Race and the Red Sox

Doc Zero

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CC Sabathia pretending it only happens in boston when he has a long documented history of commenting on it at other stadiums doesn't help anyone.
This isn't about you.

I wish I could add more to that, and I wish it wasn't so flippant-sounding, but that's all I got.
 

lexrageorge

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It only "detracts from the situation" for you—the spurned Red Sox fan who doesn't want their ballpark seen as more racist than the rest of the league. You're essentially telling CC, "You're the victim of racism everywhere! Get it right!"

It's not a good look, and I don't think it advances the discussion. If you really want to talk about detractions, we can start with cross-referencing CC's statement with contradictory news articles from years past.
So it's irrelevant if CC mentioned in the past that he heard racial taunts from other stadiums? That's just bizarre logic.

I, like many other posters here, reject the "hot-takez media" claim that today's Fenway Park has more racists idiots than other ballparks. But that point doesn't make the actions that took place yesterday any less deplorable.
 

jodyreeddudley78

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People exaggerate or lie to bolster claims all the time.

It's shitty that Adam Jones got called a racial slur.

CC Sabathia pretending it only happens in boston when he has a long documented history of commenting on it at other stadiums doesn't help anyone.
Sure people lie all the time. I get that. But do you think CC wants to "get" those Boston fans? What would be the point of that? I guess I just don't see a reason for either of them to exaggerate, lie, or whatever. There is nothing to gain.
 

The Tax Man

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I don't think Peter Abraham was making the point that guy thinks he was making. He's saying it's ironic that this happened to a guy who is close to beloved Red Sox David Ortiz and has supported Boston-based charities.
I'm not sure why that's ironic or relevant. And of course, that's kind of beside the point when it comes to the article.
 

The Gray Eagle

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Mookie Betts‏Verified account @mookiebetts
Fact: I'm Black too
Literally stand up for @SimplyAJ10 tonight and say no to racism. We as @RedSox and @MLB fans are better than this.

10‏Verified account @SimplyAJ10 15m15 minutes ago
Replying to @mookiebetts @RedSox @MLB
Thanks Mookie. Means a lot my man.
Mookie is the best. Everyone going to the game tonight had better do the right thing and listen to Mookie. Stand up and cheer, it's the only decent thing to do.
 

Kenny F'ing Powers

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It only "detracts from the situation" for you—the spurned Red Sox fan who doesn't want their ballpark seen as more racist than the rest of the league. You're essentially telling CC, "You're the victim of racism everywhere! Get it right!"

It's not a good look, and I don't think it advances the discussion. If you really want to talk about detractions, we can start with cross-referencing CC's statement with contradictory news articles from years past.
I disagree completely.

Acting as if it only happens in Boston let's 29 other cities and fans off the hook. This gives the mouth breathers in other cities an out to point and scoff at the mouth breathers in this city, when this is a time all fans have a chance to hold up a mirror.

This is a systematic issue everywhere. If twisting the story to focus on one city helped the cause, we should all be willing to bite the bullet. But it doesn't, so we shouldn't. This is giving people an out to say "team X fans are the worst!", when in reality we're all the fucking worst...
 

DennyDoyle'sBoil

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So it's irrelevant if CC mentioned in the past that he heard racial taunts from other stadiums? That's just bizarre logic.
The cry of "false claims of racism" in order to mute, detract from, or minimize racism is a pretty well worn path. It's a technique. It's nefarious. It really exists. And it misses the point, virtually always.

It's not a response to actual racism. Arguably it's a separate problem or issue. Probably not even, but very clearly it's not a response. When used as one, it is profoundly troubling to those who see it for what it is.

I'm not necessarily saying that this is your M.O. here -- I don't know. Probably it isn't, but this is the reason for the "bizarre logic."
 

bankshot1

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The logical mismatch between Boston (and the metro area) generally considered one of the more liberal/tolerant areas in the country, while at the same time Fenway and the resident fans being among the most intolerant and racist does not make a lot of sense.

