cspan37421
03-29-2019, 07:08 PM
Worth a read:
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/mar/29/duke-basketball-black-fans-etan-thomas
I'm a hesitant to address some of the obvious issues he brings up; I have definite opinions on them but I think they all relate to our foibles as human beings and our tendency to be tribal in our social and cultural circles. Us vs. them stuff. It fuels college rivalries but shows up in many other places.
Just a few nitpicky comments:
The Stomp makes another appearance. I guess one person's stomp is another's love tap. But let's be real, love tap is a euphemism. It was a foot jab, pretty mild, turned out to be harmless - but might not have been, fairly easily. Like, say Deron Washington:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DrgNEZ8VR8
The Grayson Tripping shows up again at the end. Yes, these were a memorable bad look for him and Duke generally. I seem to remember Deron Washington tripping a Dukie who was heading on a fast break. And ... did none of the Fab Five ever engage in a little extracurricular cheap shot? I don't know about during college but there's this:
https://www.businessinsider.com/jalen-rose-intentionally-injured-kobe-bryant-during-the-2000-nba-finals-2012-9
Doesn't seem to have affected his popularity.
It seems that there are these cultural identities that are very sticky. You had better define yourself well and take charge of your own image, or someone is going to do it for you. Unfortunately so many of these cultural identities applied to others are tied to race. There's just an assumption, based on someone's skin color. We also assume based on manner of dress, dialect, etc. Laettner may have been a blue collar player and come from a not-so-privileged background, but have you ever seen pictures of the dude in street clothes from back then? He's not exactly sporting Carhartt stuff. That's where the accusations of preppy come from - and the assumption that he was wealthy and thus entitled.
Thomas' article covers ground we've seen before. It's the old "I reflexively hated Dukies until I got to know one" kind of thing. That's at one level. But at another level, it does explain that Duke has become popular again in certain communities where it was decidedly NOT, and it's not because we're scrappy underdogs again.
*****
One confession: as an underclassman, I did partake in the "it's alright, it's OK..." chant. Not motivated out of elitism, but as a mantra/salve for what was then Duke football*. Of course, it has elements of both. The salve was for our wounded pride. Elitism? Well, many of us did aspire to reach the top of whatever field we pursued in life. But it was an uncertain, future hope. That's not bad in and of itself. Disdain for others would be, but in the moment, we were just plain jealous that their sports team had just proven themselves more "elite" than ours. :/
* chanted more often (proportionately) for football than basketball!
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/mar/29/duke-basketball-black-fans-etan-thomas
I'm a hesitant to address some of the obvious issues he brings up; I have definite opinions on them but I think they all relate to our foibles as human beings and our tendency to be tribal in our social and cultural circles. Us vs. them stuff. It fuels college rivalries but shows up in many other places.
Just a few nitpicky comments:
The Stomp makes another appearance. I guess one person's stomp is another's love tap. But let's be real, love tap is a euphemism. It was a foot jab, pretty mild, turned out to be harmless - but might not have been, fairly easily. Like, say Deron Washington:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DrgNEZ8VR8
The Grayson Tripping shows up again at the end. Yes, these were a memorable bad look for him and Duke generally. I seem to remember Deron Washington tripping a Dukie who was heading on a fast break. And ... did none of the Fab Five ever engage in a little extracurricular cheap shot? I don't know about during college but there's this:
https://www.businessinsider.com/jalen-rose-intentionally-injured-kobe-bryant-during-the-2000-nba-finals-2012-9
Doesn't seem to have affected his popularity.
It seems that there are these cultural identities that are very sticky. You had better define yourself well and take charge of your own image, or someone is going to do it for you. Unfortunately so many of these cultural identities applied to others are tied to race. There's just an assumption, based on someone's skin color. We also assume based on manner of dress, dialect, etc. Laettner may have been a blue collar player and come from a not-so-privileged background, but have you ever seen pictures of the dude in street clothes from back then? He's not exactly sporting Carhartt stuff. That's where the accusations of preppy come from - and the assumption that he was wealthy and thus entitled.
Thomas' article covers ground we've seen before. It's the old "I reflexively hated Dukies until I got to know one" kind of thing. That's at one level. But at another level, it does explain that Duke has become popular again in certain communities where it was decidedly NOT, and it's not because we're scrappy underdogs again.
*****
One confession: as an underclassman, I did partake in the "it's alright, it's OK..." chant. Not motivated out of elitism, but as a mantra/salve for what was then Duke football*. Of course, it has elements of both. The salve was for our wounded pride. Elitism? Well, many of us did aspire to reach the top of whatever field we pursued in life. But it was an uncertain, future hope. That's not bad in and of itself. Disdain for others would be, but in the moment, we were just plain jealous that their sports team had just proven themselves more "elite" than ours. :/
* chanted more often (proportionately) for football than basketball!