A new basketball league is being formed that will only be open to men “that are natural born United States citizens with both parents of Caucasian race”. That’s right – basketball for white boys. This was reported in the January 19th edition of the Augusta Chronicle, and picked up a day later by numerous outlets including Yahoo! Sports and the Huffington Post. The story was met with audience responses that were shocked at the blatant racism and anachronistic attitude.
How could anyone living in 2010 truly believe that this would be acceptable? It took only a few minutes of thought to answer my own question – no one. No one living in 2010 would believe that an all-white sports league would be acceptable.
I think the whole thing is a lie.
Está próxima a formarse una nueva liga de baloncesto, en la que solamente podrán participar hombres “que sean ciudadanos nacidos en los Estados Unidos, de padre y madre caucásicos”. Sí, en efecto – baloncesto exclusivo para chicos blancos. El periódico Augusta Chronicle publicó esta nota en su edición del 19 de Enero, y al día siguiente la nota fue repetida por numerosas fuentes, incluyendo Yahoo Sports y el periódico Huffington Post. La nota fue recibida con asombro de parte del público que no daba crédito a tan anacrónica actitud y tan flagrante racismo.
Cómo podría alguien en pleno 2010 creer que esto sería aceptable? Me tomó solo unos cuantos minutos para dar respuesta a mi propia pregunta – nadie. Nadie en pleno 2010 creería que una liga deportiva 100% blanca sería aceptable.
Yo creo que todo esto es una mentira.
I’m not laying accusations of fabrication at the feet of the news outlets that ran the story nor am I finding fault with the Augusta Chronicle. After doing a little research, though, I can’t help but think the paper might know a thing or two about the central figure in this story that would give them cause for suspicion.
Don “Moose” Lewis is the creator and star of this controversy. He is quoted in the Chronicle’s story as not being racist or prejudiced at all but, rather, looking out for the minority white athlete. Ironically demonstrating the exact racism which he claims to be no part of, he states that his league will be focused on fundamental basketball, as opposed to the “streetball” that non-whites prefer to play. Before his words make you vomit, let me tell you a little bit more about Moose and his history, and maybe his intentions will begin to clarify.
Lewis has apparently been trying for at least a decade to get a basketball minor league up and running, with little success. His background is boxing promotion and, interestingly, professional wrestling. I found information, including part of a press release, about Moose’s ideas from back in 2004:
“Mix in the best of the Harlem Globetrotters, the XFL and its cheerleaders, and professional wrestling – and you have the red, hot, GBA! You will see players “high-fiving” each other, teams with their respective music, disc jockeys spinning club music, players at the end of the game tossing their jerseys into the stands, players screaming after a successful shot or key play, players in the stands at halftime, music artists at intermission, and ticket stubs redeemable for discounts on merchandise and admission to entertainment establishments.”
I also found a bulletin board on which Moose used to contribute, and his own posts paint a picture of a man who has a poor sense of humor, a careless insensitivity, and a record of failure. The latest controversy doesn’t even appear to be the first time that he has suggested the creation of a whites-only league.
So, if 2010 is not the first time Lewis has tried to create an all-white league, but last time it was just a joke (sponsored by a sheet company! Hilarious!), are we to believe that he is serious now? Are we meant to infer that he’s telling the same bad joke twice, hoping that we’ll now find it funny?
His comedy extends past cloddish racism and into creepy sexism as well. In 2008, he tried to establish a women’s minor league. Some of the teams that your daughter could have hoped to join: the Harlem Harlots, the New Jersey Nasty, and the Charlotte Shame. I’m not kidding. He also issued a press release (he later claimed it to be the work of hackers) in which he stated that his female players would take the court in bikinis, which would be auctioned off immediately following the game.
Moose Lewis is a modern P.T. Barnum, hoping to cash in on the fools born every minute. Though a racist he may be, his purpose in the latest news is not to defend his all-white fantasy, but rather to make people aware of his name. He seeks notoriety, because he knows notoriety to be the easiest form of free publicity. He wants to be known, to further his career aspirations. A lot of people fell for it on January 20th, and I’m fueling it now by calling him out.
By the way, I forgot to mention that you can have an all-white team of your very own in your city. All you have to do is send Moose $10,000. I’m not lying.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Jake Negovan.
Jake Negovan strives to shine a light on truth and hypocrisy when the mainstream media overlooks those small details. “…For the People,” Jake’s column, is his platform to address the issues that our country faces as we continue growing toward a society of equality, as well as to provide him a place to tell you that he’s always right.
No estoy lanzando acusaciones a ninguna de las fuentes informativas que publicaron la nota de fabricar historias, ni encuentro culpa en el Augusta Chronicle. Pero después de investigar, no puedo menos que pensar que el periódico debe saber algo acerca del personaje central de la historia y esto debiera hacerles sospechar algo.