I'm going with a few bad apples...

And if racism can pop up in Boston, it sure as shit exists elsewhere.

But having said that, its still abhorent, and should not be encouraged in any form. So give Adam Jones a standing O, and let it be played on ESPN/CNN and the talking heads can pontificate about Boston and its unique brand of racism, and eventually get off their fucking high horses.
 

DJnVa

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And this is why there is zero excuses for the fans around the offending fan protecting him/her. Step out downstairs and call the number. It's not hard.
Perhaps they did? All these people were ejected, it seems there were some calls made.

I've been at facilities where you text seat location and the folks in charge watch from on high and alert ushers.
 

lexrageorge

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The cry of "false claims of racism" in order to mute, detract from, or minimize racism is a pretty well worn path. It's a technique. It's nefarious. It really exists. And it misses the point, virtually always.

It's not a response to actual racism. Arguably it's a separate problem or issue. Probably not even, but very clearly it's not a response. When used as one, it is profoundly troubling to those who see it for what it is.

I'm not necessarily saying that this is your M.O. here -- I don't know. Probably it isn't, but this is the reason for the "bizarre logic."
Your point is fair enough. But I think it's also fair to ask those making claims to at least provide some support. Sabathia made a contradictory claim not that long ago, so it's perfectly reasonable to question CC's claims, no matter whether the topic is racism or ballpark food.

Now, it's quite possible that CC feels Fenway is worse than other ballparks, and that would be a topic worthy of discussion. Twitter has it's known limitations, and CC is a player, not a media type, so I don't expect him to necessarily be 100% accurate in his tweets. But that doesn't mean we cannot question claims that such racist actions don't happen in other ballparks. Because I know for a fact that they do.
 

iayork

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I assume Fenway actually is the worst when it comes to this shit. Where there's smoke...
Price said it. But he had to be lying. Jones said it. But he had to be lying. Sabathia said it. But he had to be lying.

Because, you know, all these white dudes here haven't had it happen to them.
 

tims4wins

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The logical mismatch between Boston (and the metro area) generally considered one of the more liberal/tolerant areas in the country, while at the same time Fenway and the resident fans being among the most intolerant and racist does not make a lot of sense.

I'm going with a few bad apples...

And if racism can pop up in Boston, it sure as shit exists elsewhere.

But having said that, its still abhorent, and should not be encouraged in any form. So give Adam Jones a standing O, and let it be played on ESPN/CNN and the talking heads can pontificate about Boston and its unique brand of racism, and eventually get off their fucking high horses.
This is an interesting point. Do we hear the same stuff about TD Garden or Foxboro? Why is this isolated to Fenway Park?
 

DJnVa

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Mookie is the best. Everyone going to the game tonight had better do the right thing and listen to Mookie. Stand up and cheer, it's the only decent thing to do.

Good for him. Mookie seems to be stepping into the leadership role. I hope when Jones comes to bat Betts takes his glove off and claps.

Then robs Jones of a HR.
 

cornwalls@6

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Apr 23, 2010
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I disagree completely.

Acting as if it only happens in Boston let's 29 other cities and fans off the hook. This gives the mouth breathers in other cities an out to point and scoff at the mouth breathers in this city, when this is a time all fans have a chance to hold up a mirror.

This is a systematic issue everywhere. If twisting the story to focus on one city helped the cause, we should all be willing to bite the bullet. But it doesn't, so we shouldn't. This is giving people an out to say "team X fans are the worst!", when in reality we're all the fucking worst...
Exactly. Expecting someone like CC to be honest and consistent in their comments, and not fan the flames with inconsistencies or exaggerations, does not make one an apologist or a denier. What happened last night, and I absolutely believe it did happen, was repugnant. Using it as an opportunity to jump to broad negative conclusions regarding an entire city, for whatever agenda, it pretty shitty too. Both things can true.
 

