Other Chicago & General Sports Thread LXV - NBA Lottery Watch/MLB Opening Day

[Malagahawks]

When Lester comes off of IL the rotation will be looking really solid. But we have to pitch well in our division. Games against the Bucks, Cards, & the Crew will not be easy anymore.

 

[Illinihockey]

So you are in the boat that Schwarber should've been suspended?

If he used a racial slur then yes

 

[IU Hawks fan]

MLB honors Tim Anderson the way it honored Jackie Robinson: By telling him to shut up

 

[MurrayBannerman]

MLB honors Tim Anderson the way it honored Jackie Robinson: By telling him to shut up

Beat me to it

 

[MurrayBannerman]

For black people, that isn't a racial slur. For everyone else it is, but not for them. Any stance of "consistency" or anything remotely like that is just reinforcing that black people aren't allowed to be themselves in Major League Baseball. They have to get in line and shut up.

It's deeply offensive and it's not for a room of old, white guys in suits to judge.

 

[LDF]

the main point here is mlb needs to rule to all races...... so if mlb does not do anything about it, it is showing that there is a difference in their ruling for certain people.

 

[MurrayBannerman]

the main point here is mlb needs to rule to all races...... so if mlb does not do anything about it, it is showing that there is a difference in their ruling for certain people.

Nah, man, that ain't it, chief.

 

[LDF]

Nah, man, that ain't it, chief.

well i have been reading this all this time, but hey we can all have a difference of opinion.

 

[MurrayBannerman]

well i have been reading this all this time, but hey we can all have a difference of opinion.

It's not theirs to decide and it's not theirs to take.

 

[HawksBeerFan]

The lack of nuance in the MLB's decision is similar to the lack of nuance in people freaking out about the decision IMO

 

[piteus]

For black people, that isn't a racial slur. For everyone else it is, but not for them. Any stance of "consistency" or anything remotely like that is just reinforcing that black people aren't allowed to be themselves in Major League Baseball. They have to get in line and shut up.

It's deeply offensive and it's not for a room of old, white guys in suits to judge.

We get it. It's not our "word" to use. I understand the argument. However, we don't allow the use of racially or sexually insensitive words at our workplace. In this case, it's not just about YOU (not specifically you). We have to empathize with other people in a professional setting ... some of who are minorities as well.

No one says you can't use to the word in an artistic setting or outside the workplace. That's your prerogative. However, employers have rights too ... such as dress codes. As much as I supported Colin Kaepernick's right to kneel (I thought it was a GOOD message), the employers also have the right to ask its employees to stand for the anthem. Even the most progressive professional league in the world (NBA) has a rule against kneeling. That has not been challenged in the courts.

IF MLB just targeted minorities in regards to the use of racially/sexually incentive words in the workplace, I'd have a huge issue. However, this is a rule that everyone must adhere to. Heck, MLB has gone after fans at Fenway ... and peers police themselves as well for tweets posted as a teenager.

The issue is players like Madison Bumgarner. So many times when a Caribbean player celebrates a good play, he throws at them. I don't know if it's a cultural gap or something else. However, it's so apparent, players and fans have noticed.

 

[DisgruntledHawkFan]

I think the suspension is stupid because of how extremely rarely they enforce unsportsmanlike behavior, but black or not using the N word at work is something that will get you fired at 95% of the jobs in this country if HR gets involved.

 

[piteus]

I think the suspension is stupid because of how extremely rarely they enforce unsportsmanlike behavior, but black or not using the N word at work is something that will get you fired at 95% of the jobs in this country if HR gets involved.

Here's the issue: when there is a fight / ejection, I believe umpires have to write a formal report to MLB. We all know there's not much flexibility when it gets written up and pushed to the higher ups. It's like that in any organization.

Keller received a 5 game suspension. Anderson and Renteria each got one. I know Keller is a starting pitcher, but he'll have to pay the biggest fine. Anderson did not appeal although Keller did.

This is not the hill to die on. It's not worth it. There are far more obvious situations that we can raise in professional sports.

 

[MurrayBannerman]

We get it. It's not our "word" to use. I understand the argument. However, we don't allow the use of racially or sexually insensitive words at our workplace. In this case, it's not just about YOU (not specifically you). We have to empathize with other people in a professional setting ... some of who are minorities as well.

No one says you can't use to the word in an artistic setting or outside the workplace. That's your prerogative. However, employers have rights too ... such as dress codes. As much as I supported Colin Kaepernick's right to kneel (I thought it was a GOOD message), the employers also have the right to ask its employees to stand for the anthem. Even the most progressive professional league in the world (NBA) has a rule against kneeling. That has not been challenged in the courts.

