Any grown man living in America will have a hard time convincing anyone that, yelling out to black men that they are monkey's isn't taken as racist
Perhaps I'm being naive... but the fact that the guy wore that shirt led me to believe that he's genuinely ignorant of a lot of things. I also heard that he is an "Israeli businessman." so maybe he doesn't have as much context to go on as those of us who are native born (imyself being an immigrant moving to the country at age 15, I can imagine that). Anyhow, yeah, people use heckling to distract opposing players, and they are not saying nice things (I'm sure Mike Finley did not appreciate the Rowdies calling him a "Dallas Reject", I'm sure Cassell, Popeye Jones, Calvin Booth heard all the ugly jokes there are, and I'm sure Eddie G will hear much about masturbation this season) ... but that doesn't mean he's aware of the stuff he said was racist. Some people really are just that clueless.
I don't know to what extent he wants to make things right and how much he's just reacting to outside pressures (like the Magic). But, the guy apologized, so it is time to let it all go.
that pesky DaDakota going beyond the edge of unfunny. Spoiler if you're gonna cut on Muslims, try some better sarcasm.
I think the guy is actually Jewish. Anyhow, if I were writing the headline, it would be "Hooman apologizes over 'monkey' comment" Yeah... it's immature, but I find it funny.
He should apologize for that shirt he was wearing...it was screaming....."HEY EVERYBODY, LOOK AT ME !!!" I never understand heckling.....I mean good spirited ribbing, ok, but heckling.....just is low class. DD
How many of you actually saw the guy, saw the game? Sorry, I don't care if sunshine comes out of his a$$, angels sing when he enters a room, and he has been declared a saint by all the orphans and lepers in the world.. the guy is a sleazeball, an alchohol-fueled (and probably nose-candy too by the looks of it) insect with a tiny wee-wee, too much damn money and too little brains. It's people like that who ruin the experience for everyone else, people like that who make people like me not want to set foot in a professional sports arena. I have not set foot in TC, nor Reliant, and have only attended a handful of baseball games at MMP (in a suite thank God) with free tickets from a law firm, and only attended in person about 3 games at the Summit, with some comps from my daughter's aunt (who was a Power Dancer for several years). Each time I have the misfortune of taking my children to one of these places, I come away feeling soiled and embarassed for having exposed them to thousands of drunken foul-mouthed idiots all crammed into one place. So go ahead Stern, and Orlando, etc. Let this guy back in. After all, the only thing that matters is money. Who cares whether anyone actually enjoys the experience. By the time the fans are there, you already have their money anyway. I'm just glad none of them have ever got one dime of my money for it. Sorry for ranting, certain things just piss me off, and one of the chief thinigs among them is the fact that ordinary decent people with families and children cannot partake in what should be a joyous experience, because there is too much money to be made by selling $8 cups of beer to people who cannot conceive of attending a sporting event without being inebriated.
Being ignorant is the point here, isn't it. I mean, it's not like something is only racist if it has a historical background/context. How do you think they got started with that background in the first place? In this case I think it's pretty clear that whether or not he knew the history of using that insult, it was an insult specifically chosen based on skin color. I am 100% certain he's never heckled a white player before by calling him a monkey.
From the replay I agree that the guy knew what he was doing and intended it to piss off Dikembe. I could tell he enjoyed being kicked out of the game too. I do agree about the NBA being money hungry but I think Houston is the safest place to take children to games. The only thing you have to worry about usually is other team's fans because Houston fans(minus the Rowdies) are much more calm especially at basketball games. Once we start winning again I am sure the fans will be like you said they are. Loud, rowdy, and arrogant(oh, and drunk).
Some teams even have player that yell out stupid stuff. Jason Williams once told an Asian American heckler in GS that he would "kill all you Gooks." Let's just say there are some idiots around the sport of pro basketball, whether in stupid shirts or uniforms.