Comfortably Lomb

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IANAL:

"Chapter 272: Section 98. Discrimination in admission to, or treatment in, place of public accommodation; punishment; forfeiture; civil right

Section 98. Whoever makes any distinction...on account of race, color...relative to...his treatment in any place of public...amusement, as defined in section ninety-two A, or whoever aids or incites such...discrimination...shall be punished by a fine of not more than twenty-five hundred dollars or by imprisonment for not more than one year, or both, and shall be liable to any person aggrieved...All persons shall have the right to the full and equal...advantages...of any place of public...amusement subject only to the conditions and limitations established by law and applicable to all persons. This right is recognized and declared to be a civil right."

*snip*

There are thousands of cell phones at Fenway. Record these guys and then either punch them in the face and/or get a security guard to toss them. Then present evidence for prosecution.
Racist Person A has a First Amendment right to make racist remarks in public that would override any MA specific law, including this one even if it were specifically designed to address the behavior in question. It doesn't though, it looks like it is really targeting access/admission/treatment in places of public accommodation by the body that controls the place.
 

Hoodie Sleeves

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Acting as if it only happens in Boston let's 29 other cities and fans off the hook. This gives the mouth breathers in other cities an out to point and scoff at the mouth breathers in this city, when this is a time all fans have a chance to hold up a mirror.
The obvious untruth of CC Sabathia's statement also undermine's Jones' statement - and makes it a lot easier for people to assume that he was being untruthful. When you have a strong case, and people believe you, you don't want someone standing up next to you and lying in support.
 

iayork

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Your point is fair enough. But I think it's also fair to ask those making claims to at least provide some support.
What, exactly, do you expect? Is Sabathia supposed to pull out color-coded charts and tables, cross-indexed for date and temperature, with every incident he's ever experienced in the past 17 years, on the spur of the moment when a reporter asks him? And the fact that he didn't correct for wind speed proves that he's lying?

Spell it out. What exactly do you require?
 

mauf

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This is an interesting point. Do we hear the same stuff about TD Garden or Foxboro? Why is this isolated to Fenway Park?
Because only people in VIP seats are within earshot of the field at Gillette, and the crowd at the Garden for Celtics games is a lot more diverse than the crowd at Fenway.
 

tims4wins

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Because only people in VIP seats are within earshot of the field at Gillette, and the crowd at the Garden for Celtics games is a lot more diverse than the crowd at Fenway.
The first 15-20 rows behind the visitor bench at Gillette is all VIP suites? I acknowledge the Garden crowd is likely more diverse. But we are talking about a small group of idiots - it just takes one to throw a racial slur. There are still probably 10K white people at Celts games

Edit to be clear I am in no way doubting this happened at Fenway. Just wondering aloud why it doesn't happen in other Boston stadia
 

lexrageorge

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What, exactly, do you expect? Is Sabathia supposed to pull out color-coded charts and tables, cross-indexed for date and temperature, with every incident he's ever experienced in the past 17 years, on the spur of the moment when a reporter asks him? And the fact that he didn't correct for wind speed proves that he's lying?

Spell it out. What exactly do you require?
He directly contradicted a statement he made not that long ago when discussing the exact same subject. Which means it's fair to question what he claims. That's all I'm trying to say.

I also said in my post that I don't believe he's necessarily lying. But you decided to ignore that part.
 

DennyDoyle'sBoil

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The logical mismatch between Boston (and the metro area) generally considered one of the more liberal/tolerant areas in the country, while at the same time Fenway and the resident fans being among the most intolerant and racist does not make a lot of sense.

I'm going with a few bad apples...

And if racism can pop up in Boston, it sure as shit exists elsewhere.

