Knicks · OT: Hawks Selling Team Because of "Offensive" Emails... (page 3)
NardDogNation wrote:I'm Black and I don't find the emails offensive in the least. I'm not sure why this guy self-reported a non-story and don't understand why he feels compelled to sell his team, unless this is a smokescreen for something else. I wouldn't be surprised if he's being blackmailed with something bigger.
After seeing the big boost that Sterling got for his team, I wouldn't be surprised if he turned himself in
Sangfroid wrote:NardDogNation wrote:I'm Black and I don't find the emails offensive in the least. I'm not sure why this guy self-reported a non-story and don't understand why he feels compelled to sell his team, unless this is a smokescreen for something else. I wouldn't be surprised if he's being blackmailed with something bigger.After seeing the big boost that Sterling got for his team, I wouldn't be surprised if he turned himself in
LMAO. It seems like the new American Dream!
EnySpree wrote:Maybe he wanted to get rid of the team ASAP and saw how fast Sterling sold the team and for how much. The process of selling the team is slow.... he basically expedited the process. As a mega wealthy business man, image is nothing when it comes to making 2 billion dollars.
+1
dk7th wrote:Nalod wrote:dk7th wrote:the hawks, like any other ball club, need to start winning meaningful games in the playoffs if this swine levenson wants to put asses in seats. levenson's biggest mistake was hiring mike woodson, followed by larry drew. before that lon kruger hello?!? at least stotts has improved in the last ten years.you get stuck in mediocrity for as long as the hawks have-- when was the last time they made an impression in the second round?-- and eventually there is nothing to get excited about during the regular season when you know you get crushed in the varsity season.
racism and basketball as entertainment? if the hawks were winning would these issues even exist?
the knicks sold out for years not even making the playoffs. Why is he "Swine"???
metropolitan area has 20 million people and NYC is the business capital of the world. with plenty of corporate sh!tbags and general riffraff you can have a franchise that is as loose as a 65-year-old tijuana whore and still sell out.
atlanta area has a population of 4.7 million people. you have to work harder at being a draw, and that means treating the sport with enough respect to actually build a good team and have a cohesive front office on the same page. if levenson possesses the same "values" as that azzhole who owns the knicks then he will unleash a mediocre and marginally "entertaining" "product." but now i have seen everything-- a white owner using quasi-racist statements as a pretext to sell his interest at a potentially huge profit. if true levenson = swine.
meanwhile you know what's really entertaining: winning
Second longest playoff inclusion streak and tied for 6th place with Los Angelus having 15 fortune 500 companies in the United States. http://www.debate.org/reference/cities-h...
ATL metro area ranks 9th in the country in population.
Was it racist for the Hawks to attempt to market themselves to the black community in the first place? Or Racist to try to appeal to a wider (more White) Audience?
They found 9 emails out of 24,000,000 that were judged to have questionable content. I don't condone the hurtful words and there are more tactful ways to word things but an organization that is struggling to draw can't have a "comfortable" conversation about demographics without tripping up in either direction. Isiah rumored comment about white ticket holders and sexual harrassment was dealt with by giving him an extension!
Levenson is no where near Sterling territory.
Nalod wrote:dk7th wrote:Nalod wrote:dk7th wrote:the hawks, like any other ball club, need to start winning meaningful games in the playoffs if this swine levenson wants to put asses in seats. levenson's biggest mistake was hiring mike woodson, followed by larry drew. before that lon kruger hello?!? at least stotts has improved in the last ten years.you get stuck in mediocrity for as long as the hawks have-- when was the last time they made an impression in the second round?-- and eventually there is nothing to get excited about during the regular season when you know you get crushed in the varsity season.
racism and basketball as entertainment? if the hawks were winning would these issues even exist?
the knicks sold out for years not even making the playoffs. Why is he "Swine"???
metropolitan area has 20 million people and NYC is the business capital of the world. with plenty of corporate sh!tbags and general riffraff you can have a franchise that is as loose as a 65-year-old tijuana whore and still sell out.
atlanta area has a population of 4.7 million people. you have to work harder at being a draw, and that means treating the sport with enough respect to actually build a good team and have a cohesive front office on the same page. if levenson possesses the same "values" as that azzhole who owns the knicks then he will unleash a mediocre and marginally "entertaining" "product." but now i have seen everything-- a white owner using quasi-racist statements as a pretext to sell his interest at a potentially huge profit. if true levenson = swine.
meanwhile you know what's really entertaining: winning
Second longest playoff inclusion streak and tied for 6th place with Los Angelus having 15 fortune 500 companies in the United States. http://www.debate.org/reference/cities-h...
