Saturday, July 14, 2007
'Boston and Race'
A fascinating discussion is underway over at ESPN about race, Boston, perceptions, realities, the Celtics, lousy teams, why players choose to play in certain cities etc. ... Most everyone makes good points and then zooms off on tangents. Enlightening and sometimes painful reading. ... Michael Wilbon is surely right that Boston has more than its share of problems that concern African-Americans. But Doc is also right that Boston has changed so much and that there are other factors for why players don't want to land here (and, without saying so, he and Danny all but acknowledge the fact that the Celts' atrocious records of late are indeed factors). Randy Moss's signing with the Pats at least partially proves their point that winning teams matter. Same with Troy. ... The debate is spilling over into the Berkshires and Atlanta. ... My own two-cents: Boston has indeed come a long way on race relations over the past decade or so. But a lot of work still needs to be done. One area of concern (and thus one area for future focus) is the lack of a critical mass of middle-class and professional African Americans that you see in other cities, such as Atlanta. It's very disconcerting for visiting blacks (and some whites) to come here and not, well, see a lot of African Americans in restaurants, the suburbs, corporate offices etc. You can't blame them for thinking, 'What the hell is going on here?' There are business and civic groups working on this. But it will take a long, long time to change. ...
A fascinating discussion is underway over at ESPN about race, Boston, perceptions, realities, the Celtics, lousy teams, why players choose to play in certain cities etc. ... Most everyone makes good points and then zooms off on tangents. Enlightening and sometimes painful reading. ... Michael Wilbon is surely right that Boston has more than its share of problems that concern African-Americans. But Doc is also right that Boston has changed so much and that there are other factors for why players don't want to land here (and, without saying so, he and Danny all but acknowledge the fact that the Celts' atrocious records of late are indeed factors). Randy Moss's signing with the Pats at least partially proves their point that winning teams matter. Same with Troy. ... The debate is spilling over into the Berkshires and Atlanta. ... My own two-cents: Boston has indeed come a long way on race relations over the past decade or so. But a lot of work still needs to be done. One area of concern (and thus one area for future focus) is the lack of a critical mass of middle-class and professional African Americans that you see in other cities, such as Atlanta. It's very disconcerting for visiting blacks (and some whites) to come here and not, well, see a lot of African Americans in restaurants, the suburbs, corporate offices etc. You can't blame them for thinking, 'What the hell is going on here?' There are business and civic groups working on this. But it will take a long, long time to change. ...
