Lebron James recently stated that he dislikes playing in Boston because Celtics fans are “racist as fuck.”
I can’t argue with the man’s experience. If he says people yell racist slurs at him or treat him differently in Boston because of his skin color and not just the color of his uniform, who’s to say that’s not true? Certainly not me.
But what I don’t like is him painting a picture of all Boston fans (or Boston residents, for that matter) as being racist. It runs counter to the concept of not “pre-judging” people.
Again, maybe Lebron has had horrible experiences in Boston. Then he should say “some Boston fans are racist and shouldn’t be allowed into TD Garden to watch the games.” To paint a broad stroke and say “Celtics fans are racist as fuck” is lumping me into that statement and it’s not true. Same could be said for millions of other Boston fans who could care less about the color of your skin.
I’ve backed Lebron and defended him for nearly 20 years now. He’s normally a stand-up guy, respectful to the media and the fans and the history of the game. He doesn’t have a bad reputation for late-night carousing; doesn’t have dozens of babies by different women all over the world (that I know of); doesn’t have a police record a mile long for drugs or domestic abuse or anything else. In fact, he’s exactly the opposite:
- He’s a dedicated family man. He’s married to his high school sweetheart (Savannah) and they have three kids. Lebron’s presence in his kids’ lives is legendary.
- The man has a billion-dollar-plus global brand that he has carefully and meticulously crafted
- He’s engaging with the media
- He’s helpful to the younger generation of players. You see it with the handshakes and hugs and words of wisdom after the games.
As much as I’m disappointed (though not shocked) to hear that there are racist people shouting racist things in public, I’m also disappointed to hear Lebron say it’s “all Boston fans”. He should know better. Normally he IS better. I guess in this instance he let his emotions speak rather than his intellect.