ATL metro area ranks 9th in the country in population.
Was it racist for the Hawks to attempt to market themselves to the black community in the first place? Or Racist to try to appeal to a wider (more White) Audience?
They found 9 emails out of 24,000,000 that were judged to have questionable content. I don't condone the hurtful words and there are more tactful ways to word things but an organization that is struggling to draw can't have a "comfortable" conversation about demographics without tripping up in either direction. Isiah rumored comment about white ticket holders and sexual harrassment was dealt with by giving him an extension!
Levenson is no where near Sterling territory.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographic...
so the upsurge in white population from 2000 to 2010 (and presumably to the present) is parallel to the hawks being somewhere between sucking and mediocre. if levenson wants to get some of these newer arrivals to the stadium he has to value winning over entertainment.
changing the cultural vibe of the games and alluding to their being too black is ridiculous. the franchise itself needs a change of culture! all they have to do is make a splash in the second round and not succumb meekly, woodson style, and voila!... you get crackers to games.
dk7th wrote:Nalod wrote:dk7th wrote:Nalod wrote:dk7th wrote:the hawks, like any other ball club, need to start winning meaningful games in the playoffs if this swine levenson wants to put asses in seats. levenson's biggest mistake was hiring mike woodson, followed by larry drew. before that lon kruger hello?!? at least stotts has improved in the last ten years.you get stuck in mediocrity for as long as the hawks have-- when was the last time they made an impression in the second round?-- and eventually there is nothing to get excited about during the regular season when you know you get crushed in the varsity season.
racism and basketball as entertainment? if the hawks were winning would these issues even exist?
the knicks sold out for years not even making the playoffs. Why is he "Swine"???
metropolitan area has 20 million people and NYC is the business capital of the world. with plenty of corporate sh!tbags and general riffraff you can have a franchise that is as loose as a 65-year-old tijuana whore and still sell out.
atlanta area has a population of 4.7 million people. you have to work harder at being a draw, and that means treating the sport with enough respect to actually build a good team and have a cohesive front office on the same page. if levenson possesses the same "values" as that azzhole who owns the knicks then he will unleash a mediocre and marginally "entertaining" "product." but now i have seen everything-- a white owner using quasi-racist statements as a pretext to sell his interest at a potentially huge profit. if true levenson = swine.
meanwhile you know what's really entertaining: winning
Second longest playoff inclusion streak and tied for 6th place with Los Angelus having 15 fortune 500 companies in the United States. http://www.debate.org/reference/cities-h...
ATL metro area ranks 9th in the country in population.
Was it racist for the Hawks to attempt to market themselves to the black community in the first place? Or Racist to try to appeal to a wider (more White) Audience?
They found 9 emails out of 24,000,000 that were judged to have questionable content. I don't condone the hurtful words and there are more tactful ways to word things but an organization that is struggling to draw can't have a "comfortable" conversation about demographics without tripping up in either direction. Isiah rumored comment about white ticket holders and sexual harrassment was dealt with by giving him an extension!
Levenson is no where near Sterling territory.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographic...
so the upsurge in white population from 2000 to 2010 (and presumably to the present) is parallel to the hawks being somewhere between sucking and mediocre. if levenson wants to get some of these newer arrivals to the stadium he has to value winning over entertainment.
changing the cultural vibe of the games and alluding to their being too black is ridiculous. the franchise itself needs a change of culture! all they have to do is make a splash in the second round and not succumb meekly, woodson style, and voila!... you get crackers to games.
