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Letters
to the 76ers Regarding Iverson Several
readers sent letters to Philadelphia 76ers owner Pat Croce
complaining about Allen Iverson's use of ``faggot'' in the Jan. 28
game against Indiana. Read
black novelist Randy Boyd's take on the situation. Tell
Pat Croce how you feel about his employee's
words. Tell him you saw it on Outsports and we'd love if you'd copy
us.
Also, register
your vote on whether Iverson's words were offensive at this
Philadelphia Web site, where many people are NOT offended.
These letters reflect the flavor of
the comments sent to Pat Croce:
From Brice Showell of Philadelphia: ``Dear Mr. Croce:
I am a fan of both your basketball team and you as a person. I am also
a fellow Philadelphian. Though I've only been here three years, my great-grandfather lived here at the turn of the last century and my
grandfather was born here in South Philadelphia. I feel very much a
part of the city and take personal interest in how we are portrayed by
individuals who have acquired a prominence that allows them to project an image
that reflects on all of us as Philadelphians.
I recently learned that one of your employees, Mr. Allen Iverson responded to
childish racial taunts toward him by a 'fan', with an equally immature
homophobic slur. Apparently neither considered the exchange to be particularly hurtful.
I have nephews and nieces that are about Mr. Iverson's age and I am well
aware of how casually they often use terms that are normally intended
to insult or threaten others. However I hope that Mr. Iverson will eventually
realize that both he and the 'fan' showed an insensitivity to there fellow
citizens and human beings that is not worthy of any of the aforementioned.
I don't think that the language used accurately reflects the values that Mr.
Iverson's parents would have him portray to the world either. They certainly
do not reflect what I would like the world to think of Philadelphia.''
From Byron P. McCrae
Assistant Dean of Student Affairs
Sarah Lawrence College
``Mr. Iverson's behavior was not acceptable. Not at all.
No one deserves to be verbally berated or harassed, neither players nor
fans. Calling someone an a$$hole is one thing, but resorting to slurs
is something completely different.
If a player called someone a nigger, we both know that Al Sharpton and
the NAACP would be marching in Philly right now. But unfortunately, thanks
to homophobia and heterosexism it's still widely believed that hating gay
people is still OK.
Well it's NOT. And for the millions of kids who look up to sports figures
and seek to emulate them, it's a very, very, VERY bad thing to role-model
hatred.
What Mr. Iverson did IS a big thing. Slurs dehumanize people, making
them objects of hatred and targets of violence. Calling someone names is
just the beginning...pushes and shoves come next, and then come the full-on
fights. Gay men and lesbians are targets of much violence in the United
States, and when people see someone like Mr. Iverson modeling bigotry
and prejudice, it makes a gay persons simple effort to live a life free of
harassment, both verbal and physical, extremely difficult.
What a marquee-name player such as Allen Iverson does should matter very
much to you and your organization. You benefit not only from his talent,
but from the fan and spectator interest (and $$$) generated from a multi-million dollar athlete with multi-million dollar record and shoe
contracts. Clearly, what Mr. Iverson says and does are important. If
his actions weren't--if people didn't pay attention to what he says and
does--he wouldn't have a shoe or record deal.
I want you to know that I am very disgusted by the way your organization
has handled this situation. People are justifiably upset--this is an
act of intolerance. Acknowledge it for what it is. Or maybe you believe
it's OK for people to shout slurs at each other.''
From Don Solomon:
Dear Mr. Croce --
``A couple of quick matters. I am an enormous sports fan, particularly
basketball. A near fanatic. A "how many games can I watch" "love of
the sport" "wear out everyone around me talking about 'ball from October
to June" kind of fan. I am also a gay man. I am proud of both of these
facts. I am a graduate of the University of North Carolina and am have
been a Sixer fan ever since George Lynch and Coach Brown have been a
part of your organization.
I question whether I should continue to be a fan of your organization
however. I was deeply disturbed by Allen Iverson's recent outburst and
his continued pattern of homophobic expression for which neither he nor
Billy King seem to feel are worthy of an apology to my community or any
kind of regret or remorse. I understand "the heat of battle." I also
understand that intolerance is something that two privileged black men
who were not always privileged might recognize in themselves and see
the effects that it can have on people's lives.
Daily, hundreds and thousands of gay men and women are confronted with
discrimination and prejudice. We suffer in ways that the vast majority
of the time go unacknowledged. Only when one of us is killed by those
who think that they are "justified" do we ever get attention from the
media toward our regular plight.
I'm not asking that you fix the world for us, but it is time that someone like yourself make it clear that this kind of behavior hurts
our communities at large, and the minorities within them in particular.
Shame on you if you don't bring this to the attention of Mr. King and
Mr. Iverson. I expect more of you guys. I'd really like to have a reason to cheer. I'd like to have them think about how all of us can
win. And this just doesn't get it done. And the consequences, though
neither of these gentlemen seems capable of admitting, can be tragic.
Please help with this matter.
Your fellow basketball fanatic.''
From Marc Gofstein,
San Francisco
``Dear Mr. Croce,
I am writing to express my disgust at the recent slurs made by
Sixers' guard Allen Iverson, and at the response made by Billy King, your
General Manager.
First off, as a gay man, I find it reprehensible that Iverson can think
it's acceptable to call anyone a "faggot," and I don't care how bad he
was being taunted. He's going to be taunted by opposing fans ...
that's the nature of the game. But if he can't keep his mouth shut and suck
it up, then he has no business playing the game.
As for General Manager Billy King, to justify Iverson's comments as being in response to taunting by the fans, and to say that it's being
blown out of proportion, is also reprehensible and pathetic. No, it's not
being blown out of proportion, in fact it needs to be discussed and dealt with.
Why do we allow and justify negative and hurtful comments made towards
and about gays? Iverson, King and yourself would be outraged if someone used Nigger, or Spic, or Kyke, and rightfully so. So why not the
same outrage about the use of faggot? Believe it, or not Mr. Croce, gay
people attend every Philadelphia 76ers' game; they own season tickets; and they are some of the team's biggest fans. In fact gay
people help in paying the over-inflated salary that Allen Iverson makes.
It's time to stop accepting comments like the one Allen Iverson made.
It's time for Allen Iverson to grow up and become a real man, and stop
being the spoiled brat that he has continually shown himself to be.
More importantly, Mr. Croce, I am asking you to put a stop to it. After
all, it's your team and you have the power to make a strong and necessary statement that hateful slurs, no matter whom they are directed
towards, have no place in professional sports.''
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