No estoy lanzando acusaciones a ninguna de las fuentes informativas que publicaron la nota de fabricar historias, ni encuentro culpa en el Augusta Chronicle. Pero después de investigar, no puedo menos que pensar que el periódico debe saber algo acerca del personaje central de la historia y esto debiera hacerles sospechar algo.
Don “Moose” Lewis es el creador y la estrella de esta controversia. Según la nota del Chronicle, él dice no ser racista ni tener prejuicio alguno, y que simplemente busca proteger a los atletas de la minoría blanca. Irónicamente, al afirmar que su liga estará enfocada al baloncesto fundamental en lugar del estilo callejero que los integrantes de las razas de color prefieren, demuestra precisamente el racismo que niega poseer. Antes que sus palabras le provoquen vómito, permítame platicarle un poco más acerca de Moose y su historia, y tal vez entonces sus intenciones se aclaren.
Lewis aparentemente lleva al menos una década intentando formar una liga menor de baloncesto, sin mucho éxito. Su currículum incluye la promoción de box y curiosamente, la lucha libre profesional. Yo encontré información, incluyendo un comunicado de prensa parcial acerca de las ideas de Moose, que data de 2004:
“Combine lo mejor de los Harlem Globetrotters, la XFL (liga de fútbol profesional formada en 2001 que duró una sola temporada) y sus porristas y la lucha libre profesional – y obtendrá la superexitosa y popular Alianza Global de Baloncesto (GBA, por sus siglas en inglés)! Usted verá a los jugadores “chocándola”, cada equipo con su propio acompañamiento musical, disc jockeys mezclando sonidos como en discoteca, los jugadores lanzando sus jerseys hacia las gradas después del juego, jugadores gritando después de una jugada clave o un tiro exitoso, los jugadores en las gradas durante el medio tiempo, estrellas de la música durante el intermedio, y talones de boletos de entrada canjeables por descuentos en mercancía o en el precio de admisión a sitios de diversión.”
Encontré también un tablero de anuncios en el que Moose colaboraba, y sus propias aportaciones pintan la imagen de un hombre que carece de sentido del humor, con una descuidada falta de sensibilidad y un historial de fracaso. Al parecer, la controversia más reciente no es siquiera la primera vez que ha sugerido la creación de una liga exclusiva para blancos.
Sucede que un socio intentó vender acciones de su membresía en la Corporación de Responsabilidad Limitada (LLC, por sus siglas en inglés) y yo le compré la membresía y me deshice de él. En Georgia, usted puede tener un cierto número de miembros en la LLC sin estar registrado, pero ahora - yo soy dueño del 100% de la LLC.
Hubo tantos intentos de formar ligas hace unos años, nosotros inclusive emitimos un comunicado de prensa acerca de la liga totalmente blanca con juegos contra los Globetrotters y patrocinada por una compañía de sábanas de lino – no era legítima – pero debía usted haber visto los correos electrónicos.
Yo no tengo ni la más mínima participación en el negocio de la Asociación Americana de Baloncesto (ABA, por sus siglas en inglés) – por ahora, nosotros solo seremos una liga afiliada – pero yo creo que se va a lograr. No sé que será lo que veremos, pero yo aún creo en la marca ABA, y les deseo lo mejor.
Como pueden comprobar, el 2010 no es la primera ocasión que Lewis ha intentado formar una liga totalmente blanca, pero la última vez fue solo una broma (patrocinados por una compañía de sábanas! Graciosísimo!) y se supone que debemos creer que ahora lo dice en serio? O debemos entender que está contando el mismo chiste sin gracia por segunda vez, esperando que ahora sí se nos haga gracioso?
Su comedia va más allá del racismo estúpido y abarca también el sexismo rastrero. En 2008, intentó formar una liga menor femenina. Algunos de los equipos a los que su hija podría aspirar eran: Las Rameras de Harlem (Harlem Harlots), Las Sucias de Nueva Jersey (New Jersey Nasty), y La Vergüenza de Charlotte (Charlotte Shame). No estoy bromeando. Emitió también un comunicado de prensa (que después dijo había sido obra de unos hackers) en el que decía que las jugadoras saldrían a la cancha en bikinis que serían subastados inmediatamente después del juego.
Moose Lewis es un P.T. Barnum moderno, que espera sacar provecho de los tontos que nacen a cada momento. Racista podrá ser, pero su propósito en esta nueva aventura no es defender su fantasía blanca, sino dar a conocer su nombre. Busca la notoriedad, porque sabe que es la forma más fácil de obtener publicidad gratuita. Quiere darse a conocer, para su propio beneficio. Mucha gente se lo creyó el 20 de Enero, y ahora yo le echo leña al fuego retándolo.
A propósito, olvidaba mencionar que usted puede tener su propio equipo totalmente blanco en su ciudad. Todo lo que tiene que hacer es enviar $10,000 a Moose. En serio.
