mr. Ben, you made it so that my heart.... paused for moments. In this day and age, for you to even type the word 'lynchings', what a cruel and thoughtless way for you to respond to this blog, the simplest perhaps purest forums of response in an age of online. Certainly, Ben and Dexter, I want you to speak your mind, but is this the proper severity in which you wish to express your thoughts and feelings? Heck, it's a sports blog. Understood, the issue is one of fiery feelings and responses, but this isn't what Mr. Burt was referring to. It kind of got away.... Again, Bill my compliments to you for handling these responses so well. Will be back in the future to comment or stay away with a 30 foot pole again.
Ray - Nashua

Bill,
I came across your website by accident. I appreciate that you're upset, but your claims about Wilbon are way way off base. First off, Wilbon is not just a sportswriter but an actor as well, part of his job is to throw gasoline out there, especially in a slow sporting news cycle. He's supposed to make things interesting and he does it well (as evidenced by your response). Secondly, he's not "all over the map". I listened to him talk about this issue over the course of several days, and he continually made one specific point, over and over again: "black athletes are intimidated by boston, primarily due to racial issues." Call it his thesis. Since Wilbon seems to know more professional athletes than just about any other sportscaster, I generally believe him when he makes general claims about athlete's perspectives. He wouldn't just pull that out of thin air. Finally to assert that Wilbon is a "jerk", "nincompoop", or any other sort of slander is simply rhetorical nonsense that does little more than betray that fact that you don't listen to him that often, if at all. I've listened to the guy for over a year and read most of his columns, and he's definitely kind, thoughtful, and intelligent - even on air. More to the point, as a black journalist he handles issues that deal with race carefully and gracefully time and time again. In fact, the only reason I even clicked on your column was because It came up in a search for "dan patrick". When I saw the title, "PTI, but Michael Wilbon is a Jerk", I thought to myself, "now who on earth would write that?"

Oh yeah... A boston sportswriter who isn't bill simmons.

- dan

Dan
If he said exactly what you wrote, “black athletes are intimidated by boston, primarily due to racial issues.” I would not have thought twice about a response.
He implied Boston is a racist city using arguments 30 and 40 years old.
I've lived in this region of the country my entire life and I'm not proud of our history when it comes to race, forget about sports. In fact, black athletes aren't even a good example because they get special treatment, which makes Wilbon's argument even more ludicrous.
Our record is getting better. It is not 1965 any more. Blacks are in key positions in my business and in this region. That is a good thing.
As for Wilbon, he implied the "N-word" is part of our vocabulary, and worse, that black superstars are not cheered or welcomed here. Pure bunk.
That was the interview I heard. And there was more absurdity, too.
As for how you found this Web site, sometimes you find a needle in a haystack. Glad you found it.
Take care.

What was Michael Holley's view of what Wilbon said? I wasn't listening that day.

Bill,

Boston by its very nature excludes people. Getting admitted to a university here is difficult, becoming a doctor here is nearly impossible, getting a job at one of world renowned financial, legal, or consulting firms is tough. So, by its nature the city excludes thousands of people, white, back, Chinese and Latino. It's not silent or hidden; it usually comes in the form of fancy letterhead rejections. So, Boston is not racist, it's selective, and it’s something we should be proud off. It’s just a hard place to succeed, regardless of who you are.

So, calling this city racist is an easy cheap shot. There are thousands of blacks, Asians, and Latinos who have earned their right to succeed here, our governor being a prime example.

Who knows, Wilbon may have been rejected from Harvard, and is still bitter about it.

Ben C

Joe, I'm glad you asked that. I didn't mean to infer that Michael Holley did something wrong. He didn't. In fact, he was the only person I heard comment about Wilbon. I was just disappointed he didn't take a stronger stand.
Holley is not a native, but like it or not he is becoming a Bostonian. He left Boston for Chicago and came back, which says something. He has had success in two mediums here in Boston, newspaper and radio. I would be interested in his thoughts on black athetes and their "alleged" discomfort in Boston.
Wilbon, in my mind, started going off the board on his race talk: From Doc Rivers to Bill Russell to Freddy Lynn to Dominicans-are-not-blacks, etc.
Thanks for the post.

Ben
Talk about rejections in Boston? I would be on the leaderboard.
We are not, as a community, a welcoming bunch. We can be cold. We are stuck in our ways.
Trust me, when I've been on the road with Boston sports teams, including and especially Super Bowls, I have been embarrassed watching Boston fans berate the locals or opposing fans.
When someone throws the term "racist" around they had better back it up and be ready for a return volley.
I remember when Rush Limbaugh gave his rant about Donovan McNabb and black quarterbacks. I remember thinking, why is he talking about this on a Sunday morning NFL show? First off, Limbaugh's remarks were idiotic and secondly, he chose the wrong forum to debate them.

Hey Bill,

Thanks for the apology blog. I look forward to reading some more of your posts.

- dan

Hey Bill,

That's an interesting perspective on the issue. Just a quick question, how many black employees does the Eagle Tribune employee?

Bill,
Go ride the Silver Line up Washington and then tell me Boston is not a racist town. We're amazed you don't need a snorkel to breath with your head that far up your tuckus. They replaced the trains with buses and painted those buses silver and told everyone it was a train! How much more institutionally racist can you get than that! This is our city, but let's not lie about it.

calling Wilbon an "actor" is ridiculous. He and Kornheiser are both sports journalists, employed by the Washington Post, and have to follow the precepts of journalism. While many radio hosts will come out and say that they are, in fact, not journalists (John Dennis going so far as to call himself an 'entertainer' on OTL), that doesn't mean that their guests can shirk their responsibilities as journalists as well. In this day and age, sports journalists have to wear a lot of hats and permeate media in a number of ways to make ends, but as journalists their responsibilities are the same. Just because the medium has changed does not mean that the rules have; as a journalist he has to hold himself to a higher standard.

I don't doubt Wilbon's experiences were negative, and I certainly am aware of Boston's racist sports past. But to suggest that things are the same today as they were when Jackie Robinson couldn't get a tryout, and that Boston is the only city where race once was, and might still be, a problem for athletes, is irresponsible. Are there racists in Boston? undoubtedly. I've lived in Roxbury and seen the hostility and tension, on both sides of the tracks. Do those racists constitute anything remotely bearing on a majority? not even close. Boston has its scars, and its wounds yet to heal, just like every other sports city.

Interestingly enough, out of all the sports markets with an underlying racial divide, Minnesota would near the top of the list. The scandal with the Minnesota Vikings was a fire stoked by racial tension throughout the area and more than a few journalists, residents, and athletes suggested that had the girls working on the boats (the girls who by most accounts enjoyed themselves on the water only to reach dock and begin crying and playing the victim) not been lily white local girls, the whole affair would've never aroused the ire that it did. Not to mention that had the whole thing played out in Atlanta, New York, Boston, etc. that it would've been covered up or buried by local officials without charges ever being filed.

Still doesn't change the fact that it used to take 7 minutes from Dudley on the Orange and now it takes 35. Why? To keep the black people out of downtown and out of areas of economic opportunity. It is the hypocrisy that is so disgusting. Hooray Beer!

Wilbon talks more about this debate and specifically addresses your column in the new Bill Simmons podcast on ESPN.com.