Race Ridiculous
Hank Aaron was just on CNN saying we need to "sell baseball better to blacks" (meaning black kids). Outrageous. We don't "sell" baseball to anybody in particular. You want to play, you play. You're good, maybe you can do something with it.
P.S. Where we're really coming up short in the race/ethnicity department is on baseball players from South Korea. Should we "sell baseball better to South Koreans"?
CNN is easily the most race obsessed of the news networks. Even CNBC, which is further left than CNN, isn't as fixated on race.
What bugs me about CNN's coverage of race 'issues' is that it tends to be extremely condescending towards Blacks. I remember a story that they ran a few months ago about a young Black kid who'd gotten good grades and won some academic prize in his state. He seemed like a bright kid, and looked like he was maybe 9 or 10 years old. But they turned the whole story into this melodrama about how he was a brilliant hero who'd overcome racism and would heal the world by fighting white racism. It was so over the top that you actually felt embarrassed for the kid, because they were obviously trying to use him as a foil for their race agenda. He's on screen talking about how he liked school, and how cool it was to win, and they're twisting everything he's saying into a race diatribe. What's apparent is that CNN's coverage of Black people starts from the assumption that Blacks are only one step removed from field slaves.
walrus at May 14, 2011 9:21 AM
Another incident that's indicative of their mindset was during the Bush v Gore Florida recount when they were trying to argue that there should be a full revote in Black areas because Blacks can't read and are confused by complex forms.
walrus at May 14, 2011 9:23 AM
What about selling basketball better to whites? Or Asians? It's just about pandering... notice how no group that doesn't vote democrat, no matter how small and underrepresented, ever seems to be designated as a minority that needs special treatment.
Trust at May 14, 2011 9:40 AM
ESPN is every bit as race obsessed as CNN is -- they just hide it somewhat better. A couple of years ago, their regular baseball announcers Jon Miller and Joe Morgan were discussing (during a game, no less) the influx of Hispanic players into the game, and how they were displacing black players. Morgan's suggested fix? Limit the number of white players! I wanted to ask Morgan: "OK, which white players do you want to ban from baseball so that more blacks can get in? Give me names. Who do we throw out? Cole Hamels? Justin Verlander? Paul Konerko? Tommy Hanson? Travis Hafner?"
Aaron disgraced himself at the end of his career. He dissed the Atlanta fans as racist, after they had practically given him the keys to the city after he broke Babe Ruth's record. He dissed his teammates and blamed them for the Braves' lack of success in Aaron's later years. After his retirement, Aaron shamed the Braves into hiring him as their general manager. And as good a player as Aaron was, he was a terrible GM. Aaron was the guy who said that Brad Komminsk would make everyone forget Dale Murphy. Aaron engineering the disastrous Len Barker trade, which destroyed the foundation of the mid-'80 Braves and is now regarded as one of the worst trades in the history of baseball. Yet, when the Braves replaced Aaron with Bobby Cox, Aaron once again played the race card.
If you ask fans in Atlanta, including a lot of the black fans, they acknowledge the greatness of what he accomplished as a player -- but they're sick and tired of his whining.
Cousin Dave at May 14, 2011 10:18 AM
There are no white, redheaded women playing in the NBA. I call racesexantigingerism!
Amy Alkon at May 14, 2011 10:23 AM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVN_0qvuhhw!
DaveG at May 14, 2011 10:33 AM
The people who run major league baseball would love to sell baseball to blacks--that's why they have the Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities program. The drop in the percentage of black major-league players in recent years concerns them; they believe they're losing kids to football and basketball.
You know where baseball really needs to be sold? South America. There are lots of Hispanic players in the majors, but they're mostly from Mexico, Puerto Rico, the Dominican, and a couple of Central American countries. On the South American continent, only Venezuela produces major leaguers. In the nearly 50 years I've been following baseball, I think there might have been a handful of players from Colombia, and none from Brazil, Argentina, or anyplace else down there.
Rex Little at May 14, 2011 11:39 AM
Blacks just came to the same conclusion everyone else did - baseball is damn boring.
