...The more they stay the same. Montreal defenseman P.K. Subban's Stanley Cup playoff heroics at the expense of the Bruins ignites a nasty racist response in Boston. One of America's most progressive cities ignites a vile Twitter campaign that makes Donald Sterling's comments appear positively tame by comparison. This extreme dichotomy is certainly worth exploring. First off, full disclosure: I am a liberal weenie from the People's Republic of Cambridge. I have produced several TV specials on sports and race including an ESPN doc "Black Ice" about black hockey stars Anson Carter and Mike Grier, so there is a discernible slant to this rant.
Telling this particular episode of sports and race in Boston requires a bit of local history refreshers, both good and bad: 1) Willie O'ree broke the NHL color barrier for the Bruins in 1957;
2) the Red Sox, however, were the last MLB team to break the color barrier, as plantation owner Tom Yawkey kept his ball club lilly white for decades after Jackie Robinson's breakthrough, at the expense of the club's winning percentage. It wasn't until they began to integrate that they lived their Impossible Dream in 1967 and became winners; 3) Bill Russell bummed out the entire super-talented force of narcissistic Boston sports media of Boston by calling the Hub the most racist city in America in the midst of the Celtics championship dynasty in the 1960's. Since Russ was the lynchpin of 11 championships in 13 years, his statement clearly dampened the feel-good buzz of a sports fairy tale.
Fast forward TWO generations, and witness the Boston fans reaction to a dark skinned man beating their beloved Bruins. It started with angry booing and a bottle tossed at Subban who scored the winning goal in overtime.
Vile is too kind a word for the Twitter response. The "N-word." Hurts to type it, hurts to read it. The "N word" was actually trending on Twitter in Boston. One fan posted a photo of a noose. Over 17,000 Tweets contained both "Subban" and the "N-word." That's enough racist hockey fans to fill the TD Bank Garden. Bruins president Cam Neely quickly sought to distance his club from the racist backlash:
"The racist, classless views expressed by an ignorant group of individuals following Thursday's game via digital media are in no way a reflection of anyone associated with the Bruins organization."
Sadly, Neely issued a nearly identical statement two years earlier when the Washington Caps Joel Ward beat the Bruins in overtime of Game 7 in the 2012 playoffs. When push comes to shove in the passion play that is Boston hockey fandom, the "N-word" is the the default response to a stadium full of fans.
Now spend a C-note on an Amtrak ride down to Philly, a comparably sized city that shares its revolutionary history with Boston along with a similar passion for its own NHL club. A couple of weeks ago a player of color scored a playoff hat trick for the Flyers, and Wayne Simmonds received an outpouring of hockey love in the form of hundreds of ball caps. It created one of the longest hat trick delays in memory as the rink staff shoveled the caps into bins. So clearly the hockey world is ready to throw something other than bottles a black hockey star.
Ironically, Boston is also willing to love hockey player of color. Future Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla, a black man, was adored in Beantown when he scored the OT winner in Game 4 vs Detroit. And here's where it gets a little freaky, the goaltending future for Boston is P.K. Subban's brother Malcolm, currently a member of the AHL
Providence Bruins, an hour down the road from the Garden. If and when he leads the Bruins to Cup contention, he too inevitably be loved by the Beantown faithful. The question to the racist Boston hockey fans is, where is the empathy? If you can root for a black member of your own squad, how can you tweet "N-word" as the default response to losing to a black man? The brother of your goaltending future?
There is no defined solution here, just confusion and wishful thinking. A quick observational anecdote as we ponder hatred and intolerance in a city known for free thinking. In the late 1980's I was in the upper sections of the old Boston Garden known as the "N-Heavens," watching the powerhouse Quebec Nordiques eliminate a decent Bruins squad. The Nordique was a foreign team, led by French Speaking superstar Michel Goulet. The club's uniform contained the Fleur-de-Lis, as does the Quebec Province flag, the same flag the brave fans sitting next me waved proudly as the Nordique were closing out the Bruins in Boston.
The visiting Quebec faithful were crowded by drunk Bruins fans who hated the idea of foreigners beating the Black in Gold in their own building. So they closed in on the French fans and took out their disposable lighters and did their best to set fire to the flag. This senseless act occurred despite the fact that the old Boston Garden was a firetrap, and they were but a few feet from the ceiling that could have ignited in a heartbeat. Fortunately some ushers were in the vicinity and put an end to the idiocy, but it symbolizes how intolerance trumps self interest. Even in the Hub of modern Enlightened thinking.
The final word comes from P.K., describing how racist fans are merely ignorant, and that he has friends of all color, including purple. Hearing his friendly tolerance gives us all hope.
Telling this particular episode of sports and race in Boston requires a bit of local history refreshers, both good and bad: 1) Willie O'ree broke the NHL color barrier for the Bruins in 1957;
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| Willie O'Ree, the Jackie Robinson of Hockey |
Vile is too kind a word for the Twitter response. The "N-word." Hurts to type it, hurts to read it. The "N word" was actually trending on Twitter in Boston. One fan posted a photo of a noose. Over 17,000 Tweets contained both "Subban" and the "N-word." That's enough racist hockey fans to fill the TD Bank Garden. Bruins president Cam Neely quickly sought to distance his club from the racist backlash:
"The racist, classless views expressed by an ignorant group of individuals following Thursday's game via digital media are in no way a reflection of anyone associated with the Bruins organization."
Sadly, Neely issued a nearly identical statement two years earlier when the Washington Caps Joel Ward beat the Bruins in overtime of Game 7 in the 2012 playoffs. When push comes to shove in the passion play that is Boston hockey fandom, the "N-word" is the the default response to a stadium full of fans.
Ironically, Boston is also willing to love hockey player of color. Future Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla, a black man, was adored in Beantown when he scored the OT winner in Game 4 vs Detroit. And here's where it gets a little freaky, the goaltending future for Boston is P.K. Subban's brother Malcolm, currently a member of the AHL
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| Malcolm Subban, Bruins 1st Round Draft Pick |
There is no defined solution here, just confusion and wishful thinking. A quick observational anecdote as we ponder hatred and intolerance in a city known for free thinking. In the late 1980's I was in the upper sections of the old Boston Garden known as the "N-Heavens," watching the powerhouse Quebec Nordiques eliminate a decent Bruins squad. The Nordique was a foreign team, led by French Speaking superstar Michel Goulet. The club's uniform contained the Fleur-de-Lis, as does the Quebec Province flag, the same flag the brave fans sitting next me waved proudly as the Nordique were closing out the Bruins in Boston.
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| Flaming Ignorance |
The final word comes from P.K., describing how racist fans are merely ignorant, and that he has friends of all color, including purple. Hearing his friendly tolerance gives us all hope.
