I can understand wanting to see B-Ball without the flashiness, but open the league up to all players who agree to play a certain way regardless of race.
The first reaction was that this had to be some kind of sick joke.
What idiot sends out a press release on the eve of Martin Luther King Jr. Day announcing the establishment of an all-white basketball league?
Sadly, it was not a joke. Racism never is.
Don "Moose" Lewis claims his concept of a whites-only basketball league has nothing to do with racism. He's wrong, of course. And his proposal to re-establish a small piece of segregation on the holiday we celebrate the dream and effort of MLK is reprehensible.
Lewis' press release is filled with the vile and hateful stereotypes that condemn an entire race.
"It has come to the attention of the principals of the (All-American Basketball Alliance) that white basketball players are essentially 'shut out' of conventional professional basketball due to the proliferation of non-organized play on the court," he said. "With players on other professional teams carrying guns, attacking fans in the stands, and going through the motions of playing the game, fundamentally sound white players are a vanishing species."
It sickens me to hear this kind of prejudicial garbage given even the smallest iota of credence.
I'm not naive enough to believe that racism isn't alive and well in these United States -- I've read the online comments that pass for civic discourse. But 62 years after the Dixiecrats dissolved, 49 years after the last Caucasian-only clause was stricken from American sports, 42 years after King was assassinated and just more than a year after we elected our first black president, I hoped this kind of ignorance might be on the wane.
Just the fact that someone would consider this kind of venture shows just how far away we are at truly reconciling our society.
"Fans have spoken to the AABA asking to restore on court sanity to the game of basketball," the press release claims. "Their pleas are our mission. Only players that are natural born United States citizens with both parents of Caucasian race are eligible to play in the league."
But Lewis -- a boxing and wrestling promoter by trade who can channel Al Campanis and Jimmy The Greek as well as anyone -- goes on one of those racist rants that can make you weep.
"It's because of the fact that natural athleticism of people of color is different," Lewis said. "They can make up for their shortfall in fundamentals with their natural athleticism. And coaches look for the quickest way to win, so they go for natural athleticism instead of the fundamentals from a white player. Is it a coaching problem? To a certain degree, but a lot of it is the culture.
"I know there's bad apples of every color, but like my wife says, let the numbers speak for themselves. Turn on the local TV news and who do you see on there? Facts are facts. Now, imagine the safety and quality of play at games where there's none of that. Anyone can be a star."
In his conversation with The Augusta Chronicle , Lewis mentioned several white NBA stars as shining examples of what his league would be all about.
"You do have some guys in the NBA, guys like Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash," Lewis said. "Dirk is the last great white hope."
Of course, since Nash and Nowitzki are Canadian and German, they wouldn't be eligible for Lewis' league.
Lewis even cites North Carolina -- you know, the school that helped integrate the Atlantic Coast Conference with Charlie Scott and gave us Michael Jordan -- as his muse.
"At Carolina, the bottom line is they're fundamentally sound," he said. "The guys who buy into the program go 100 percent, and those are the white guys. They have the Blue Team, and every time they come into the game, everybody cheers them on and get behind them. They're the most popular."
The Blue Team, for those as ignorant as Lewis, was a substitution strategy first employed by Dean Smith who would install an entire reserve unit to briefly spell his starters. They are not exclusively white.
"Look at Larry Bird," Lewis continued. "He was a very good player. But if he was a black player, he wouldn't be considered in the same league as Michael Jordan. But he was white and entertaining. That's why people liked him."
This Moose Lewis character is more than a little challenged when it comes to his judgment. An Internet search of his other offerings as chief of this Global Basketball Alliance illustrates that pretty clearly.
In January of 2008, Lewis issued a news release saying that his director of team development, a military veteran, had been in an accident a week earlier and fallen into a coma. "Due to these tragic circumstances, the GBA has no alternative but to seek a replacement." Now that's class.
The only bit of sense Lewis displays is an awareness that this segregationist endeavor wouldn't fly in an arena named after James Brown or any other public facility.
For gyms in which to play, he hopes to find kindred spirits at private white-flight academies that are prevalent across the southern regions he hopes to infiltrate.
Let's make sure that Augusta and its surrounding communities do not become a haven for this kind of prejudice.
If we do, the sick joke is on us.
Reach Scott Michaux at (706) 823-3219 or scott.michaux@augustachronicle.com.
Comments
I can understand wanting to see B-Ball without the flashiness, but open the league up to all players who agree to play a certain way regardless of race.
Why is it racism if whites have a basketball league? Blacks have Miss Black America, Black History month, and so on. The problem with this league is it will be boring not racist.
Scott, it's obvious that this guy is racist. No, I don't think that this league will fly here, or anywhere else. BUT..explain to me why this man doesn't have a right to try establishing an all-white league? Given the fact that there are all these socially acceptable black-exclusive organizations and events, there is no rational, legal, nor ethical reason why an all-white...or any particlular ethnic group...shouldn't be allowed to form and practice. Just answer that. I really want a GOOD answer to that and still haven't heard one. Can it be that blacks "created" this sort of thing by pushing their own agendas?
I think there is probably a niche audience that enjoys watching a traditional 4-corners Ivy League type game rather than the urban version. He could tone down the rhetoric however.
