Earlier today on ESPN's Around the Horn the question was posed whether the Atlanta Thrashers, the only team ever to have five black players on their roster in the history of the NHL, were clever marketers.
By selecting players to cater to a largely African-American demographic in Atlanta this could be viewed as the equivalent of affirmative action or in the eyes of some reverse racism.
If so, in a league largely populated by players of Caucasian origin, wouldn't this be taking opportunities away from them?
Affirmative action gained a foothold during President Johnson's administration but in actuality was introduced by President Kennedy. At that time racism and the inequalities that accompanied it were pervasive throughout our society.
In the words of President Johnson, "This is the next and more profound stage of the battle for civil rights...we seek...not just equality as a right and a theory, but equality as a fact and as a result."
So, who would blame a team in the city with the largest concentration of black wealth in the country for instituting a little quota tilting (even if they're not calling it that), to get butts in seats? ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by marc mct
Racism in NHL?: Atlanta Thrashers Accused of Marketing Solely on Basis of Race
October 28th, 2010 by marc mct Leave a reply »
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