Author Topic: Hawks owner to sell team because of "racist" email  (Read 22549 times)

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Re: Hawks owner to sell team because of "racist" email
« Reply #60 on: September 08, 2014, 07:52:57 PM »

Offline Eja117

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Personally I think Kareem is a phony that looks at what way the winds are blowing.

I didn't think every single thing in the email was racist. "He still has some African in him" ...people would have no problem if he was talking about Goran Dragic and said "He still has some Euro in him". Although if he had said Lin still had some Harvard Asian in him....

There is no way I could have an email like that which I wrote come out and look my neighbors of color in the eye. No way.

The emphasis wasn't on appealing to a broader audience. He didn't say "Let's get more diversity on the TV and appeal to more people".  He didn't say "Let's have other kinds of music or food".

It was basically "Too black. How am I supposed to make money like this? How's a white guy ever supposed to enjoy a game"?  Yeah thats' racist. 

And I don't know how many of you went to business school and studied stuff like marketing but a real business man doesn't say "Too black." If he really wanted to make more money than I guess he should have been appealing to the segments of society that earn more...like Jews and Asians and gays. He could have pointed out far more women earn college degrees so it's time to have male cheerleaders or something. Nope.  No reputable businessman does what he did. They would want to analyze the kiss cam and do in depth analysis. Require things be proportional. If 55% of the population is white then 55% of the kiss cam could be white or at least if 55% of the money comes from certain backgrounds then maybe you chase that.....speaking of business is there any analysis on how much a kiss cam contributes or takes away from your bottom line? George Steinbrenner was a business man. Cuban is a business man. Think they ever racially micromanaged a kiss cam? Maybe Marge Scott. If he's such a business man the emphasis should have been on price points, players contracts, winning games...things that actually put people in seats.

Further I got the clear sense his issue wasn't so much with what his fans wanted as with what he wanted.

I'm not saying he's the biggest racist ever or anything like that. But I can't say those comments aren't racist. Are they punishable? Whole nother issue. But they seem pretty racist to me.

What if a principal at a school said something like that. Hey our newsletter is too black and we want more white parents to be comfortable with the school.  Marketing isn't a picture. It's the story told.

I can't just excuse those comments.


Re: Hawks owner to sell team because of "racist" email
« Reply #61 on: September 08, 2014, 08:00:46 PM »

Offline Eja117

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Ferry: So this is how we can build a championship team...

Levinson: Uh uh. No way we'll ever make any money that way. White people will never buy tickets to this championship team because there are just way too many black people on the kiss cam. We need to change that. We'll make a fortune that way.

Yeah. Very non racist legit businessman there.

Re: Hawks owner to sell team because of "racist" email
« Reply #62 on: September 08, 2014, 08:14:02 PM »

Offline Ogaju

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Kareem is wrong and just trying to be relevant by taking a contrary stance.

Earlier in this thread you stated:

Quote
All the posts in support of Levenson miss the larger point, context context context. It is not what you think, or what I think. It is what the larger black civil rights conscious movement thinks. That is what this is all about.

Yet when Abdul-Jabber disagrees with you he is wrong? This despite you saying that your own opinion does not matter, but only what the black civil rights movement think. Abdul-Jabbar has been part of that said movement for how many years now?



Wrong I didn't say black civil rights movement I said the 'larger black civil rights conscious movement', and that is what leads the action. And the fact that I said it does not matter what I think, does not mean I do not have an opinion on the matter.

Re: Hawks owner to sell team because of "racist" email
« Reply #63 on: September 08, 2014, 09:30:41 PM »

Offline ImShakHeIsShaq

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If he is saying he was being racist then I'll take him at his word, it doesn't matter what I think.
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Levenson resigned over his email, but this gets Ferry an "undisclosed" penalty?
« Reply #64 on: September 09, 2014, 01:18:49 AM »

Offline Endless Paradise

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So... turns out this is what Ferry meant by "has a little African in him." Jesus Christ:


Re: Hawks owner to sell team because of "racist" email
« Reply #65 on: September 09, 2014, 01:22:19 AM »

Offline D.o.s.