But having said that, its still abhorent, and should not be encouraged in any form. So give Adam Jones a standing O, and let it be played on ESPN/CNN and the talking heads can pontificate about Boston and its unique brand of racism, and eventually get off their fucking high horses.
I grew up in Central Connecticut, which I think is similar in a lot of ways to much of Massachusetts. It was at the same time a very racist place, and a very liberal place. The casual use of racist terms, and worse, was pervasive where I grew up. Maybe that was the times. I don't know. I got out of there fairly young, so I can't really say if it's still like that. But I do remember as I was college age and saw a broader world being very confused and surprised about the combination of traits where I grew up. "I loved Bobby Kennedy, but I hate the blacks." I don't know if that's an actual quote from one of the fathers of one of my Italian friends, or whether it's kind of an amalgam or mishmash of things I heard at different times, but it kind of stands out as indicative of my perception of this weird mix where I come from.
 

JohntheBaptist

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Staggering how many Soshers are made more uncomfortable by Boston's getting some bad press than they are this particular reason for that bad press.

CC Sabathia said he only hears the "n-word" in Boston, and that black players know to expect racial commentary here. Maybe he misspoke about the literal nature of his "only" hearing the "n-word" in Boston (or maybe it is largely a different type of racial taunt elsewhere?), but his point seems pretty clear to me. It is worse in Boston. Our own players hear it.
 

splendid splinter

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CC didn't say it only happens in Boston. He said it's only happened to him in Boston. I'm sure it's happened to teammates of his in other cities, and I don't think he's lying or exaggerating by not bringing those instances up. I don't expect he's going to go out of his way to provide cover for Boston if it has such a bad reputation among black MLBers.
 

CantKeepmedown

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This whole "prove it to me or I don't believe it" angle coming from Bert Breer, Minihane, and some others is unsettling. Just because you've been to hundreds of games and never heard it (or was even there last night) doesn't matter. Unfortunately, there's no reason to think it didn't happen.

Oh, and if you are thinking of giving Jones a standing O tonight, you're nothing but a pandering fool. At least that's what Kirk and Ordway are telling me.
 

Tyrone Biggums

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For those folks looking for "corroboration":


Tim Britton:
Sam Kennedy: Red Sox players acknowledged hearing racial slurs at Fenway.
I don't think anyone with half a brain thought Jones was lying. But I'm just sickened by the fact that the code of silence was happening in the bleachers. It's disgusting and the people who heard the N word being said and said nothing are just as bad.

I heard something on the radio earlier non sports station that BLM chapter is doing a protest outside Fenway. Anyone else hear this?
 

yep

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Interesting way to characterize what happened. You're right though, there's always some reason we can scrounge up for not speaking up--but don't anyone dare call Boston "racist." Then you'll hear from us...
Yeah, individuals are responsible for their own actions, but cultures and communities are responsible for what they tolerate, and where they set boundaries of acceptable behavior.

If Adam Jones could hear the comments of a fan in the stands, then at least 30 or 40 other fans had to hear them as well. I don't know whether any of them did or said anything, and I can't judge what was in their hearts, but if Fenway Park is a place where you can get away with repeatedly yelling the n word, then something is wrong with the crowd and the culture at Fenway Park.

I haven't seen a detailed breakdown of the timeline or response time to know, but i hope this was one chucklehead who got quickly shut down and kicked out.
 

Captaincoop

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Wow, so apparently you really can just stand up in a public place in 2017 in front of hundreds of people in Boston and drop n-words. Congratulations, Boston. You're about to experience a well-deserved shitstorm.
 

mauf

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Price said it. But he had to be lying. Jones said it. But he had to be lying. Sabathia said it. But he had to be lying.

Because, you know, all these white dudes here haven't had it happen to them.
I agree with your general point, but I wouldn't conflate the sweeping generalizations that Sabathia made with the specific, well-attested allegations that Jones, Price and others have made.