JFP at May 14, 2011 8:18 PM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2011/05/14/race_ridiculous.html#comment-2138730">comment from JFPI find it terribly dull. Football, too.
Amy Alkon at May 14, 2011 8:23 PM
Walrus, I disagree with your statement that CNN is the most race obsessed news network. The creeps at MSNBC, in my experience, easily take that crown. This is not to say CNN isn't because they are (as well as much/most of the MSM). However, check out some of the prime time creep brigade from MSNBC to hear some of the race based gems they have uttered. One of my favorites was Maddow explaining Fox news as the network for showing big scary black people (I believe she said it on The Letterman Show).
The pathetic race based thinking is not limited to news networks as evidenced by MLB. Imho, the MSM Conventional Wisdom is that sports MUST have a significant proportion of blacks. Now things like a smaller proportion of high school graduates to a higher proportion of children born to single family households in poverty? Puhlease, never mind that. There just needs to be a higher portion of shortstops!
TW at May 15, 2011 12:30 AM
It could be a lack of baseball fields where most black kids live, or a conspiracy. That's an easy conclusion to draw, depending on your biases.
There are quotas for gaijins on Japanese baseball teams. Baseball is still big in Japan. I have fond memories of watching the Hiroshima Carp playing from the beer garden on the roof of a nearby department store with my English class. Good food, good beer, cute girls and baseball far in the background.
MarkD at May 15, 2011 5:14 AM
And the Carp's unis (at least back in the 80s) looked just like Cincinnati's!
Old RPM Daddy at May 15, 2011 9:07 AM
Today was the annual Civil Rights game in Atlanta. Carlos Santana was one of the people honored before the game. He used the occasion to call all of the white fans in attendance racists for supporting Georgia's anti-illegal law.
Say what you want about Ron Artest, but at least he's not calling me a racist.
Cousin Dave at May 15, 2011 1:34 PM
Carlos Santana is crazy, and that's not an exaggeration. He's notorious for making increasingly bizarre pronouncements regarding conversations that he's had with angels and even the Virgin of Guadalupe. If you read his interviews, they're filled with all sorts of bizarre nonsense. Apparently he believes that he's some sort of supernatural being that communes with the spirits of the universe. I'm not kidding. He's also on record endorsing a widespread genocide. His wife had divorced him because she recognized that he'd gone insane. It's actually a sad story, he hadn't always been so sick. But he's the last person who should be receiving any sort of civil rights award, because he'd gladly send most of the people in the audience to the gas chamber if he had the chance.
Pablo at May 15, 2011 7:32 PM
What does Carlos Santana have to do with baseball?
What is a "civil rights game?" No white players, because black player used to be excluded, and it's get even day? I get Jackie Robinson, but the rest of this stirs my inner cynic. My inner cynic needs no stirring.
MarkD at May 15, 2011 9:05 PM
Did Santana scold Mexico for their immigration laws as well? Probably not. Also, did he wear a Che shirt? Ya gotta wear a Che shirt to civil rights ceremony, dude.
"Moonflower" is a pretty good record, though, ain't it? I can't remember.
Jason S. at May 15, 2011 10:07 PM
I've often wished the US's offical immigration policy was "the same as your country of origin"
lujlp at May 15, 2011 10:18 PM
"Carlos Santana "
I think the most bizarre thing about Santana is he does make high heeled women's shoes that they sell in Macys.
"are lots of Hispanic players in the majors, but they're mostly from Mexico, Puerto Rico, the Dominican"
Puerto Ricans and Dominicans DO have alot of black slave in them.
Reminds me of the whole issue I have with Halle Berry calling her daughter black. Who cares anymore really?
Ppen at May 15, 2011 11:03 PM
i think all of you are missing the point. It's not to grow the black audience for baseball for race or racism's sake. it's for reasons of commerce and commercialism.
They want black kids to come back to baseball so they play it as kids, watch it as adults, and have some of them grow up to be good enough to play the game professionally and perpetuate the cycle. The only thing they're worried about is the bottom line and ticket sales.
elementary at May 16, 2011 8:39 AM
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