Bird's just callin it like it is. Now if a BLACK player said that *coughcoughrasheed*, then like all of America would be griping. I don't think Bird meant anything by it...he's just pointing out how it is nowadays.
ESPN is shameless in their self-promotion…this is a complete non-story. Larry Bird is simply stating the obvious and now the media is all over him… And did anyone catch Jim Gray on the Dan Patrick show? What a tool. When asked what he thought about bird’s comments he said he would not comment because it’s not important what he thinks. The moron can ask the question but he wont answer it…
Isn't it "racist" by definition to make generalizations about one race compared to another? Of course, I think we are over-sensitive about this. Obviously, black people tend to be darker skinned than white people. No one can seriously deny that there are physical differences between the races. But somewhere along the way, this idea started that in order to be equal, they had to be the same. So if you say there are differences in the races, you'll get people up in arms. The same thing happened with the women's movement. Then you get people like Camille Paglia who come along and create controversy by saying yes, women are different from men. There's nothing wrong with human diversity. Can't we all just get along?
you hit the nail on the head. It's all about self promotion. I saw the clip, and there was absolutely NOTHING wrong with the comments Larry made. And yes, i did catch the interview. What a jack ass, just another reason why i despise him. Why did ESPN hire him
yeah... but how big is the NBA? argueably, the top three players: Shaq, Kobe, TMac, KG, Duncan black, black, black, black, ... i guess black.
Basketball a black man's game?...hmmm well lets see I'm 5'9 quick as hell and have a 34 inch vertical leap. Oh yeah and I'm Native American. But I got to say that black people have better genetics when it comes to athletic ability.
Yes...I wish one of my cousins who plays HighSchool ball would fullfil his and our(family) dreams of playing in the NBA. But it's a long road.
i agree with Bird. Today's NBA is basically black men's game. All the blacks are naturally born super atheltic n strong. Like one poster mentions look at today's top stars... they are all blacks. Or even u look at the last 2 decades... there is really only ONE white super star in this league that's BIrd himself. Stockston is good but he is best at cheating only. That's the reason i never compare Yao with shaq, hakeem etc etc. Cos they are born in different class. There is no way a chinese can dominate this league. Sad but true.
They're simply trying to generate buzz for Gray's 2 on 2 show or whatever the hell it is. What the Legend said wasn't even that noteworthy, he was just speaking some damn truth. It's refreshing to have someone not go PC and puss out of saying what he really thinks.
Did anyone ever catch that "NBA minute" segment that ESPN showed, where a random celebrity type gets to talk bball, that featured Spike Lee. He was talking about how everyone thought Bird was such a great player that had to work so hard to get to his skill level, and everyone thinks black players like MJ and Dr. J came out of the womb dunking. I only got to see that little part of the "NBA minute" segment, but basically it made me think was this: Certain people are gifted with physical attributes that can be easily utilized in basketball, but the great players are those that take their natural talent and find a way to develop it to the point of greatness.
Isnt it ironic that it's ok to point out the physical superiority of one race over the other in a particular sport that emphasizes a certain set of physical attributes, yet it's quite offensive to many when someone makes claims such as " blacks cant be good swimmers". People tend to forget that genetics is important but so are socioeconomic influences. I sure don't see any inner city kids playing hockey on the weekend. I guess that means blacks can't be good skaters either. Need I to name the league to make my point. In addition, the rules of a particular game quite often dictate what physical attributes would dominate, thus also magnifying some of the differences among different groups. And if you truely understand my points, you would see why I used "groups" rather than pure races. The last time I checked Olympic gold medalists in high jump aren't blacks, the strongest men on earth in a number of competitions are mostly European white, in sports that emphasize swiftness and eye-hand coordination, such as badminton and table tennis, are dominated by mostly Asian. There might be some truth American blacks will still dominate the way basketball is allowed to be "played" in this country, but it's pretty far-fetched to say American blacks are the best athletes in the world. It all depends on how you define an athlete and the rules of the game.
Eh? Not true, really. The biggest problem is not athletic, though there may be some advantage there, but rather culturally. Many young black males spend a tremendous amount of time playing basketball for years - and see it as a ticket out of the inner city. Comes of having socioeconomic impediments to other forms of success. This is in addition to basketball simply being a more popular sport among blacks than whites.
Have you got something to learn. No way blacks can be champion swimmers either, right? No way a white boy can win the slam dunk contest? A few years ago there was no way that a black man could dominate golf. Barring injury Yao has the potential to dominate.
I am sorry to say but this type of rhetoric usually leads to further the stereotypes about Black people that alot of people have. remember if you believe in the so called "positive" stereotypes, you'd probably believe in the negative stereotypes as well. I am sure if Bird said Black people are superior athletes, I wouldn't be surprised if he had his tongue in his cheek. I am sure theres stereotypes that he believes in that he wouldn't dare mention due to being politically correct in front of the media. some may say hes being racists towards his own brethen but I doubt it, I think there is some subtle racist notions (or reservations) that Bird may have. I don't think having more blacks in sports is really an issue amongst White men. Afterall, white men do control everything including the very sports that black males participate in.
Wow, Oakley is his own purveyor of racism I hope he remembers that when a black guy is getting pulled over by some cop or a black guy is applying for a job or a school and try using the postive stereotypes and try denying the negative stereotypes.
Whether blacks are athletically superior or not is beside the point. Basketball, the greatest sport that's ever been, is a black man's game because a legion of black men (individually) decided to make it their own. The most frustrating thing that I see out of my generation (I was born in 1980) and with younger kids is the influx of middling (white) parents who decided for the children, "you may be good at basketball at age 14, but you need to play baseball/tennis/swimming to get that college help or go anywhere in athletics." The white, middle-class masses have decided that basketball is a black man's game and turned their attention elsewhere. Some of the greatest athletic talents of my generation have given up on the sport, and that's what hurts. I love the NBA and I could care less about the genetic makeup of the players in it. What kills me is the legion of 6-5 and athletic 25-year olds (of any race) who tell me they never tried bball past junior high because they thought they couldn't succeed.