Las opiniones expresadas en este comentario son únicamente las de Jake Negovan.
Jake Negovan busca sacar a luz la verdad y desenmascarar la hipocresía siempre que los medios informativos se olvidan de esos pequeños detalles. La columna de Jake, “. . . .For the People”, es la plataforma que utiliza para comentar los problemas que nuestro país enfrenta a medida que seguimos progresando hacia una sociedad equitativa, y también le brinda un espacio para hacer saber a usted que él siempre tiene la razón.
February 9th, 2010 at 10:12 pm
First, I would like to say that this is a very well written article that points out some of the blatant racism that still plagues our country. I have read many of your other pieces and really liked them esp. the Zombie one. Anyways on to my reply.
“That’s right – basketball for white boys.”
This quip is an inherently racist statement that perpetuates negative stereotypes against whites. Upon reading it, I can’t help but feel the disdain in these words. I would like to point out two inferences of this statement 1. white people can not play basketball and 2. that whites regardless of age are considered less masculine than other races i.e. by using the term boy for the potential professional athlete who would be above the age of 18, you deprive him of his inherent worth.
Expanding on the first inference. If we apply the logic that because the NBA is primarily made up of Black athletes, whites are not good enough athletes to in the NBA. If we take this logic to other realms and flip the races it would be a classic example of racism. Because there are more whites in college in the United States than Blacks. Blacks must not be intelligent enough to go to college. One would swiftly dismiss that argument as racist and based fallacious logic. Most educated people would attribute the difference on socialization and inherent disparity in our society.
No adult should be refereed to as “boy.” I am aware that it is most sensitive to Blacks who were called it as a racial slur – and still are. This does not mean that the term boy has not become a pejorative term alone and racist term when coupled with any race. I personally have heard the term white boy from the time I played pick up games as a kid, to Jr. high and high school, and even while playing college sports. It has rarely been used as a term of endearment.
I think we should all be more aware of each other and the weight our words carry – written or spoken. Let me finish with a question:
What came to your mind when you wrote that statement, and what comes to your mind when you read it now?
Note – I chose to use Black over African American and White over Caucasian because they are more inclusive terms.
February 12th, 2010 at 11:30 am
James,
You do realize I’m white, don’t you?
I understand that you may have read that single sentence and thought that I was somehow disparaging white people. I suppose I was, but ironically so. The sentence was meant to be read with the same type of good-ol’ boy (there I go again) redneck perspective that would have come form the type of person promoting a whites-only basketball league.
Let me restate: I’m white. Also, I sometimes play basketball. I certainly don’t feel that I would write anything about myself that was emasculating or demeaning. I fear that my presence on a this page, which frequently lends its voice to predominantly Hispanic issues, in conjunction with the one sentence that you find offensive, may have led you to the incorrect conclusion that I am somehow critical of my own race. That couldn’t be less true.
I think a look back at my other articles would show an intolerance for those who make negative divisions based on race, income, or social position. This article does the same. I find it abhorrent that any one would suggest a single-race sports league unless faced with a clear discriminatory barrier against that race. No such barrier exists.
I am sorry if my words offended you, but I must say that you appear to have overlooked the greater context.
February 14th, 2010 at 12:52 pm
Thank you for your understanding and reply, but I believe you have misjudged the scope of my point.
Although, I can see how at first glace such a lengthy reply can be seen as an assessment of the article as a whole – this is not the case. Please take a look back at my reply. In the first two sentences I state that I thought this was a very well written article and I liked many of your previous articles. The quote following the first paragraph was intended to set the scope of my argument. Perhaps I should have explained the limits of my reply at greater length, but I was trying to be brief in an already lengthy response. The main point of my reply is that the one statement is inherently racist (not you personally, nor the article, nor any other extrapolation you can derive.)
I am sorry that I missed the ironic good ol’ boy redneck accent it was suppose to carry. As we all know only good ol’ boy rednecks are the type of people who would start such a league. Whoop! There you go again! So, really? Only dumb people from the country “rednecks” would start this kind of league?
You make a interesting point that you felt needed to be stated twice – you are white. Can a white person be racist against whites? Surely we are both intelligent enough to realize the error in that. I better question would be can person of any race use language that is inherently demeaning to their own race. I feel that they can. For me I could use the words honky, cracker, whiteboy, redneck, hillbilly because I am white. I choose not too. Words are powerful in of themselves. Even if the manner in which those words are spoken is in jest or with good intention on a large scale the use of such words evoke negative feelings that perpetuate stereotypes.
Lastly, Let me quell your ‘fear’ by restating that I do not think you are critical of your own race. I think you wrote a great article. My objection was that one comment. I too find the proposition of a single-race league abhorrent, and I certainly don’t think such a barrier exists that would justify one. However, I still felt that the comment needed to be addressed because it is offensive and takes away from a great article.