The truth matters. If it doesn't, then Gerry Callahan's narrative is as valid as anyone else's. None of us wants that.
 

mauf

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Wow, so apparently you really can just stand up in a public place in 2017 in front of hundreds of people in Boston and drop n-words. Congratulations, Boston. You're about to experience a well-deserved shitstorm.
Either that, or the Red Sox' admirable reaction today belies a complete failure by their staff at the park last night. Or maybe they reacted appropriately, but the damage was already done. I'm not sure we know yet.
 

tbrown_01923

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I don't understand what any other park has to do with it. We should want and expect better. For our team, for our city, for our children.

I am embarrassed.
 

scotian1

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Don't be so quick to judge. Maybe they felt intimidated? Someone earlier mentioned the Kitty Genovese effect. I like to think I'd be the virtuous one in that situation and stand up to say something, but until I am, I have no idea what I actually would do.
Remember the quote from the British statesman Edmund Burke; "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. ... by the delusion that he can do no harm if he takes no part, and forms no opinion. ... The sin of doing nothing is the deadliest of all the seven sins."
 

Grin&MartyBarret

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It's not at all uncommon in European soccer leagues for UEFA to force teams to play in an empty stadium as punishment for this sort of behavior. CSKA Moscow fans displayed racist banners at a game in Rome, and UEFA punished them by not allowing them to sell tickets for 3 games, for instance.

I don't expect it to happen, but it would send an incredibly strong message if Red Sox ownership effectively locked out the fans to clearly send the message that this sort of behavior's unacceptable.
 

Tyrone Biggums

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Wow, so apparently you really can just stand up in a public place in 2017 in front of hundreds of people in Boston and drop n-words. Congratulations, Boston. You're about to experience a well-deserved shitstorm.
The city of Boston does deserve it. It was more than one person. You had hundreds of people in the bleachers that heard it and all made a decision to not do anything about it. They're just as bad. We deserve to get protests from any groups out there that want to.

However, I would also like to remind you that it's not only here. It happens everywhere and that's the problem. It shouldn't even exist in 2017.

A lot of white people have been racially empowered shall we say since T***P was elected in November.
 

tbrown_01923

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Either that, or the Red Sox' admirable reaction today belies a complete failure by their staff at the park last night. Or maybe they reacted appropriately, but the damage was already done. I'm not sure we know yet.
This is really what I am questioning now. How do the racist comments grow to that many jerk jerks without security or vending knowing sooner? There really are multiple problems here.
 

fineyoungarm

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This was touched upon earlier today. Yawkey Way. It's existence is remarkably tone deaf and undermines ownership's credibility when proclaiming that racism will not be tolerated and has no place at Fenway. I expect the national media to start drilling down on this. If so, more embarrassment.

If the Red Sox powers that be want to make a very clear statement that racism has no place at Fenway, that name should come down - now. Since the Yawkey Red Sox took a pass on Willie Mays, there is no African American home town team HOF'er superstar to use as a replacement. (Although renaming the street after Mays would be quite a repudiation of the team's past.) However, Jackie Robinson Way would do quite nicely.

And that address - 4 Yawkey Way - would be history.
 

bankshot1

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This is an interesting point. Do we hear the same stuff about TD Garden or Foxboro? Why is this isolated to Fenway Park?
I think the Yawkey legacy has something to do with it. Also the crowd at Fenway is overwhelmingly white (and young and maybe drunk--the bleacher crowd.)
Pats crowds may have a similar demographic, (maybe wealthier) but who hears individual taunts?
Cs game are different for many reasons
Bruins crowds probably have similar demographic to the Sox..
 

pedro1918

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Since the Yawkey Red Sox took a pass on Willie Mays, there is no African American home town team HOF'er superstar to use as a replacement. (Although renaming the street after Mays would be quite a repudiation of the team's past.) However, Jackie Robinson Way would do quite nicely.
Jim Rice?
 

DennyDoyle'sBoil

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This was touched upon earlier today. Yawkey Way. It's existence is remarkably tone deaf and undermines ownership's credibility when proclaiming that racism will not be tolerated and has no place at Fenway. I expect the national media to start drilling down on this. If so, more embarrassment.

