Author Topic: african american coaches  (Read 8617 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

african american coaches
« on: July 12, 2008, 09:33:50 PM »

Offline houlana

  • Al Horford
  • Posts: 412
  • Tommy Points: 21
just to create an interesting diccussion.

before KG arrived in Boston, people were saying that he would not come here because boston is a racist city.
i have only been living in boston for 9 yrs now, so i dont know what reasons they have for saying that.

but from the 5 african american coaches to win a championship, the celtics have 3 of them,

Bill russell, KC jones, and now doc rivers.

other 2 would be: Lenny Wilkins (Seattle Supersonics), and Al Attles (Golden State Warriors).

i think i also remember from prior discussions someone saying that the celts were the first to have all black starting five, and also our current team is mostly african american players.

so on what grounds are people saying, to what seems to me, are foolish statements

Re: african american coaches
« Reply #1 on: July 12, 2008, 09:41:44 PM »

Offline kw10

  • Bill Walton
  • *
  • Posts: 1109
  • Tommy Points: 49
  • KG is da Man
I think the explanation is: Larry came here and Magic went to LA, if the opposite happened, people might have called LA a racist ciy.

I think Celtics were also the first team to have an African American coach in Bill Russell, and Red also famously gave Russ a contract that is worth one dollar more than any other players' contract (if I know my history correctly)-and back then this was big.
Anything is possible!!!

Re: african american coaches
« Reply #2 on: July 12, 2008, 09:42:49 PM »

Online Redz

  • Punner
  • Global Moderator
  • Bill Russell
  • ******************************
  • Posts: 30897
  • Tommy Points: 3765
  • Yup
I don't think any player has ever called the Celtics a racist organization, but there definitely has been a few players over the years who called out Boston for being a racist city.  Fair or not, I'm not to say...
Yup

Re: african american coaches
« Reply #3 on: July 12, 2008, 09:45:22 PM »

Offline NicaraguanFan

  • Derrick White
  • Posts: 264
  • Tommy Points: 28
The Celtics drafted the first black ever: Chuck Cooper.
#18 is coming...

Re: african american coaches
« Reply #4 on: July 12, 2008, 09:50:41 PM »

Offline Roy Hobbs

  • In The Rafters
  • The Natural
  • *********************************
  • Posts: 33333
  • Tommy Points: 6430
  • Doc could learn a thing or two from Norman Dale
Quote
I don't think any player has ever called the Celtics a racist organization, but there definitely has been a few players over the years who called out Boston for being a racist city.  Fair or not, I'm not to say...

Yeah.  Bill Russell called Boston a "flea market of racism", and once said "I am a Celtic, not a BOSTON Celtic."  Of course, this was after some racist vandals broke into his home and wrote racist graffiti on his walls (among other vile things).

All the negativity in this town sucks. It sucks, and it stinks, and it sucks. - Rick Pitino

Portland CrotoNats:  2009 CB Draft Champions

Re: african american coaches
« Reply #5 on: July 12, 2008, 09:54:48 PM »

Offline goCeltics

  • Don Chaney
  • *
  • Posts: 1866
  • Tommy Points: 68
The racist tag came from the rep of the city, with the desegregation busing stuff that happened in the 70's and partly how bill russelll was treated. The racist rep is more a thing of the past and you only hear it raised usually by older writers. I never been to the city so I can't say eitheir way, but suspect it's thing of the past, i wouldn't suspect the city is more racist that any other average US city now.  
« Last Edit: July 13, 2008, 01:24:24 AM by goCeltics »

Re: african american coaches
« Reply #6 on: July 12, 2008, 10:22:24 PM »

Offline houlana

  • Al Horford
  • Posts: 412
  • Tommy Points: 21
how could it be a thing of the past. some people obviously still feel that way.
most recently, that dumb writer from ESPN.

its pritty crazy though that we have 3 of the five coaches winning a championship

Re: african american coaches
« Reply #7 on: July 12, 2008, 10:38:02 PM »

Offline zerophase

  • Bailey Howell
  • **
  • Posts: 2394
  • Tommy Points: 334
  • Anything's Possible
russell's animosity after playing for the celitcs, resulting in him not even showing up during his initial jersey retiring ceremony was well understood. he played in boston during the time following the civil rights movements and the people of boston were definitely racist towards him. however, the celtics organization was not racist at all, especially red, who didn't give a f*** what race a person was.

Become Legendary.

Re: african american coaches
« Reply #8 on: July 12, 2008, 10:50:17 PM »

Offline billysan

  • Ray Allen
  • ***
  • Posts: 3875
  • Tommy Points: 178
how could it be a thing of the past. some people obviously still feel that way.
most recently, that dumb writer from ESPN.

its pritty crazy though that we have 3 of the five coaches winning a championship
It's truly a generation issue for many folks now. Some people just live in the past. Look at Jesse Jackson, he is becoming less and less relevant to our modern society. He doesnt have a political platform anymore unless he 'creates' a racial angle.

