Posted on 10/30/2012 7:03:30 AM PDT by blam
There's A Conspiracy Theory That The Minnesota Timberwolves Are Hoarding White Players To Boost Ticket Sales
Tony Manfred
October 30, 2012
Wikimedia Commons
The Minnesota Timberwolves go into the season with only five black players on their 15-man roster, and some people are calling it a conspiracy.
From Jerry Zgoda and Dennis Brackin of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune:
"How did we get a roster that resembles the 1955 Lakers?" asked Tyrone Terrell, chairman of St. Paul's African American leadership council. "I think everything is a strategy. Nothing happens by happenstance."
That strategy, Terrell and others in the black community believe, is to sell tickets to the Wolves' fan base, which is overwhelmingly white.
Lou Amundson, JJ Barea, Chase Budinger, Andrei Kirilenko, Kevin Love, Nikola Pekovic, Luke Ridnour, Ricky Rubio, Alexey Shved, and Greg Stiemsma make up 2/3 of the T-Wolves roster, and they are all white.
Minnesota civil rights activist Ron Edwards thinks something is up too, and he told the paper, "It raises some real questions to me about what's really intended. I think, personally, that it was calculated. Is this an attempt to get fans back in the stands? Minnesota, after all, is a pretty white state.''
There are a few problems with this theory.
First of all, the T-Wolves sold 90.4% of their tickets last year, which ranked 14th in the league. Only two other non-playoff teams ranked in the top 15. And they did it with a majority black roster (8 out of 15 players). So they didn't have an attendance problem at all.
In addition, it's clear that the T-Wolves think there is a market inefficiency when it comes to international players. Five players on their roster are from other countries, which is double the league average (~2.5 in 2011-12).
(snip)
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
Are they drafting them or secretly breeding them?
So. Even if true, what’s the problem. It’s a privately owned business and it wants to make money. If the owners believe they can make a profit with white players, good for them.
How dare anyone else try to play basketball.
Maybe they are looking for fundamentally sound, coachable players who have a BB IQ higher than single digits. In any event, the wisdom of their decision will be reflected in wins and losses.
Unless these white players can compete effectively with the rest of the teams in the league, this is a strategy that is doomed to failure, assuming it’s a strategy at all. Only an idiot would maintain a “white” basketball team simply for the sake of its being white.
Famous sports quote:
"We came here because you've got good, hardworking white people here." -- Calvin Griffith, former owner of the Minnesota Twins, explaining why he decided to move the Washington Senators to Minnesota
they should try to get another asian player like jerome(?) lin and share the asian fan market.
Take a look at the Patriots roster some time and compare it to other teams in the NFL. What do you notice? Also Peyton’s teams usually have a high white skill player ratio. Success? Yep!
Way back in the early 70s I babysat for a Miami Dolphins player (white). I recall his wife telling me people would not pay good money to watch a bunch of black players. Well, they do but I am still thankful for NASCAR. LOL
LOL -- Thanks for the laugh.
Dingdingding!!! We have a winner! Well said, Skeeter.
It strikes me that somebody who counts the number of black and white players would be more racially motivated...
I would say the proof of whether or not they did the right thing will be the win -lost ratio.
Awesome! My new favourite team!!
The race hustlers have no problems with mnay NBA teams being virtually all black, but when one team gets a lot white players ( and the Wolves white players are very good to excellent) well then that’s racism. I’m a huge bb fan , and if my team (Milwaukee Bucks) turns down the chance to pick up a good player of any color, I’d get mightily irritated. For the record, the Wolves obtained two black players over the off season and made a strong bid to get another star black player. Unfortunately for them the latter’s team made a counter bid and they couldn’t get him. So the Wolves got a white player not quite as good but available. That player has been playing great for them in the preseason. At some time somebody has to call the race-mongers out for what they are.
I hate to be racist, but white men can’t jump!!!!
:) :)
But if the team’s front office was 10 of 15 black, then that would be ok, right?
It's also REALLY liberal, and we all know how much liberal whites LOVE black people, right, Mr. Edwards?
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