Chuck Klosterman NYT piece - Must Read

hickfromfrenchlick · Post #21 » by **hickfromfrenchlick** » Sat Mar 1, 2008 12:37 am

Cyclical wrote:Thanks for the find wagz.

Guys, there's no NYTimes bias here - Chuck is a life-long Celtics fan. If you ever get the chance to read his book Sex, Drugs, and Coco Puffs he has a big section in there about about growing up as a Celtics fan in the 80's. Good stuff, though he entire book can be a bit tiresome. Overall, a pretty sharp guy.

Get a chance, people. It's awesome.

GuyClinch · Post #22 » by **GuyClinch** » Sat Mar 1, 2008 2:02 am

Do you think fans root for Scal because of his skin color? If so, we're watching different teams. Also, while Klosterman might not come out and say it directly, he's playing on a well-known stereotypical view of Boston as a racist city. That view extends well beyond sports, and showing favoritism to white athletes.

Fans are smart enough to know a good player from a bad one. However being more similiar to them is a factor in a players popularity. If Scabs was black he would be seen as a total scrub. Now people still think he is a scrub but the root for him a bit to come and do something at the end of games. They aren't chanting for Pruitt...

They do that with Sean Marks over in Phoenix too. The "whiteness" is a factor in popularity. People like Brady and Bird because they are great but the fact that they are white makes them even more popular.

Pete

RoyHobbs · Post #23 » by **RoyHobbs** » Sat Mar 1, 2008 2:38 am

GuyClinch wrote:They aren't chanting for Pruitt...

I think the chants for Scal are more mocking and derisive than sincere.

I don't know what the general feeling towards Scal is over here, but if it's anything like on Celticsblog, it should be pretty clear that Scal is not, in fact, a "fan favorite". Klosterman's entire premise is wrong, but he assumes that because Scal is white, fans like him. From everything I've seen, they really don't, at all. Check out any pro-Scal thread, and you'll see probably 85% of posters talking about how much he sucks. I don't see any pro-Caucasian bias emanating from those threads.

Of all our players who get semi-regular, I would say Scal is far and away the least popular, and the most mocked, often unfairly so.

MoBSTa · Post #24 » by **MoBSTa** » Sat Mar 1, 2008 4:31 am

Yes a very nice find and thanks for sending it our way.

bawstin · Post #25 » by **bawstin** » Sat Mar 1, 2008 5:54 am

Scal is popular in the same way that Walter was, only less so.

GuyClinch · Post #26 » by **GuyClinch** » Sat Mar 1, 2008 6:13 am

He is a fan favorite not in that fans think he is good - in that they want to see him play in blowouts because he is like one of them out their playing..

And FWIW there is a rather large chasm between paying fans and internet posters IMHO. A few years back this board for example was quite anti Pierce. The fans though at the games always supported him.

The fan favorite though who most exemplifies this loving people like you phenomenon though was Chris Herren. Lots of people really wished he would do well.

Pete

Datruth345 · Post #27 » by **Datruth345** » Sat Mar 1, 2008 6:16 am

great article

not thrilled about the racial factor being included, the only reason it's even an "issue" is because the media keeps bringing it up

thats just my take

Post #28 » by **I love heinsohn** » Sat Mar 1, 2008 3:27 pm

GuyClinch wrote:He is a fan favorite not in that fans think he is good - in that they want to see him play in blowouts because he is like one of them out their playing..

And FWIW there is a rather large chasm between paying fans and internet posters IMHO. A few years back this board for example was quite anti Pierce. The fans though at the games always supported him.

The fan favorite though who most exemplifies this loving people like you phenomenon though was Chris Herren. Lots of people really wished he would do well.

Pete

But Pete, the fans do chant for Pruitt. They did as recently as last week and erupted when he came in the game! They've chanted for Leon and Walter, Brandon Hunter and Kedrick Brown, Dana Barros, Adrian Griffen, and Vitaly Potapenko.

I'm not going to sit here and deny that race is a factor in fan popularity, but it is far from the be all and end all. Even Klosterman admits that Scal was booed last year, but cheered this year. It was lazy writing to fall back on the "Boston is racist" crutch and you know it. THe fans almost always root for the hardworking 12th man or young guy with a potential to go from scrub to stud...

celticfan42487 · Post #29 » by **celticfan42487** » Sat Mar 1, 2008 6:01 pm

Last year Scal was booed for checking into the game. The fans hate Suckniess.

The Scal chant is a complete mockery by fans. You haven't heard any chants for him to get into the game. And a few times this season you have heard some chants while he was in there but it's due to the utter wrongness of it that it's happened.

No one was chanting positive things the past 3 years for Scal, and I doubt he has anyone that is happy to see him on the court.

bruno sundov · Post #30 » by **bruno sundov** » Sun Mar 2, 2008 5:38 pm

typical NYT stating how much smatrer they are than you. Where would the world be withou them nonsense.