Thursday, August 26, 2004
It's Red, White, and Blue, Not Black and White
Mr. Whitlock,
As a devoted fan of ESPN and it's entities (ESPN.com, ESPN The Magazine, even ESPN video games), I enjoy the product they produce on a constant basis. Every once in a while I will come across programming or literature I don't enjoy. Sometimes I even come across material I downright loathe. Your article is one of them.
The ESPN.com story titled "The haters can't handle the truth" is one of the most ignorant pieces of "journalism" I have ever read. I don't know if you were hired by ESPN to take over the late Ralph Wiley as the Resident Angry Black Man but you are doing a great job filling in his clown shoes. Your skill for looking for situations involving African-Americans so you can label them as racist mirrors that of Wiley's.
When did "rooting against" something so trivial as an Olympic basketball team become unpatriotic? Because they wear red, white, and blue and have the letters 'USA' across their chest means they embody the values of all Americans? Because they represent this great country in a world-wide sporting event we should abandon our own preferences and cheer them to the Gold?
And I'm not sure "rooting against" is even the correct term. I for one can't stand NBA basketball anymore and I enjoy watching the fundamentally sound college teams like Princeton and Gonzaga (GASP! "White" schools!) over seeing Kobe dribble off his foot while trying to glide past three defenders or watching Brad Miller plodding along in the lane unable to find his touch on a simple jump-hook. Am I "rooting against" Team USA? Not at all. Nothing would make me more happy than for every one of our athletes to come home with a gold medal around their neck, considered by some to be the pinnacle in all sports, pro or amateur. But will I shed a tear or throw my remote should they lose to the winner of the Argentina/Greece game? No, and why should I when I don't enjoy the product they put out. Is buying a Toyota instead of a Saturn unpatriotic because I scorned an American-made product and chose to invest in a foreign vehicle?
You are quick to point the finger at racism. But I could give you a roster full of African-American players (Chris Duhon, Shane Battier and Michael Redd to name a few) to go along with current players like Emeka Okafor and Tim Duncan who have played hard throughout the Olympic tourney. Perhaps this team would be inferior to the current roster, but that's okay. Because they would hustle. Play team ball. Listen to their coach instead of pouting on the bench. What you fail to realize, Mr. Whitlock, is that even with the present Team USA, if they came home with the Bronze or even didn't medal, the American public would be okay with it as long as they showed heart, hustle and the desire to win. The Dream Team concept has put so much pressure on every team and it is very unfair to this team because the 2004 squad lacks the fundamentals and team spirit past Dream Teams have had.
You defend Team USA when you say that they don't "care about the Olympics the way Michael Phelps does." Why not? That in itself is a shame and a major reason why Americans are having a hard time backing this team.
Mr. Whitlock, your criticism of the American public's stand versus USA Basketball is not borderline racist. It is clearly racist. We do NOT owe Iverson support when he's representing us abroad because he is NOT representing us. He may be representing our country in name, but not in value or principle.
Should Team USA somehow win the Gold, I would not be surprised to see "me first" players like Iverson and Marbury step off the plane in the United States with their bling around their necks instead of a gold medal.
Sincerely,
Joe Lederer
|
As a devoted fan of ESPN and it's entities (ESPN.com, ESPN The Magazine, even ESPN video games), I enjoy the product they produce on a constant basis. Every once in a while I will come across programming or literature I don't enjoy. Sometimes I even come across material I downright loathe. Your article is one of them.
The ESPN.com story titled "The haters can't handle the truth" is one of the most ignorant pieces of "journalism" I have ever read. I don't know if you were hired by ESPN to take over the late Ralph Wiley as the Resident Angry Black Man but you are doing a great job filling in his clown shoes. Your skill for looking for situations involving African-Americans so you can label them as racist mirrors that of Wiley's.
When did "rooting against" something so trivial as an Olympic basketball team become unpatriotic? Because they wear red, white, and blue and have the letters 'USA' across their chest means they embody the values of all Americans? Because they represent this great country in a world-wide sporting event we should abandon our own preferences and cheer them to the Gold?
And I'm not sure "rooting against" is even the correct term. I for one can't stand NBA basketball anymore and I enjoy watching the fundamentally sound college teams like Princeton and Gonzaga (GASP! "White" schools!) over seeing Kobe dribble off his foot while trying to glide past three defenders or watching Brad Miller plodding along in the lane unable to find his touch on a simple jump-hook. Am I "rooting against" Team USA? Not at all. Nothing would make me more happy than for every one of our athletes to come home with a gold medal around their neck, considered by some to be the pinnacle in all sports, pro or amateur. But will I shed a tear or throw my remote should they lose to the winner of the Argentina/Greece game? No, and why should I when I don't enjoy the product they put out. Is buying a Toyota instead of a Saturn unpatriotic because I scorned an American-made product and chose to invest in a foreign vehicle?
You are quick to point the finger at racism. But I could give you a roster full of African-American players (Chris Duhon, Shane Battier and Michael Redd to name a few) to go along with current players like Emeka Okafor and Tim Duncan who have played hard throughout the Olympic tourney. Perhaps this team would be inferior to the current roster, but that's okay. Because they would hustle. Play team ball. Listen to their coach instead of pouting on the bench. What you fail to realize, Mr. Whitlock, is that even with the present Team USA, if they came home with the Bronze or even didn't medal, the American public would be okay with it as long as they showed heart, hustle and the desire to win. The Dream Team concept has put so much pressure on every team and it is very unfair to this team because the 2004 squad lacks the fundamentals and team spirit past Dream Teams have had.
You defend Team USA when you say that they don't "care about the Olympics the way Michael Phelps does." Why not? That in itself is a shame and a major reason why Americans are having a hard time backing this team.
Mr. Whitlock, your criticism of the American public's stand versus USA Basketball is not borderline racist. It is clearly racist. We do NOT owe Iverson support when he's representing us abroad because he is NOT representing us. He may be representing our country in name, but not in value or principle.
Should Team USA somehow win the Gold, I would not be surprised to see "me first" players like Iverson and Marbury step off the plane in the United States with their bling around their necks instead of a gold medal.
Sincerely,
Joe Lederer
# posted by j.h.k. @ 1:30 PM 