ISN`T IT FUNNY how if whites do it its racism but if a black man can do it ..... well that`s ok , we have black colleges , even BET , but for gods sake don`t let whitie stand up ! get serious , as long as there is the two words Black and white , there will be a difference . because both sides want there to be a difference ..... AFFIRMATIVE ............ action.
There was room for Negro League baseball, why not White Boy basketball? The introduction offer could have been worded better to reach the goal. From a business perspective, sales isn't supposed to include insulting the customer. With the "come on" used, this idea was dead before it started.
In the beginning of the South just about everything was " For Whites only". I bet this team will only want to play " White only teams". The only thing another "race" could do was to work for "Them". Let 'em have it!! They are desparately seeking something to help them be proud of themselves! Let them have it! It is nice to know that all people don't think like this. People who don't think like this..we may as well face the music that "these people" will continue to think like this...We need to continue to strenghten our beliefs of the opposite train of thoughts.
OOh Scott. That was such a brave, bold pc article.
I think he may be trying for Tom Corwin's "Flu Epidemic" beat. There isn't enough good stuff to be said about the Bulldawgs or Tiger Woods, he is running out of material.
I agree it is racism, but so is Miss Black America, the Black Panthers, the Black Caucus, and any other group that enlists only a certain race/social group of people. I agree with the poster above, it would probably be a very boring game.
I suppose if African Americans were allowed to freely play baseball with all privileges instead of being made to come in the back way, spit on etc, been freely allowed to run for Miss America, Miss USA, without death threats, had TV shows to air freely on all networks, been able to get in Alabama without armed guards, get a good education from white high schools, instead of being laughed at while walking miles to get to their black school while whites were riding the buses throwing stuff at them out of the windows, been able to practice law etc, most of these now established BLACK ONLY themed groups wouldn't need to exist. I would think after all the racist events and happenings to African Americans in the early years, some simply got tired of it and started their own to the likes of Miss Black America (since they weren't really welcomed), started their own TV Network (since they were not being seen or giving good roles to play) etc. think about it.
Got any examples of any of that in the last 4 decades, JackFruityPapers?
Funny I wonder why the chronicle even lended this man an ear and then printed this article? Oh I know the chronicle race baits daily.
Every time a "black" or "white" something or other is created, Dr King's dream takes another dagger to the heart. Think about it.
Ummm to who's heart, not mine LOL.
notreally's 7:46am says it all. Although I know Morris is to well connected and with Aitken he will never go bankrupt. But the race baiting of the paper keeps Augusta in the 60's.
If this story wasn't included, we'd be hearing about a "Good Ole Boy cover up". You boys can't play it both ways as it suits you.
Color exclusive groups of any kind just fuel the fires of racism. I understand the groups started in the interest of civil activism, those that fought for change and have been credited with such accomplishments. Unfortunately, there are too many others that have no true goal or purpose other then to segregate.
Amen, Martinez. I'm glad somebody gets it.
Good point Ed @7:58. I bet Concerned and Fruity wont want to debate you there.
Also, they will probably take offense to being called "boys".
I'll edit it once they start to pitch a fit and I know they have seen it. Of course that's the same word I use for my best white friends too.
Scott, you are wrong about Al Campanis and Jimmy the Greek. They were both thrown under the bus. In Al Campanis case he was later defended by Dr. Harry Edwards, the famous black sociologist, who wrote extensively about blacks in sports. Campanis was a lifelong advocate of helping blacks in baseball. He was on a TV show discussing that very matter when he was asked whey there weren't more blacks in baseball management. He answered that many blacks didn't have the qualifications YET. Jimmy the Greek's explanation of why blacks did so well in sports may not have been exactly PC, but it certainly was not racist. I urge you to research both incidents.
If european americans want their own basketball league I could care less. I don't think they will have a market in Augusta seeing is how it is dominated by minorities now. I could care less if somone has a white this or a black this. I will support what appeals to me. I don't understand why anyone would care one way or the other.
Uh, Scott, if it were an all negro league, would it be racist? Please provide your answer in this forum!
I don't know about basketball, but I think there should be a 'United Caucasian College Fund'...there are just as many poor white people as there are blacks, just my opinion...anyways, if they want an all white basketball league, go for it! The reason why it won't work in Augusta isn't because of 'racism', but because people in Augusta are too cheap to go out support local sports teams. Case and point: The Lynx and those 3 or 4 football teams we've had over the past decade.
Nothing else negroes do with all negro organizations is called racist. Why should an all caucasian organization (basketball league) be called racist. Answer that one too, Scott, as soon as you pull your head out of your hiney licking mode!
Any race or culture has a right to have their own league / club / cross burning. But look at the roots of this one. The white supremacist announces it on MLK day? Then his verbage has huge racial undertones. I don't think we are saying they cannot have it.. Rather, do we want that in our town? Personally...It is nothing I would ever support.
Native, who said they were white supermacist, you? Also, many people think luther didn't deseerve a memorial day, so to them it is just another work day. Kinda like robert E Lee's birthday, don't you know?
Yes, I say he is a white supremacist. I'll bet my burning cross he is.
The Augusta Chronicle ©2012. All Rights Reserved.
