Joe Morgan's concern is that baseball is losing its blackness, not just on the field but in its fan base. Blacks simply don't care about baseball the way they once did. When fewer blacks are playing, even less are watching. As a black guy who loves baseball, this concerns him. I don't know what he's suggesting should be a solution, but I agree its a problem if baseball is supposed to be the national pastime, rather than hockey on grass. I used to pick up on comments by Morgan that I thought were subtly racist, then I began wondering if I was being more the racist for noticing them. Something along similar lines seems to be going on here.
I think something here is also being blown out of nothing. He doesn't speak ill of other races just propagates his own. Why does that make him a racist? Everyone is "pro-*their race*" but because he is, that makes him a racist??? I think it has to be looked at for what it is and not what some of you want it to be.
What happens if Jeff Brantley says "I want to see more white players drafted, it makes the game more interesting to me"- then the media is all ver him but morgan says that and it's ok? WHO CARES what race the players are, the best players deserve to make it whether they are white, black or whatever.
Sure the best players deserve the job, but like it or not, people are going to look out for their own... whether it be race, religion, even sports fanhood. Joe Morgan wants more black people, and I'd take the Jet fan over the Patriot fan... People are different, there's no way around it, and there's no use being afraid to talk about it. He's not saying "I want less white people" - as if he is hating on another race... he said he wants more black people, because he's black! I don't see the controversiality.
While you'd certainly rack up points and win that argument in a court of law on principle, "self-defense" silliness and mock ass-kicking as compared to something degrading don't have the same tone in spirit by a long shot. It isn't a matter of PC (which I hate), it's a matter of respect, Soss. If you can't see how someone might look askance at that, I don't know what to tell you - with the exception that my Dad taught me everything I know. Fancy that.
and how is that a bad thing. the diminishing numbers of blacks in MLB is attributable to the declining interest of blacks in the sport. as long as the quality of play isn't diminished by their absence, their absence is not a bad thing for the sport. so I reiterate, how is it bad if blacks choose not to play?
I'm sorry, obviously you know the difference. That came out more aggressive than I wanted. ^^Smart ^^Not smart. :sad: I don't see why people read that quote as Joe Morgan saying that teams should stop drafting white players and instead hand their jobs to less skilled black players. You're just reading what you want to see so you can rip Affirmative Action. All he said was that diversity is good for the game. That's it.
I would say two things: 1) what?s ?better for the game? in the end is to have the best players in the world play in MLB, regardless of their national origin or their race. Putting 2nd-rate talent on the field, whether it be from Nebraska, NYC or Tokyo, does a disservice to the game, alienates current fans and gives today?s non-fans of the game no reason to tune in and watch. 2) the comment is almost more racist vs. his own race than Whites, Hispanics, etc.. He implies that African Americans only live in inner cities. That suggests that African Americans are confined to over-populated, under-served, high-crime and potentially decaying sections of our country. He probably didn?t mean to make that association, but it could be read that way.
I know you and understand your viewpoint on this kind of stuff, but I think it's too extreme. No male is going to look at a girl taking a plunger to the face and say, "hah, I guess we men are better after all." It's not a gender based thing. A male in that situation would probably be just as funny, but because it happened to be a girl, you see something degrading to women. It's like if you saw a 5 second video of a crowd booing at a black man as he walked off the baseball diamond in the 60s... first thing anyone would think of is that it is racism. Maybe he just struck out with the bases loaded. Maybe he's on the opposing team and punched out someone on the home team, and then got ejected. I think assumptions create the degradation more that what is told by what one actually sees.
^This was a pretty good post. I think Morgan would agree the best players should play regardless of their race. I think his quote here was more of a hopeful comment. He's hoping more black kids got drafted for the reasons I mentioned earlier in this thread.
Fuck, I voted wrong. You confused me fucker!! I meant to vote yes, not the opposite of yes. Damn it. I'm a Dodger fan so I've always hated Joe Morgan. In fact I hated the Big Red Machine so much as a kid it's one of the major reasons I'm an LA fan in the first place. I'm tired of his one man campaign to bring more blacks back into baseball, too. Who exactly is telling them they can't play? They could play if they want to, most would rather play hoops. So what? I would too if given the choice and I'm white, is that a crisis? There's no white guys in the shoe shine business, you don't hear me bitching. Let people do what they want to.
Who said anything about one gender trumping another? Don't paint me as humorless or narrow, Soss. I don't hold anything sacred, but sometimes even things out of context are what they are. A topless girl with a plunger to the face vs. what? I know you to a fashion as well, which is why it surprised me. I'm not going to belabor it and you don't have to justify it. Disappointing is all.
I'm not painting you as anything, but it offends you because it's a female getting that plunger. I seek humor, not degradation. If that was man, woman, or horse getting that toiletry tool in the face, it would make me laugh, because that's what I happen to enjoy: toilet humor and potty mouths.
You are missing the point, if a white commentator says the game needs more whites he's branded a racist and he's exiled from the game but a black commentator says he wants more blacks and everything is ok.