Most people under thirty in this country are less concerned with racism than at any time in our history. The NBA and other professional sports have become models against racism the past few decades.

I was in Southie in the seventies when school busing decisions resulted in bricks and garbage being thrown at black kids on school buses. Many white people were more racist in Boston at that time than in the deep south on some issues. I know because we moved to Virginia and then North Florida during those times. Not meaning to single anyone out, but those days are gone. Why dig them up? It accomplishes nothing and is not the norm anymore IMO. I am not saying we forget, just move on and continue to grow. 8)
"First fix their hearts" -Eizo Shimabuku

Re: african american coaches
« Reply #9 on: July 12, 2008, 11:06:23 PM »

Offline blackbird

  • Jrue Holiday
  • Posts: 360
  • Tommy Points: 64


"A single photograph epitomized for Americans the meaning and horror of the crisis. On April 5, 1976, at an anti-busing rally at City Hall Plaza, Stanley Forman, a photographer for the Boston Herald-American, captured a teenager as he transformed the American flag into a weapon directed at the body of a black man. It is the ultimate act of desecration, performed in the year of the bicentennial and in the shadows of Boston's Old State House. Titled The Soiling of Old Glory, the photograph appeared in newspapers around the country and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1977. The image shattered the illusion that racial segregation and hatred were strictly a Southern phenomenon. For many, Boston now seemed little different than Birmingham."

http://www.prometheus6.org/node/20517

Re: african american coaches
« Reply #10 on: July 12, 2008, 11:13:54 PM »

Offline billysan

  • Ray Allen
  • ***
  • Posts: 3875
  • Tommy Points: 178
Nice find BB. Exactly my point about the seventies in Boston. I contend these days are old news though and digging them up is mostly not relevant to Boston today. I guess reputations are tough to shake. TP for you. 8)
"First fix their hearts" -Eizo Shimabuku

Re: african american coaches
« Reply #11 on: July 13, 2008, 12:24:18 AM »

Offline NicaraguanFan

  • Derrick White
  • Posts: 264
  • Tommy Points: 28
I think racism is more about fear than true hate. I fear the one who looks different than me.

I live in Costa Rica since I was a child. In 80s and 90s a lot people came from Nicaragua to Costa Rica and today the country suffers of chronic xenophobia toward Nicaraguans. People make fun about Nicaraguan accent, they have jokes about how idiots Nicaraguans are, etc, etc.  As racism, xenophobia is based on fear.

Since I have spent most of my life in Costa Rica I don't have Nicaraguan accent. When I was in high school, I became close friend of a nice girl.  It happened that she had bad feelings toward Nicaraguans, when she knew I was one, her face was of complete unbelievability.  It was late, we were close friends so she accepted me. At least she learned not to judge someone for the country she/he is from. By the way, my friend's sister knew I was Nicaraguan, but she didn't say a word because she wanted to see her sister's face once she figured out I was from Nic.

NF.

#18 is coming...

Re: african american coaches
« Reply #12 on: July 13, 2008, 12:46:42 AM »

Offline cdif911

  • Antoine Walker
  • ****
  • Posts: 4868
  • Tommy Points: 43
I think racism is about power - sorry to sound Marxist, but I think the Marxist interpretation carries a lot of weight.  If we can separate ourselves over something, it allows us to hold others down and be succesful ourselves, whether its class (as Marx argued), race, gender, height, weight, whatever, people will find differences that makes themselves into a group - to claim an African-American coach is inferior to a caucasian coach of course is wrong, racist, and ungrounded, BUT many people do think that way, because it enhances the superiority of their race, or if you are of that race, may become a self fulfilling prophecy.

that said, I understand why people use race to put others down, I hate that it happens, I wish we lived in a color-blind world, but the fact remains we don't.  I think it is ok to embrace our differences, as long as it doesn't get in the way of us being one nation
When you love life, life loves you right back


Re: african american coaches
« Reply #13 on: July 13, 2008, 01:21:25 AM »

Offline Cassidy122690

  • Joe Mazzulla
  • Posts: 139
  • Tommy Points: 18
Racism is everywhere, and Boston is no exception.  Plain and simple.
Out of Ireland have we come, great hatred, little room, maimed us at the start. I carry from my mother's womb a fanatic heart.  W.B. Yeats

Re: african american coaches
« Reply #14 on: July 13, 2008, 01:58:15 AM »

Offline cmburrill

  • Oshae Brissett
  • Posts: 56
  • Tommy Points: 5
The Boston Redsox was the last team to have sign a African American ball player 12 years after Jackie. Further more, Harvard U Civil Rights project throws this out...http://third_decade.typepad.com/killing_time/2005/04/racism_study_in.html