IF MLB just targeted minorities in regards to the use of racially/sexually incentive words in the workplace, I'd have a huge issue. However, this is a rule that everyone must adhere to. Heck, MLB has gone after fans at Fenway ... and peers police themselves as well for tweets posted as a teenager.

The issue is players like Madison Bumgarner. So many times when a Caribbean player celebrates a good play, he throws at them. I don't know if it's a cultural gap or something else. However, it's so apparent, players and fans have noticed.

And why did they not go after Josh Hader then?

"Oh it was just tweets" or "oh it was a long time ago" doesn't suffice with a "zero tolerance policy".

 

[HawksBeerFan]

And why did they not go after Josh Hader then?

"Oh it was just tweets" or "oh it was a long time ago" doesn't suffice with a "zero tolerance policy".

One incident occurred when the individual was an employee, one occurred when the individual was not an employee.

 

[DisgruntledHawkFan]

And why did they not go after Josh Hader then?

It was before he was even in professional baseball wasn’t it?

 

[piteus]

And why did they not go after Josh Hader then?

Perhaps because it was a tweet he posted as a TEENAGER when he wasn't working for MLB? Even then, his peers held him accountable. Hader had to apologize through the media. No one is demanding Tim Anderson apologize. We all understand the context. However, we also know the rules of the workplace. Unfortunately, he broke it.

I'm not naive to think racism doesn't still exist in professional sports. Of course it does ... like in any part of our society. However, when there are rules in place ... accepted by the MLBPA, there's no reason to make a big deal out of it. If Keller wasn't suspended, then I'd have an issue.

 

[DisgruntledHawkFan]

And why did they not go after Josh Hader then?

"Oh it was just tweets" or "oh it was a long time ago" doesn't suffice with a "zero tolerance policy".

I mean, if an active white player sent those tweets he’d be drawn and quartered. Anybody downplaying the medium in which somebody was/is racist is loony.

 

[MurrayBannerman]

Perhaps because it was a tweet he posted as a TEENAGER when he wasn't working for MLB? Even then, his peers held him accountable. Hader had to apologize through the media. No one is demanding Tim Anderson apologize. We all understand the context. However, we also know the rules of the workplace. Unfortunately, he broke it.

I'm not naive to think racism doesn't still exist in professional sports. Of course it does ... like in any part of our society. However, when there are rules in place ... accepted by the MLBPA, there's no reason to make a big deal out of it. If Keller wasn't suspended, then I'd have an issue.

Okay, so it's tolerable if we find the racism later, but we can't make an exception for a black man using a culturally accepted word for people of his race.

And then we have Terry Collins calling umps ers on a live mic, but that's professionally acceptable. Or Kyle Schwarber swearing and charging at an umpire.

So we're not zero tolerance on a word and we're not zero tolerance on a vague perception of workplace professionalism.

 

[clydesdale line]

If he used a racial slur then yes

LMAO. "racial slur". Yea you might need to stay out of this one.

I know for a fact in a "workplace" if I call someone a "c**ksucker" I'm getting fired. This is why people need to stop comparing regular work places to professional sports.

 

[HawksBeerFan]

Okay, so it's tolerable if we find the racism later, but we can't make an exception for a black man using a culturally accepted word for people of his race.

And then we have Terry Collins calling umps ********ers on a live mic, but that's professionally acceptable. Or Kyle Schwarber swearing and charging at an umpire.

So we're not zero tolerance on a word and we're not zero tolerance on a vague perception of workplace professionalism.

You're missing the point, an organization punished an employee who violated its policy while employed. An organization did not punish an employee for something they did before they were employed by the organization.

We get it, you want to show how righteous you are, but you're refusing to see any nuance in the situation.

 

[Illinihockey]

LMAO. "racial slur". Yea you might need to stay out of this one.

I know for a fact in a "workplace" if I call someone a "c**ksucker" I'm getting fired. This is why people need to stop comparing regular work places to professional sports.

If you don’t think it is, go say it and see what happens

 

[clydesdale line]

If you don’t think it is, go say it and see what happens

I'm (half) African American...

 

[Illinihockey]

I'm African American...

Ok go to work and say it and see what happens. I can say lots of swear words at work and no one cares, I can’t say that and there’s a reason

 

[MurrayBannerman]

Ok go to work and say it and see what happens. I can say lots of swear words at work and no one cares, I can’t say that and there’s a reason

And Clydesdale can