I had to re-read the headline and make sure that it wasn't some kind of twisted joke coming off the AP Wire. It just couldn't be accurate, could it?
That a fan of the NHL would throw a banana at an African-American baffles my mind. Scratch the fact that this was a player on the ice during a hockey game. The action was bad enough. But I have found the response to be on the embarrassing side as well.
The support doesn't seem to be for Wayne Simmonds—at least not from the standpoint of the League and teams. Instead, we saw several statements saying that not all NHL fans are like this, and it was the disappointing act of a jerk individual.
No shit.
But where is the support structure for Simmonds from the league, who was embarrassed by a blatantly racist act while skating and playing in an NHL hockey game? That's what I keep waiting for. An apology.
Instead we got little tidbits like this from Gary Bettman:
“We have millions of great fans who show tremendous respect for our players and for the game. The obviously ...
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Article written by Franklin Steele
Why Gary Bettman, NHL Seriously Mishandled Wayne Simmonds Banana Debacle
September 24th, 2011 by Franklin Steele Leave a reply »
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