If the Red Sox powers that be want to make a very clear statement that racism has no place at Fenway, that name should come down - now. Since the Yawkey Red Sox took a pass on Willie Mays, there is no African American home town team HOF'er superstar to use as a replacement. (Although renaming the street after Mays would be quite a repudiation of the team's past.) However, Jackie Robinson Way would do quite nicely.
It will be interesting to see how ownership responds if this story gets even more legs. Between Yawkey, being so late on the color barrier, and the Winter Haven stuff, this is a fairly easy "more of the same" story for someone to write if so inclined.
 

lexrageorge

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This was touched upon earlier today. Yawkey Way. It's existence is remarkably tone deaf and undermines ownership's credibility when proclaiming that racism will not be tolerated and has no place at Fenway. I expect the national media to start drilling down on this. If so, more embarrassment.

If the Red Sox powers that be want to make a very clear statement that racism has no place at Fenway, that name should come down - now. Since the Yawkey Red Sox took a pass on Willie Mays, there is no African American home town team HOF'er superstar to use as a replacement. (Although renaming the street after Mays would be quite a repudiation of the team's past.) However, Jackie Robinson Way would do quite nicely.

And that address - 4 Yawkey Way - would be history.
There is the Yawkey Center at MGH, which is named that way for a very good reason. The legacy of the Yawkey family is certainly mixed, but that doesn't make them any different than a lot of other folks at that time.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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The logical mismatch between Boston (and the metro area) generally considered one of the more liberal/tolerant areas in the country, while at the same time Fenway and the resident fans being among the most intolerant and racist does not make a lot of sense.
I'll give you that Boston is considered liberal. However, "tolerant" is not a word I would have chosen to describe Boston, except perhaps out of a hat.

There is no logical mismatch here. That's the shame.
 

fineyoungarm

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Jim Rice?
Yeah - that thought crossed my mind. I was thinking it would be more notable to have the name of one of the true giants. But Rice is in the Hall and was a career member of the Red Sox. It might not be a very popular choice, but maybe that would make it a strong statement.
 

Tyrone Biggums

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This was touched upon earlier today. Yawkey Way. It's existence is remarkably tone deaf and undermines ownership's credibility when proclaiming that racism will not be tolerated and has no place at Fenway. I expect the national media to start drilling down on this. If so, more embarrassment.

If the Red Sox powers that be want to make a very clear statement that racism has no place at Fenway, that name should come down - now. Since the Yawkey Red Sox took a pass on Willie Mays, there is no African American home town team HOF'er superstar to use as a replacement. (Although renaming the street after Mays would be quite a repudiation of the team's past.) However, Jackie Robinson Way would do quite nicely.

And that address - 4 Yawkey Way - would be history.
Why not just call it 4 Fenway Park Way? The Mays thing I get where you're coming from but it could come off as "pandering". But I agree the Yawkey name should have been taken down years ago. The sooner we cleanse the past of that racist the better off...
 

Kenny F'ing Powers

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The city of Boston does deserve it. It was more than one person. You had hundreds of people in the bleachers that heard it and all made a decision to not do anything about it. They're just as bad. We deserve to get protests from any groups out there that want to.
Sources or GTFO.

Once again, we don't fucking know this. Did the guy(s) get kicked out? We don't even fucking know. It hasn't even been a day. Why do we get to just make shit up in the wake of an event like this instead of waiting a few days?
 

RetractableRoof

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I grew up in an era where people thought racism was no big deal. I grew up with race riots at the high school in my home town (players on the same football team on opposing sides of the fighting). In the face of that I learned from neighbors who were black that quality people are quality people regardless of their pigmentation and more generally their appearance. I went to college in Boston through the disgusting Charles Stuart claims. Over my lifetime I've watched the sports teams in Boston change or take a stand on racist policy. I saw a black hockey player wear the home teams jersey. I've seen the city I call home change and evolve in a lot of ways. Do I believe the job is done? No. Do I believe that racism still exists? Yes. But I do not believe it is accepted culturally in Boston at large. There may be pockets of such behavior - as there are pockets of all manner of behaviors that society does not approve of. At this point I believe that racist examples are the outliers in our city.