YOu just described more than half the league. So your saying Honky only likes a winning culture? You discount the entertainment factor? Economics? Transportation? Cultural Barriers? Half the leauge don't make the playoffs and all but Philly and Milwaukee do better at the gate.
C'mon man, you gotta give us more than that!
Braves have attendance problems as well and they have a winning culture.
Nalod wrote:dk7th wrote:Nalod wrote:dk7th wrote:Nalod wrote:dk7th wrote:the hawks, like any other ball club, need to start winning meaningful games in the playoffs if this swine levenson wants to put asses in seats. levenson's biggest mistake was hiring mike woodson, followed by larry drew. before that lon kruger hello?!? at least stotts has improved in the last ten years.you get stuck in mediocrity for as long as the hawks have-- when was the last time they made an impression in the second round?-- and eventually there is nothing to get excited about during the regular season when you know you get crushed in the varsity season.
racism and basketball as entertainment? if the hawks were winning would these issues even exist?
the knicks sold out for years not even making the playoffs. Why is he "Swine"???
metropolitan area has 20 million people and NYC is the business capital of the world. with plenty of corporate sh!tbags and general riffraff you can have a franchise that is as loose as a 65-year-old tijuana whore and still sell out.
atlanta area has a population of 4.7 million people. you have to work harder at being a draw, and that means treating the sport with enough respect to actually build a good team and have a cohesive front office on the same page. if levenson possesses the same "values" as that azzhole who owns the knicks then he will unleash a mediocre and marginally "entertaining" "product." but now i have seen everything-- a white owner using quasi-racist statements as a pretext to sell his interest at a potentially huge profit. if true levenson = swine.
meanwhile you know what's really entertaining: winning
Second longest playoff inclusion streak and tied for 6th place with Los Angelus having 15 fortune 500 companies in the United States. http://www.debate.org/reference/cities-h...
ATL metro area ranks 9th in the country in population.
Was it racist for the Hawks to attempt to market themselves to the black community in the first place? Or Racist to try to appeal to a wider (more White) Audience?
They found 9 emails out of 24,000,000 that were judged to have questionable content. I don't condone the hurtful words and there are more tactful ways to word things but an organization that is struggling to draw can't have a "comfortable" conversation about demographics without tripping up in either direction. Isiah rumored comment about white ticket holders and sexual harrassment was dealt with by giving him an extension!
Levenson is no where near Sterling territory.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographic...
so the upsurge in white population from 2000 to 2010 (and presumably to the present) is parallel to the hawks being somewhere between sucking and mediocre. if levenson wants to get some of these newer arrivals to the stadium he has to value winning over entertainment.
changing the cultural vibe of the games and alluding to their being too black is ridiculous. the franchise itself needs a change of culture! all they have to do is make a splash in the second round and not succumb meekly, woodson style, and voila!... you get crackers to games.
YOu just described more than half the league. So your saying Honky only likes a winning culture? You discount the entertainment factor? Economics? Transportation? Cultural Barriers? Half the leauge don't make the playoffs and all but Philly and Milwaukee do better at the gate.
C'mon man, you gotta give us more than that!
Braves have attendance problems as well and they have a winning culture.
if by half the league you mean half the teams are .500 or less, that is a mathematical certainty.
so let me ask you this: what winning teams, and by "winning" i mean the team makes a significant impression in the conference semifinals, fail to fill their arenas?
conversely, what mediocrities fill their arenas other than the knicks?
http://espn.go.com/nba/attendance
Have at it. I get your point and its a good one. Nobody is saying they don't draw cuz whitey is afraid. You saying they don't have a culture.
Freaking Jazz been sucking for a long time since Jordan put them away. They still draw pretty good. I was at a game in February out there and the arena sucks, the halftime was a joke, the video screen is way too large and few black people. About 30% latino. Only game in town in Salt Lake.
They love that team.
No doubt winning draws. But other teams draw too that don't. There are teams that are able to draw better from both black and white in attendance? I don't have a breakdown.
