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December 28, 2006
Raja Bell, Sociologist
The Suns' guard makes a good point.
Matt (New York): Raja, you have some experience with NBA tussles. What are your thoughts on the brawl between my Knicks and the Nuggets? Do you think the suspended players got off easy, or were they unfairly scrutinized because they play in the NBA? Seems like in other leagues, players get off scot-free.Digitech RP-10 buyDigitech RP-10 buyRaja: I saw the fight, but I wasn't involved in the events leading up to it, so I can't speculate too much. I'll say this: It's interesting when NHL players are praised for being great fighters, but in the NBA, we're "criminals" and "thugs." It's a shame, but what are we going to do? That's society. There are deeper issues in play. We just have to be aware of that.
Something similar struck me when I watched Barry "The Mullet" Melrose praising two (white) hockey players for a "great tussle" a couple of days ago on SportsCenter. Absolutely ridiculous. Digitech RP-10 buy
Posted by todd at December 28, 2006 3:52 PMDigitech RP-10 buy
Comments
I think race is a factor but there are others beyond that too. In the case of hockey, it's almost a tradition of the game to fight so when they happen, they're not overstepping the bounds of hockey sportsmanship. Also, NFL players are predominantly black but they can fight and engage in bad behavior without being labels as thugs.Digitech RP-10 buy
Posted by: bo at December 28, 2006 5:18 PMDigitech RP-10 buy
That's true. I wonder if the bit about NFL players has anything to do with the fact that the NBA is more associated with "hip hop culture" or whatever.Digitech RP-10 buy
Posted by: todd. at December 29, 2006 7:16 AMDigitech RP-10 buy
I think you're right about that. A black man could probably rush the mound in a MLB game and not be called a thug. The one difference is the culture surrounding the NBA versus other sports. Digitech RP-10 buy
Bell's right to say that there are deeper issues at play, though. The descriptions of the brawlers may not be a result of overt racism against the players as individuals, but the fighters are clearly being lumped into a racist stereotype of "black" culture.Digitech RP-10 buy
Posted by: Keith at December 29, 2006 11:57 AMDigitech RP-10 buy
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