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Yeah I just saw that. For anyone who can't read the image:
Quote
With respect to one potential free agent, a highly-regarded African-American player and humanitarian, Ferry talked about the player's good points, and then went on to describe his negatives, stating that "he has a little African in him. Not in a bad way, but he's like a guy who would have a nice store out front but sell you counterfeit stuff out of the back." Ferry completed the racial slur by describing the player (and impliedly, all persons of African decent) as a two-faced liar and cheat.

Two finger salute is pretty appropriate for Mr. Ferry, I think, although it's interesting that there's no mention that Ferry's reading a scout's report in that email.
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Re: Hawks owner to sell team because of "racist" email
« Reply #66 on: September 09, 2014, 01:28:49 AM »

Offline ImShakHeIsShaq

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Yeah I just saw that. For anyone who can't read the image:
Quote
With respect to one potential free agent, a highly-regarded African-American player and humanitarian, Ferry talked about the player's good points, and then went on to describe his negatives, stating that "he has a little African in him. Not in a bad way, but he's like a guy who would have a nice store out front but sell you counterfeit stuff out of the back." Ferry completed the racial slur by describing the player (and impliedly, all persons of African decent) as a two-faced liar and cheat.

Two finger salute is pretty appropriate for Mr. Ferry, I think, although it's interesting that there's no mention that Ferry's reading a scout's report in that email.
 

Yikes. "Not in a bad way" are you kidding me?
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Re: Hawks owner to sell team because of "racist" email
« Reply #67 on: September 09, 2014, 01:39:42 AM »

Offline Endless Paradise

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"You've got a little Forrest Gump in you.  I don't mean that in a bad way, but you're the type of person who would look up to the sky during a rainstorm and drown because you'd leave your mouth open.  You're a complete moron and dolt.












... no offense."

Re: Hawks owner to sell team because of "racist" email
« Reply #68 on: September 09, 2014, 01:44:57 AM »

Offline Endless Paradise

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Yeah I just saw that. For anyone who can't read the image:
Quote
With respect to one potential free agent, a highly-regarded African-American player and humanitarian, Ferry talked about the player's good points, and then went on to describe his negatives, stating that "he has a little African in him. Not in a bad way, but he's like a guy who would have a nice store out front but sell you counterfeit stuff out of the back." Ferry completed the racial slur by describing the player (and impliedly, all persons of African decent) as a two-faced liar and cheat.

Two finger salute is pretty appropriate for Mr. Ferry, I think, although it's interesting that there's no mention that Ferry's reading a scout's report in that email.

Given that this took place during a conference call, I think it's entirely possible the whistleblower didn't know that Ferry was reading that from the scouting report (as opposed to just sharing his own assessments of free agents).

... of course, given what was said, the subsequent lack of action (this took place in June), and the shadiness of this whole deal, I'm not going to rule out the possibility of the whole "these were someone else's words" thing being completely made up.

Re: Hawks owner to sell team because of "racist" email
« Reply #69 on: September 09, 2014, 09:08:51 AM »

Online bdm860

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Well, as long as the pitchforks are out, J. Michael Gearon, Jr. needs to sell his stake too.

Apparently all black people are African-American's in his mind.

Now THAT's racist.

 ;D

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Re: Hawks owner to sell team because of "racist" email
« Reply #70 on: September 09, 2014, 09:34:59 AM »

Offline D.o.s.

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Ferry: So this is how we can build a championship team...

Levinson: Uh uh. No way we'll ever make any money that way. White people will never buy tickets to this championship team because there are just way too many black people on the kiss cam. We need to change that. We'll make a fortune that way.

Yeah. Very non racist legit businessman there.

This might be due for some revision, in light of the newest email.
At least a goldfish with a Lincoln Log on its back goin' across your floor to your sock drawer has a miraculous connotation to it.

Re: Hawks owner to sell team because of "racist" email
« Reply #71 on: September 09, 2014, 10:25:58 AM »

Online Roy H.

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Well, as long as the pitchforks are out, J. Michael Gearon, Jr. needs to sell his stake too.

Apparently all black people are African-American's in his mind.

Now THAT's racist.

 ;D

Haha.  I noticed the same thing when I read that email.

I'm also curious what it is about Luol Deng the basketball player that equates him to a guy who will sell counterfeit merchandise out of the back of a shop.  What's that even mean, especially when modified by "not in a bad way"?