Nalod wrote:
http://espn.go.com/nba/attendanceHave at it. I get your point and its a good one. Nobody is saying they don't draw cuz whitey is afraid. You saying they don't have a culture.
Freaking Jazz been sucking for a long time since Jordan put them away. They still draw pretty good. I was at a game in February out there and the arena sucks, the halftime was a joke, the video screen is way too large and few black people. About 30% latino. Only game in town in Salt Lake.
They love that team.No doubt winning draws. But other teams draw too that don't. There are teams that are able to draw better from both black and white in attendance? I don't have a breakdown.
I am not sure about "African" culture but modern US culture sucks for sure.
Instead of bringing people together by stopping calling then whites, blacks, Latinos, Asians, etc. we cultivating and promoting racism at every level. Especially when we are "fighting" it.
All this politically correct diversity crap is getting more harmful by day.
Making money and political caries on "racism" became most popular business.
Shame on us... 
While it's true that the fan base is weak due to all the out of state new residents that isn't really the problem. Young kids would adopt the team if it was good or they drafted a stud. There are very real Racial issues much as there always have been in the American south but that's not the biggest problem.
nixluva wrote:I live in Georgia and there are PLENTY of affluent Blacks here who would spend IF they put a legit product on the court. Also the Whites in GA would have no problem going to games if they had Lebron or Durant or a Kevin Love to go see. It's the product.While it's true that the fan base is weak due to all the out of state new residents that isn't really the problem. Young kids would adopt the team if it was good or they drafted a stud. There are very real Racial issues much as there always have been in the American south but that's not the biggest problem.
Even when they were winning while Woodson was coaching
Their attendance barely cracked Top 20
I think they do a poor job marketing the team
Not to mention the overall sentiment of Atlanta fans
They never feel their teams are truly good
They sense mirages and don't support
Exception may be the baseball team
Remember when they were winning and Joe Johnson called them out
1-Leveson is 1 of 5 owners so this wasn't by design. He didn't do it to sell the team for $2Billion
2-those were not Danny Ferry's words. It came from a scout but for whatever reason he decided to read a terrible joke during a pressed. People around the league are coming to his defense. Saying he is a good guy. His life Lon friend is billy king. They both went to Duke. Deng went to Duke too
dk7th wrote:Nalod wrote:dk7th wrote:Nalod wrote:dk7th wrote:the hawks, like any other ball club, need to start winning meaningful games in the playoffs if this swine levenson wants to put asses in seats. levenson's biggest mistake was hiring mike woodson, followed by larry drew. before that lon kruger hello?!? at least stotts has improved in the last ten years.you get stuck in mediocrity for as long as the hawks have-- when was the last time they made an impression in the second round?-- and eventually there is nothing to get excited about during the regular season when you know you get crushed in the varsity season.
racism and basketball as entertainment? if the hawks were winning would these issues even exist?
the knicks sold out for years not even making the playoffs. Why is he "Swine"???
metropolitan area has 20 million people and NYC is the business capital of the world. with plenty of corporate sh!tbags and general riffraff you can have a franchise that is as loose as a 65-year-old tijuana whore and still sell out.
atlanta area has a population of 4.7 million people. you have to work harder at being a draw, and that means treating the sport with enough respect to actually build a good team and have a cohesive front office on the same page. if levenson possesses the same "values" as that azzhole who owns the knicks then he will unleash a mediocre and marginally "entertaining" "product." but now i have seen everything-- a white owner using quasi-racist statements as a pretext to sell his interest at a potentially huge profit. if true levenson = swine.
meanwhile you know what's really entertaining: winning
Second longest playoff inclusion streak and tied for 6th place with Los Angelus having 15 fortune 500 companies in the United States. http://www.debate.org/reference/cities-h...
ATL metro area ranks 9th in the country in population.
Was it racist for the Hawks to attempt to market themselves to the black community in the first place? Or Racist to try to appeal to a wider (more White) Audience?