In my opinion, if you get 30K people to group together for a sports event and could perform instant analysis you'd find all manner of behaviors. You would find X percent of people who still in this day and age drink and drive (probably from that very event). You would find X percent who have an issue with domestic violence (maybe overlapping the drinking?). You'd find X percent that have been arrested for violent crimes. You'd find find X percent that have a white collar criminal past - caught or not. You'd have X percent that have crossed modern society's line for consensual sex, whether it was recent or far in their past. And yes you'd have X percent that are guilty of racism. None of these items would be acceptable to many responding here, but realistically they are still present in our community. But in that group of 30K or 1 million residents of the Boston area the question is - are these behaviors outliers? I believe they are - and as such wince at the perpetuation of a reputation that was true some time ago but I believe we have substantially grown past.

I reject the tired narrative that Boston is racist. There are outliers in every city, in every town, in every gathering of people in our society. I don't believe Boston is any more racist than the next town. What Boston has due to its past, and due to the mindset of those who live here, and the media who report here, is an extremely strong spotlight for these (and other) behaviors. And the act of shining a strong light on unacceptable behaviors is good. But painting an entire city with the broad brush of any label because of the acts of outliers isn't acceptable either.
 

Tyrone Biggums

nfl meets tri-annually at a secret country mansion
SoSH Member
Aug 15, 2006
6,424
Sources or GTFO.

Once again, we don't fucking know this. Did the guy(s) get kicked out? We don't even fucking know. It hasn't even been a day. Why do we get to just make shit up in the wake of an event like this instead of waiting a few days?
Sam Kennedy already came out and said other players heard it...

So unless they have supersonic hearing other people in the bleachers heard it too. It happened. That's all the proof that you need.
 

GammonsSpecialPerson

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 19, 2016
136
Sam Kennedy: Red Sox players acknowledged hearing racial slurs at Fenway.
I would hope Sam Kennedy was on the phone today, speaking to whomever at Anfield coordinates their anti-racism and security protocols. The racial abuse of players in Europe, and throughout the soccer world, has forced clubs - like Liverpool (a division of the Fenway Sports Group!) - to enact strict policies and enact lifetime bans for "fans" who behave in this shameful manner. There is no excuse for Kennedy and the Red Sox to not copy Liverpool's procedures, by the start of the next homestand. Anyone ejected from Fenway for racial abuse should never, ever step foot in the stadium again. This would be easy; they already do it in venues much larger than Fenway.
 

Sampo Gida

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SoSH Member
Aug 7, 2010
5,044
So fans of a team with 3-4 white position players on a given night are racists, and the racists are retiring the number in June of a fan favorite who happens to be of African heritage.

Look, with 3 million fans going in and out of Fenway each year you are probably going to get a couple of jerks now and then.

I just don't believe multiple individuals were out there hurling racial abuse at him without there being a single ejection for that (according to Kennedy) .Throwing a bag of peanuts, yeah, that happens (better than a bottle I guess), and the dope got ejected. Jones after the game seemed to imply dozens were ejected due to shouting racial abuse and that seems not the case.

Boston of course gets its reputation from the tensions resulting from bussing in the 70's, and so whenever this stuff happens it gets blown up out of all proportion.

Its interesting this comes up shortly after Prices allegations a couple of months ago. CC says he never heard anything since becoming a Yankee. Crawford only mentioned being called a Monday at a minor league rehab start. Now all of a sudden we have a rash of it at Fenway?

Ok, so maybe last night, who knows. I cant imagine any dopes trying it in the near future.