Sacramento Kings Pull ‘Year of the Monkey’ Shirts From Seats
Observing two cultural celebrations at the same time can lead to controversy, the Sacramento Kings learned this week.
On Monday night, the team hastily removed free “Year of the Monkey” T-shirts for fans from arena seats after complaints that the giveaway was racially insensitive on the first night of Black History Month.
The Lunar New Year, an Asian festival that will start on Monday in the United States, is the highlight of the Chinese calendar. Each year is based on a symbol of the Chinese horoscope, and this is the Year of the Monkey, the ninth of 12 animals in the cycle. But the team’s effort to celebrate seemed misplaced to some at the start of the annual celebration of African-American heritage.
Images of workers removing the shirts from seats at the Sleep Train arena, where the Kings were playing the Milwaukee Bucks, were published on social media.
On Facebook, the former N.B.A. All-Star Marques Johnson, a television analyst for the Bucks, described an encounter he had on Monday night with DeMarcus Cousins, the Kings’ All-Star center, who objected to the shirts: “I walk into the building, and DeMarcus Cousins calls me over to an animated discussion he’s having with Kings operations people. He ask me, ‘Olskool, what you think about this T-shirt?’ Told him a little insensitive on 1st day of Black History Month. They pulled the shirts. ...”
On Monday night, players and coaches were wearing Black History Month shirts during warm-up. Cousins did not play on Monday night because of a sprained ankle.
more triggers
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/03/s...of-the-monkey-fan-shirts-from-seats.html?_r=0
Observing two cultural celebrations at the same time can lead to controversy, the Sacramento Kings learned this week.
On Monday night, the team hastily removed free “Year of the Monkey” T-shirts for fans from arena seats after complaints that the giveaway was racially insensitive on the first night of Black History Month.
The Lunar New Year, an Asian festival that will start on Monday in the United States, is the highlight of the Chinese calendar. Each year is based on a symbol of the Chinese horoscope, and this is the Year of the Monkey, the ninth of 12 animals in the cycle. But the team’s effort to celebrate seemed misplaced to some at the start of the annual celebration of African-American heritage.
Images of workers removing the shirts from seats at the Sleep Train arena, where the Kings were playing the Milwaukee Bucks, were published on social media.
On Facebook, the former N.B.A. All-Star Marques Johnson, a television analyst for the Bucks, described an encounter he had on Monday night with DeMarcus Cousins, the Kings’ All-Star center, who objected to the shirts: “I walk into the building, and DeMarcus Cousins calls me over to an animated discussion he’s having with Kings operations people. He ask me, ‘Olskool, what you think about this T-shirt?’ Told him a little insensitive on 1st day of Black History Month. They pulled the shirts. ...”
On Monday night, players and coaches were wearing Black History Month shirts during warm-up. Cousins did not play on Monday night because of a sprained ankle.
more triggers
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/03/s...of-the-monkey-fan-shirts-from-seats.html?_r=0