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Re: Hawks owner to sell team because of "racist" email
« Reply #72 on: September 09, 2014, 10:49:10 AM »

Online bdm860

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I'm also curious what it is about Luol Deng the basketball player that equates him to a guy who will sell counterfeit merchandise out of the back of a shop.  What's that even mean, especially when modified by "not in a bad way"?

I've been wondering this too.

The first thing I can think of is maybe he means you hear his name, look at his stats, and you think you're getting an All-NBA strong lockerroom leader,  just a little beneath the LeBron/Durant/Carmelo tier (like a prime Paul Pierce or Danny Granger  maybe), but what you're really getting with Deng is a player who is closer to Jeff Green.

You're looking in the store window and think you're getting a Paul Pierce model player, but what you're really getting is a Jeff Green model player.  He sells himself like an alpha dog All-Star, but he's really a #3 player at best.  But I don't mean that in a bad way, because Jeff Green is a classy guy and a good basketball player.  He's just not going to be the All-NBA veteran leader you think he's going to be.

That would be my first (positive spin) guess on how it was meant, something along those lines anyway.

Of course I can also think of some ways that it could have been meant very negatively. 
« Last Edit: September 09, 2014, 11:08:56 AM by bdm860 »

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Re: Hawks owner to sell team because of "racist" email
« Reply #73 on: September 09, 2014, 11:02:26 AM »

Online Moranis

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I'm also curious what it is about Luol Deng the basketball player that equates him to a guy who will sell counterfeit merchandise out of the back of a shop.  What's that even mean, especially when modified by "not in a bad way"?

I've been wondering this too.

The first thing I can think of is maybe he means you hear his name, look at his stats, and you think you're getting an All-NBA strong lockerroom leader,  just a little beneath the LeBron/Durant/Carmelo tier (like a prime Paul Pierce or Danny Granger  maybe), but what you're really getting with Deng is a player who is closer to Jeff Green.

You're looking in the store window and think you're getting a Paul Pierce model player, but what you're really getting is a Jeff Green model player.  He sells himself like an alpha dog All-Star, but he's really a #3 player at best.  But I don't mean that in a bad way, because Jeff Green is a classy guy and a good basketball player.  He's just not going to be the All-NBA veteran leader you think he's going to be.

That would be my guess on how it was meant, something along those lines anyway.
I don't think it had anything to do with his skills.  I think it was solely about character.  Like "deng sells himself as this great team player and locker room guy, but he isn't when you look deeper."
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Re: Hawks owner to sell team because of "racist" email
« Reply #74 on: September 09, 2014, 11:09:28 AM »

Offline clover

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I'm also curious what it is about Luol Deng the basketball player that equates him to a guy who will sell counterfeit merchandise out of the back of a shop.  What's that even mean, especially when modified by "not in a bad way"?

I've been wondering this too.

The first thing I can think of is maybe he means you hear his name, look at his stats, and you think you're getting an All-NBA strong lockerroom leader,  just a little beneath the LeBron/Durant/Carmelo tier (like a prime Paul Pierce or Danny Granger  maybe), but what you're really getting with Deng is a player who is closer to Jeff Green.

You're looking in the store window and think you're getting a Paul Pierce model player, but what you're really getting is a Jeff Green model player.  He sells himself like an alpha dog All-Star, but he's really a #3 player at best.  But I don't mean that in a bad way, because Jeff Green is a classy guy and a good basketball player.  He's just not going to be the All-NBA veteran leader you think he's going to be.

That would be my guess on how it was meant, something along those lines anyway.
I don't think it had anything to do with his skills.  I think it was solely about character.  Like "deng sells himself as this great team player and locker room guy, but he isn't when you look deeper."

Agreed. And since Deng was born in Africa and lived in Africa in his youth, the argument could be made that Ferry was trying to be culturally sensitive in attributing that character in part to the different cultural mores re: honesty of his home countries (So. Sudan and Egypt). Not saying that's a good approach, just that it is context by which his whole statement could be considered.

The conclusion that Ferry was implying that African-Americans, or all African-Americans, cheat is however wholly unfounded. (Deng is British.)