"Your actions speak so loudly that I cannot hear a word you say."
Sport is a microcosm of society. Some say that "history doesn't repeat but it rhymes."
Buying a ticket entitles you to watch a game but not physically harass athletes. If you must heckle, boo, but racial hate crosses the line. Stereotypes and cliches exist because of history. Recent incidents prove that we don't live in a "post-racial" society.
Boorishness toward NBA players (Russell Westbrook, Trae Young) is inexcusable. Banning irresponsible fans from NBA venues isn't enough. Mom used to say, "don't do something that will put you on the front page of The Metro section. Maybe she was on to something.
Bill Russell experienced a variety of escalating abuses living in suburban Boston over five decades ago. When his trash cans were repeatedly turned over, Russell was told by police that it was raccoons. He applied for a gun permit and the raccoons wised up. Smart critters.
Dee Brown was arrested at gunpoint in highbrow Wellesley in a case of mistaken identity in 1990.
Celtics fans takes umbrage at Kyrie Irving's departure. We seem less agitated by Gordon Hayward's relocation to Charlotte. Apples and oranges? Players earned the right to play where and with whom they want. Does their treatment say more about them or about us?
Irving may be mercurial, but is he very different than let's say, Kevin Love? Where's all the Hate toward Love?
It's not confined to fans or to the NBA. Roberto Alomar spitting on umpire John Hirschbeck (1996) comes to mind. Alomar earned a five game suspension.
Aristotle said, "we are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then is not an act but a habit." If we want to be judged differently, then act better.
Hate grows when we give it the oxygen, fuel, and heat to thrive. Just don't. Go to the Garden and cheer for the Celtics but don't love to hate.
Lagniappe. I disagree with Dan Shaughnessy. "Boston fans stood tall at the Garden Friday night. They booed Kyrie Irving every time he touched the basketball. They delivered harsh chants in Kyrie’s direction. But nothing went over the line. After the big Celtics win and Irving’s subpar game, even the complex and sometimes loathsome Kyrie said, “It’s basketball. I’ve been in a few environments in my life. If it’s nothing extra, I’m cool with it.’’
Good. Let’s have more of the same Sunday when the Garden is full for Game 4. Boo Irving because he lied to you about staying here and quit on your team."
Be a fan not a curmudgeon.