Comments on: Race-baiting again in Boston

By: Colin

Colin — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 16:33:42 +0000

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

By: The Crack Staff @ Perkisabeast.com

The Crack Staff @ Perkisabeast.com — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 18:37:32 +0000

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!

By: T.J.

T.J. — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 18:17:21 +0000

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.

By: The Crack Staff @ Perkisabeast.com

The Crack Staff @ Perkisabeast.com — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 16:55:37 +0000

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.

By: Bob Cobb

Bob Cobb — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 14:35:29 +0000

Hey Bill,

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

By: Dan Ray

Dan Ray — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 06:31:23 +0000

Hey Bill,

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

- dan

By: Bill Burt

Bill Burt — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 19:45:03 +0000

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.

By: Bill Burt

Bill Burt — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 19:39:20 +0000

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.

By: Ben C

Ben C — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 19:21:59 +0000

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

By: Joey B

Joey B — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 18:39:54 +0000

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