Where Have You Gone, Joe DiMaggio?

Tecumsehsbones

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Atlanta Braves office receives racist hate mail directed toward Hank Aaron

By Stanley Kay

Numerous racist letters addressed to Baseball Hall of Fame player Hank Aaron were sent to the Atlanta Braves organization during the past week, according to USA Today.

The Braves have received hundreds of letters, emails and phone calls in the aftermath of an interview Aaron gave to USA Today, published last week, in which he said there is “not a whole lot that has changed” in the country in terms of race relations and inequality since he broke Babe Ruth’s home run record 40 years ago. He told USA Today that he has kept old hate letters to remind himself of America’s continued racial issues. In the interview, Aaron also defended President Obama and criticized his political opponents.

The response from some harkens back to racism Aaron experienced during his quest to break Ruth’s home run record. Letters received by the Braves organization have featured racial slurs and hate-filled messages directed toward Aaron. From the USA Today story:
“Hank Aaron is a scumbag piece of (expletive) (racial slur)” a man named Edward says in an e-mail to the Braves front office and obtained by USA TODAY Sports.
Edward invokes the epithet five times in four sentences, closing with, “My old man instilled in my mind from a young age, the only good (racial slur) is a dead (racial slur).”
As USA Today writer Bob Nightengale points out, the racist response to Aaron’s comments coincides with Jackie Robinson Day, which celebrates April 15, 1947 as the day when Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball.
Though a number of media reports have stated Aaron compared President Obama’s critics to the KKK, Nightengale denied that Aaron made such a link in their interview:
Never in our 50-minute conversation did Aaron suggest anyone critical of President Obama is racist. Never did he compare the Republican Party to the Klu Klux Klan.
Simply, Aaron stated that we are fooling ourselves if we don’t believe that racism exists in our country. It’s simply camouflaged now. And yes, he feels sorry for his good friend, President Obama, and the frustrations he endures.
Aaron has pushed to increase African-American participation in baseball, which has declined in recent years. Less than nine percent of Major League Baseball players currently identify themselves as either African-American or black, a decline from an all-time high of 18.7 percent in 1981. The USA Today story notes that MLB commissioner Bud Selig — a friend of Aaron’s — has attempted to revive interest in the game among young African-Americans.

Atlanta Braves office receives racist hate mail directed toward Hank Aaron | SI Wire
 

coldstream

on dbl secret probation
Oct 19, 2005
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African American participation in MLB has decreased for one major reason... the sharp increase in that of another ethnic minority.. Latinos. And it has nothing to do with racism.. they are just better and more passionate about the sport as an identifiable group. It's likely the most threatened ethnicity in baseball these days is caucasions (or 'European Americans'.. or whatever).

The race card has become such a bore. It's sooo.. 1960s & 70s.
 

gopher

Hall of Fame Member
Jun 26, 2005
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African American participation in MLB has decreased for one major reason... the sharp increase in that of another ethnic minority.. Latinos. And it has nothing to do with racism.. they are just better and more passionate about the sport as an identifiable group. It's likely the most threatened ethnicity in baseball these days is caucasions (or 'European Americans'.. or whatever).

The race card has become such a bore. It's sooo.. 1960s & 70s.



The reason why there are so many more Latinos in MLB is because they turn pro by the time they are 15. In the USA we insist on having young people finish out school and even go into college. But people fail to realize that college actually destroys more pro careers than it creates. Europeans, Africans, Asians, and Latinos who play pro soccer never go to college. Their careers start at a much younger age than our footballers and this is why they are so much better in sports like soccer, baseball (for Latinos & many Asians), athletics (track & field), and other sports. Therefore, you are correct that in this particular matter, racism is not the problem. The continued insistence on forcing young people to stay in school (in marked contrast to the way it is done overseas) is the real problem.
 

Tecumsehsbones

Hall of Fame Member
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The reason why there are so many more Latinos in MLB is because they turn pro by the time they are 15. In the USA we insist on having young people finish out school and even go into college. But people fail to realize that college actually destroys more pro careers than it creates. Europeans, Africans, Asians, and Latinos who play pro soccer never go to college. Their careers start at a much younger age than our footballers and this is why they are so much better in sports like soccer, baseball (for Latinos & many Asians), athletics (track & field), and other sports. Therefore, you are correct that in this particular matter, racism is not the problem. The continued insistence on forcing young people to stay in school (in marked contrast to the way it is done overseas) is the real problem.
Umm. . . dafuq are you talking about? Your criticism would be valid for any major sport except baseball.

But the good news is you grabbed onto the diversion like a trout hitting a dry fly.
 

gopher

Hall of Fame Member
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Actually, I am agreeing with coldstream who said racism was not the problem here. Having coached baseball for 20 years and working as a free lance reporter, I generally know what I'm talking about when it comes to that sport.
 

damngrumpy

Executive Branch Member
Mar 16, 2005
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Racism is alive and well and that really can't be denied and it is a different racism
that threatens America.
whites still hate blacks and blacks in many cases hate Latino's and in turn they
hate blacks and more and more the Jews are disliked by other minorities. One
thing should be clear, it is some people hate each other and in the middle there
are any number of groups trying to get along. This kind of cross ethnic group
racism is a scary thing for when it boils over everyone will feel free to go after who
ever they please. America is more divided today than ever
 

Locutus

Adorable Deplorable
Jun 18, 2007
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Racism is alive and well and that really can't be denied and it is a different racism
that threatens America.
whites still hate blacks and blacks in many cases hate Latino's and in turn they
hate blacks and more and more the Jews are disliked by other minorities. One
thing should be clear, it is some people hate each other and in the middle there
are any number of groups trying to get along. This kind of cross ethnic group
racism is a scary thing for when it boils over everyone will feel free to go after who
ever they please. America is more divided today than ever

the some of your story then:

some whites in many cases still hate some blacks and some blacks in many cases hate some Latino's and in turn in many cases they hate some blacks and more and more the Jews are in many cases disliked by some other minorities.
 

SLM

The Velvet Hammer
Mar 5, 2011
29,151
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the some of your story then:

some whites in many cases still hate some blacks and some blacks in many cases hate some Latino's and in turn in many cases they hate some blacks and more and more the Jews are in many cases disliked by some other minorities.

Oh hell, I can sum it up even more.

Haters gotta hate.

:D
 

SLM

The Velvet Hammer
Mar 5, 2011
29,151
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London, Ontario
 

Tecumsehsbones

Hall of Fame Member
Mar 18, 2013
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Actually, I am agreeing with coldstream who said racism was not the problem here. Having coached baseball for 20 years and working as a free lance reporter, I generally know what I'm talking about when it comes to that sport.
OK, Hammerin' Hank never said racism was a problem in baseball, at least not in the player ranks, where talent is king. He said racism is a problem in American society.

I hope that helped.