They found 9 emails out of 24,000,000 that were judged to have questionable content. I don't condone the hurtful words and there are more tactful ways to word things but an organization that is struggling to draw can't have a "comfortable" conversation about demographics without tripping up in either direction. Isiah rumored comment about white ticket holders and sexual harrassment was dealt with by giving him an extension!
Levenson is no where near Sterling territory.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographic...
so the upsurge in white population from 2000 to 2010 (and presumably to the present) is parallel to the hawks being somewhere between sucking and mediocre. if levenson wants to get some of these newer arrivals to the stadium he has to value winning over entertainment.
changing the cultural vibe of the games and alluding to their being too black is ridiculous. the franchise itself needs a change of culture! all they have to do is make a splash in the second round and not succumb meekly, woodson style, and voila!... you get crackers to games.
Dude! How are you any better than the man you are trying to admonish? "Honky"? "Cracker"? Seriously?
gunsnewing wrote:2 thingsArticle on this:
1-Leveson is 1 of 5 owners so this wasn't by design. He didn't do it to sell the team for $2Billion
2-those were not Danny Ferry's words. It came from a scout but for whatever reason he decided to read a terrible joke during a pressure. People around the league are coming to his defense. Saying he is a good guy. His life Lon friend is billy king. They both went to Duke. Deng went to Duke too
Danny Ferry receives supportUpdated: September 9, 2014, 6:17 PM ETBy Brian Windhorst | ESPN.com277101Comments(86)EmailPrintInsiderTwo prominent African-Americans associated with the NBA have come forward to offer support to Atlanta Hawks general manager Danny Ferry in the wake of comments that have come to light this week.Ferry has been disciplined by the Hawks after making racially insensitive statements about then-free agent Luol Deng during a meeting with team owners in June. The comments became public as part of a letter from Hawks minority owner Michael Gearon Jr. to controlling owner Bruce Levenson demanding Ferry be fired following the meeting."I've observed Danny Ferry and his family for many years and I can say Danny Ferry is not a racist," said Wayne Embry, who was the NBA's first African-American general manager with the Milwaukee Bucks in 1971. "I don't know all the circumstances, but in the capacity of a president or general manager, you have to do your due diligence on players. It is a responsible way to act."More from ESPN.comTo prevent more instances of NBA owners whose views don't reflect those of players and fans of the game, finding more black owners would help. StoryIn a meeting with owners, Ferry read from a background report he'd assembled from sources outside the Hawks organization. Ferry read that Deng "has a little African in him. Not in a bad way, but he's like a guy who would have a nice store out front but sell you counterfeit stuff out of the back," according to a transcript Gearon made from the meeting."I know Danny very well and we've always had high-quality interactions," said player agent Bill Duffy, who represents more than 30 clients including Steve Nash, Rajon Rondo, Joakim Noah and Andrew Wiggins. "He's been involved in pro basketball his entire life and I've been shown nothing but respect in my dealings with him. He's always been of good character and I have admired him over the years."On Tuesday, Ferry released a statement apologizing for his comments. He also said he'd ca
http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/114958...
NardDogNation wrote:I'm Black and I don't find the emails offensive in the least. I'm not sure why this guy self-reported a non-story and don't understand why he feels compelled to sell his team, unless this is a smokescreen for something else. I wouldn't be surprised if he's being blackmailed with something bigger.
I don't find them offensive either. He was looking at things purely in a business perspective and all he was asking for was a few more white cheerleaders(Though its proven white men do love themselves a chocolate women) and some music that both whites and blacks are familiar with. It didn't seem like he was trying to rid himself of blacks in order to add more whites. Only offer some appealing things to attract more whites. But he is looking at it the wrong way. If he wants more season ticket holders they need to be a more relevant franchise and start creating more history with there brand.
Drafting Chris Paul over Marvin Williams when you have 3 forwards on your roster already would have helped the cause more.
