| Re: Great excerpt from Bill Simmons...
I think racism definitely plays a part. I dont mean blatant KKK-style racism. But I think deep down inside, many white people are "afraid" of large black men. It doesnt matter how many black friends they have, or how much they loved the Cosby Show, or whatever.
People steretype other types of people, and the steretype of black people is that they are angry, violent, and dangerous. Maybe that's a result of the media, rap music, actual crime statistics, or something else altogether. Whatever the cause, there are people who are inherently scared of black people.
However, I dont think this is the major reason for the long time it's taking to regain popularity. The decline in the quality of play from the mid-90's to about 2004 or 2005 was the major reason why. One or two good seasons won't change people's minds. The NBA needs a sustained era of high-quality play.
But, I think subconscious racism is also a factor.
As for Simmons, I used to love him, but I'm growing to dislike him more and more. The best explanation I ever heard was that he stopped being the "everyday guy", and when he became more of an "insider" he lost his touch.
He's also in denial about entering middle-age territory, as evidenced by his recent mailbag where he was asked to form a "Mt. Rushmore" for rappers, and he had to convince himself to include Biggie. I'm willing to bet hip-hop is not Mr. Simmons's forte...he shouldnt try to write like he really knows about it simply because it's "cool" and it's what his readership enjoys
He still has flashes of brilliance though, and this article was an example of that |