Appealing to Basketball Fans Through Well-Meaning Racism
 

Was the hiring of Yi Jianlian, a 7-ft tall starter from China, a covert move by the New Jersey Nets to attract all the kids from Chinatown? That seems to be the assertion: some sort of national pride will attract the inhabitants of BeBo (below Bowery) to come see a fellow statesman in an NBA game.

It's not technically a bad idea, as the Beijing Olympics renewed China's interest in the American-dominated sport.

But according to the demographics, the majority of basketball fans in the country are Caucasian, while a large portion of players are African-American. So the New Jersey Nets logic of race-baiting to attract new fans seems like a backward tactic to encourage a new audience.

Still, Jianlian is an admirable power forward, and his draft may have had nothing to do with race until The New York Times got a hold of the story and went around interviewing everyone in Chinatown.

Oct 9, 2008 · 7 views (beta) · Link · 3 Responses
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Comments (3)

No. 1 · Bobbo

The assertions in this story are racist, not the move. And the writing is pathetic.

Posted: Oct 9, 2008 at 2:15 pm · @Reply · [Flag?]
No. 2 · drew

What assertions? That the majority of basketball players are African-American? That's actually a fact, not an opinion.

Posted: Oct 9, 2008 at 2:45 pm · @Reply · [Flag?]
No. 3 · Obser

We need more diversity in sport. Especially Asian Pacific American and other groups.

Posted: Oct 9, 2008 at 3:22 pm · @Reply · [Flag?]
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