NardDogNation wrote:dk7th wrote:Nalod wrote:dk7th wrote:Nalod wrote:dk7th wrote:the hawks, like any other ball club, need to start winning meaningful games in the playoffs if this swine levenson wants to put asses in seats. levenson's biggest mistake was hiring mike woodson, followed by larry drew. before that lon kruger hello?!? at least stotts has improved in the last ten years.you get stuck in mediocrity for as long as the hawks have-- when was the last time they made an impression in the second round?-- and eventually there is nothing to get excited about during the regular season when you know you get crushed in the varsity season.
racism and basketball as entertainment? if the hawks were winning would these issues even exist?
the knicks sold out for years not even making the playoffs. Why is he "Swine"???
metropolitan area has 20 million people and NYC is the business capital of the world. with plenty of corporate sh!tbags and general riffraff you can have a franchise that is as loose as a 65-year-old tijuana whore and still sell out.
atlanta area has a population of 4.7 million people. you have to work harder at being a draw, and that means treating the sport with enough respect to actually build a good team and have a cohesive front office on the same page. if levenson possesses the same "values" as that azzhole who owns the knicks then he will unleash a mediocre and marginally "entertaining" "product." but now i have seen everything-- a white owner using quasi-racist statements as a pretext to sell his interest at a potentially huge profit. if true levenson = swine.
meanwhile you know what's really entertaining: winning
Second longest playoff inclusion streak and tied for 6th place with Los Angelus having 15 fortune 500 companies in the United States. http://www.debate.org/reference/cities-h...
ATL metro area ranks 9th in the country in population.
Was it racist for the Hawks to attempt to market themselves to the black community in the first place? Or Racist to try to appeal to a wider (more White) Audience?
They found 9 emails out of 24,000,000 that were judged to have questionable content. I don't condone the hurtful words and there are more tactful ways to word things but an organization that is struggling to draw can't have a "comfortable" conversation about demographics without tripping up in either direction. Isiah rumored comment about white ticket holders and sexual harrassment was dealt with by giving him an extension!
Levenson is no where near Sterling territory.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographic...
so the upsurge in white population from 2000 to 2010 (and presumably to the present) is parallel to the hawks being somewhere between sucking and mediocre. if levenson wants to get some of these newer arrivals to the stadium he has to value winning over entertainment.
changing the cultural vibe of the games and alluding to their being too black is ridiculous. the franchise itself needs a change of culture! all they have to do is make a splash in the second round and not succumb meekly, woodson style, and voila!... you get crackers to games.
Dude! How are you any better than the man you are trying to admonish? "Honky"? "Cracker"? Seriously?
no, not seriously... i am joking. sorry the internet does not convey that.
newyorknewyork wrote:NardDogNation wrote:I'm Black and I don't find the emails offensive in the least. I'm not sure why this guy self-reported a non-story and don't understand why he feels compelled to sell his team, unless this is a smokescreen for something else. I wouldn't be surprised if he's being blackmailed with something bigger.I don't find them offensive either. He was looking at things purely in a business perspective and all he was asking for was a few more white cheerleaders(Though its proven white men do love themselves a chocolate women) and some music that both whites and blacks are familiar with. It didn't seem like he was trying to rid himself of blacks in order to add more whites. Only offer some appealing things to attract more whites. But he is looking at it the wrong way. If he wants more season ticket holders they need to be a more relevant franchise and start creating more history with there brand.
Drafting Chris Paul over Marvin Williams when you have 3 forwards on your roster already would have helped the cause more.
this is the crux of the matter-- the hawks are a poor to mediocre team the last 10-12 years. why go to games? this is where the vaunted "basketball as entertainment" canard is exposed. you need to field a winning team if you want to fill the arena!!!
too many chiefs and not enough indians is also a recipe for disaster.
TripleThreat wrote:I think Larry Bird made some sentiments in terms of fanbase many years back and was immediately attacked in the press. I.E. about having more white superstar players in the NBA, it would draw more interest from mainstream white America in terms of the total league fanbase. I don't think that's racist, I think it's reality.African Americans only represent a small portion of the total US population ( though they have large concentrations in certain regions/areas) Also the most desirable demographics ( i.e. the kind of folks who can afford the courtside seats and buy luxury suites for games) will likely tend to draw from a white fan pool rather than a black one.
