The Amazingly Suck Theodore Leonsis Thread

[Ruzious]

So um... how is Beal honoring him - by being black and looking in the same general direction as that picture of Langston Hughes?

THIS.

Come on, Ted. Are you that tone deaf? You want Beal to honor Langston Hughes, drop a video of Beal reciting something by Hughes. Don't just pick a black dude, dress him up like Hughes and make a side-by-side photo appear "similar". That reeks of "they all look alike".

Honestly, given the blow back they received last year, this is even stupider.

#ThanksTed

Honestly, if keynote hadn't posted the link, I would have thought someone photoshopped that as a joke. But to paraphrase another great writer, "Oops, they did it again."

[TheSecretWeapon]

So um... how is Beal honoring him - by being black and looking in the same general direction as that picture of Langston Hughes?

THIS.

Come on, Ted. Are you that tone deaf? You want Beal to honor Langston Hughes, drop a video of Beal reciting something by Hughes. Don't just pick a black dude, dress him up like Hughes and make a side-by-side photo appear "similar". That reeks of "they all look alike".

Honestly, given the blow back they received last year, this is even stupider.

#ThanksTed

The Wizards aren't the only tone-deaf team. The Sacramento Kings set Chinese New Year t-shirts on every seat on February 1 when a) Black History Month begins February 1; b) the Chinese New Year starts February 8; c) the players and coaches on the team had been issued Black History Month t-shirts, which they were wearing; and d) the Chinese New Year t-shirts feature a monkey (because it's the year of the monkey). The Kings hustled workers around the arena pulling the Chinese New Year t-shirts from seats after DeMarcus Cousins (with an assist from Marques Johnson) pointed out the insensitivity in distributing t-shirts with monkeys on them at the start of Black History Month.

I doubt the staffers who decided on the giveaway meant anything malicious. Just a lack of sensitivity. Sorta highlighting the need for Black History Month.

[AFM]

Yeah except there's nothing insensitive about those monkey shirts

[TheSecretWeapon]

Yeah except there's nothing insensitive about those monkey shirts

The timing was what was insensitive. Hand them out on February 8 -- or on the last home game before the 8th -- and it's a complete non-story. Hand them out on the first day of Black History Month when blacks have had "monkey" (and variations of it) used as racist slurs against them, and it's...insensitive. Like I said, I seriously doubt there was any ill-will intended. Nobody thought of it. Somebody should have.

[Ruzious]

It'd be like if the Wizards had given out t-shirts that said Have a Grand time with the Wizards.

[AFM]

That's G Wiz's new alter ego. Grand Wizard (actually what G Wiz stands for). He's gonna run out with a white pointy hat to Lynard Skynard

[queridiculo]

That's G Wiz's new alter ego. Grand Wizard (actually what G Wiz stands for). He's gonna run out with a white pointy hat to Lynard Skynard

Oh damn, that's dark

[closg00]

The Wizards never have to be good when the Verizon Center can coast on games like this.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dc-sports-bog/wp/2016/02/02/warriors-visit-will-mark-most-expensive-wizards-game-in-at-least-six-years/

[payitforward]

So um... how is Beal honoring him - by being black and looking in the same general direction as that picture of Langston Hughes?

THIS.

Come on, Ted. Are you that tone deaf? You want Beal to honor Langston Hughes, drop a video of Beal reciting something by Hughes. Don't just pick a black dude, dress him up like Hughes and make a side-by-side photo appear "similar". That reeks of "they all look alike".

Honestly, given the blow back they received last year, this is even stupider.

#ThanksTed

Honestly, if keynote hadn't posted the link, I would have thought someone photoshopped that as a joke. But to paraphrase another great writer, "Oops, they did it again."

What a colossally stupid idea. Not to mention that Beal looks nothing like Langston Hughes. Oh hell, even if he was a dead ringer for Hughes it'd be a colossally stupid idea.

[payitforward]

You can't tell me that Ted actually put his face alongside MLK's -- say it ain't so. Not to mention his asinine quote about becoming rich in a "nice guy" way being next to MLK on "infinite hope."

Please tell me that he didn't actually do this beyond dumb thing. Please tell me one of us did it to make fun of him. Please....

[AFM]

You can't tell me that Ted actually put his face alongside MLK's -- say it ain't so. Not to mention his asinine quote about becoming rich in a "nice guy" way being next to MLK on "infinite hope."

Please tell me that he didn't actually do this beyond dumb thing. Please tell me one of us did it to make fun of him. Please....

You missed it, that was from last year. Where do you think I got my "Double Bottom Line Life Crew" quote from (recently changed)?

[payitforward]

Yes. I missed it. I wish I was still missing it. It's sickening.

[AFM]

The good news is, when Ted fulfills his MLK destiny and get assassinated, we may finally get a new GM

[nuposse04]

The good news is, when Ted fulfills his MLK destiny and get assassinated, we may finally get a new GM

Or we could tie EG to a rocket and shoot him into the sun.

[DCZards]

You can't tell me that Ted actually put his face alongside MLK's -- say it ain't so. Not to mention his asinine quote about becoming rich in a "nice guy" way being next to MLK on "infinite hope."

Please tell me that he didn't actually do this beyond dumb thing. Please tell me one of us did it to make fun of him. Please....

Not only was it a beyond dumb--and ego driven--thing to do it was an insulting and belittling thing to do. I was also hoping it was a fun creation of someone on this board.

[tontoz]

You couldn't make this stuff up. These people are actually getting paid to do public relations.

1st day of Black History month and you come out with this shirt?

[payitforward]

Honestly, this one doesn't bother me at all.

I mean, yeah, I get it that someone could associate the image of a monkey w/ the racist ideology that "the people we are enslaving, slaughtering, selling like cattle aren't really people -- they're really something else: animals. Apes, chimps, monkeys." But... I actually think that's kind of a reach. The monkey is purple, the event (new year - year of the monkey) is real, not an invented piece of BS.

Sure, I also get it that one perceptive person would have been all that was needed to say "hey... maybe not." But, the world is full of dumb people. There's no comparing something like this with Ted Leonsis's utter gall to associate his image w/ one of the greatest people of the XXth century.

Now, btw, I'm sure it wasn't *Ted* who did that -- it was one of Monumental's employees. It would be no surprise if he didn't even see it before it went up. But, to me at least, that makes it worse: surely he saw it at some point, and it would have been appropriate to apologize for the image, to act embarrassed by it. But, he didn't.

I wish I had a better opinion of Leonsis; I just can't get there.

[tontoz]

That Leonsis/King bit was idiotic, but it was last year and at least they came out and admitted that it was ill advised. But now they come out with this Beal nonsense....

[payitforward]

That Leonsis/King bit was idiotic, but it was last year and at least they came out and admitted that it was ill advised. But now they come out with this Beal nonsense....

Ah... I didn't realize they'd commented on the foolish gesture of putting Leonsis next to King. Glad they did.

Beal as Langston Hughes is just ridiculous, empty, and meaningless. Now... there actually is/was a player in the league who looks/looked a lot like that photo of Hughes. Can anyone tell me who it is?

[AFM]

I'm gonna go with Jan Vesely.