That would require a functional change in how the game is played (i.e. more emphasis and rewards for shooting and fundamentals and less reliance on athleticism )
I think it's true, but I also think it's not politically correct. If the league had 10 Steve Nash type players in their prime, the league would simply generate more interest from mainstream white America. MLB and the NFL have the benefit of much larger rosters. The NBA though, it's player pool is height dependent, which will lend towards more African Americans in the game.
I don't think what Ferry said was right, but it was one incident in how many years of him being in the league as both a player and front office executive with no other history of racial issues. I actually think he's a pretty good GM ( dumping Joe Johnson's contract, not resigning Josh Smith, getting Millsap for cheap, getting Bazemore for almost nothing, making some nice pickups like Dennnis Schroeder. )
Black activists don't want racism to end, they'd be out of a job. Hence they try to push every possible incident involving race and it becomes a cash grab/lynching party.
You make some good points.
ONly thing is Muhammad Ali became the biggest star on the planet at one time. Jordan is and was the biggest of his generation. Lebron is quite huge in his branding endorsements.
Bird is right, but the league does very well.
ATL had Iso Joe but he lacks charisma at the gate. Woodson as coach also lacked a big personality. While they won enough there was no "buzz".
The Braves with its trio of white HOF pitchers and trips to playoffs and world series never created a buzz and baseball has few "Must go to games".
And true, the Hawks fractured ownership structure needs a big personality. Maybe the music industry in ATL will back a new owner. ATL is a big market and should succeed.
Whats strange was when Ted Turner owned the Hawks the "superstation" broadcast them and the braves for years. WGN out of Chicago did the same with the Cubs and they became "americas team" and TBS way before it had the NBA did broadcast the Hawks nation wide. Funny that they never gained traction and a wider fan base in that era.
Given that ownership fracture, one has to wonder if the partners were not in synch to sell the team and Levenson used this as a tool to get his way?
TripleThreat wrote:I think Larry Bird made some sentiments in terms of fanbase many years back and was immediately attacked in the press. I.E. about having more white superstar players in the NBA, it would draw more interest from mainstream white America in terms of the total league fanbase. I don't think that's racist, I think it's reality.African Americans only represent a small portion of the total US population ( though they have large concentrations in certain regions/areas) Also the most desirable demographics ( i.e. the kind of folks who can afford the courtside seats and buy luxury suites for games) will likely tend to draw from a white fan pool rather than a black one.
That would require a functional change in how the game is played (i.e. more emphasis and rewards for shooting and fundamentals and less reliance on athleticism )
I think it's true, but I also think it's not politically correct. If the league had 10 Steve Nash type players in their prime, the league would simply generate more interest from mainstream white America. MLB and the NFL have the benefit of much larger rosters. The NBA though, it's player pool is height dependent, which will lend towards more African Americans in the game.
I don't think what Ferry said was right, but it was one incident in how many years of him being in the league as both a player and front office executive with no other history of racial issues. I actually think he's a pretty good GM ( dumping Joe Johnson's contract, not resigning Josh Smith, getting Millsap for cheap, getting Bazemore for almost nothing, making some nice pickups like Dennnis Schroeder. )
Black activists don't want racism to end, they'd be out of a job. Hence they try to push every possible incident involving race and it becomes a cash grab/lynching party.
Utter crap.
I don't get how anyone can not find Ferry's comments racist- (unless you think that the majority of Africans are not only salesmen, but dodge ones too) and to make matters worse it's in the workplace. Here they were deciding whether or not to employ someone and one of the reasons against employing him was because of a stereotype based on his heritage. It's up to people individually whether they are offended or not, but it's certainly racist. My dad is African, and I'm proud of my heritage. If I found out an employer in discussions about employing me, erred caution because I had 'some african in me', then I'd be p***d off. Loved Deng's response though!
The idea that the owner's comments aren't racist because he's just talking business and money is nonsense too to me- it's a slippery slope if you exempt business's from ethics. If a shop could get more white customers and more money by banning black customers, would that be okay? Is it okay to even have discussions on that issue?