The Bizniz, Volume 1, Issue 7 ARCHIVE

5/9/06 Barry Bonds is now one homerun shy of tying the iconic and legendary Babe Ruth for the most homeruns ever by a left-handed batter and second place on the all-time homerun list behind Henry Aaron. Like many sports fans, I can only watch this situation unfold with mitigated enthusiasm at best. Bonds has spent his entire career alienating the fans and the media. And now as he approaches this important record and sees that he is not getting the respect he thinks he deserves, Bonds is doing what any self respecting "African American" athlete does: play the race card. Bonds is being disrespected because he is black. Right. Bonds is being disrespected because he's an unparalleled asshole. I am not so naive as to say that racism is not real and, moreover, alive and well. But why is it that any time something bad happens to a minority it's because of race? It's what psychologists call a self-fulfilling prophecy. You expect something negative to happen and then when it does, you say "See, I told you." I realize these are incendiary comments. But it's reality. Similarly, Kanye West infamously declared "George Bush does not care about black people." I agree 100 percent. George Bush does not care about black people. Nor does he care about white people. He cares about RICH people. (Ironically, that means that Dubbya cares a hell of a lot more about Kanye than me, a broke college student from lower middle class parents.) To truly be an equal society, every person needs to understand the whole picture. I am a white person (European American?) That obviously means that I have had every advantage in life, right? I'm currently reading "A People's History of The United States," a brutally honest picture of our country's history as seen through the eyes of the disenfranchised and down-trodden (Don't sleep on the plight of the American Indian or of women in general.) The villain in America's history is not the white man. It's the RICH white man. I think this a crucial distinction to make. If being disadvantaged and discriminated against by the so-called powers that be makes a person a minority, then I am a minority. Green is the only color that ever matters. Poor is poor, black, white, red, whatever. George Bush has done nothing to make my life better. In fact I think all politicians are crooks. Back to Bonds. I've recently heard people in the media, black sports writers and analysts, confirm and give substance to the idea that if Bonds were white, he'd be lauded and praised for his achievements. If anyone believes that to be true, I've got a bridge to sell you. Hank Aaron played in the 1950's, 60's, and 70's, mostly in the south, at a time when racial prejudice was ugly and real (meaning lynching, not a dirty look.) He received death threats daily as he approached the great white hero, Babe Ruth. Some have compared the two chases. How laughable. To say that Bonds faces even the slightest fraction of what Aaron faced is ridiculous. Bonds is a spoiled brat who is getting what he deserves. Sure, there may be a few ignorant bigots who hurl disdain (or worse) Bonds' way. These people are idiots. I hate racism and stereotypes. (And, as an aside, EVERYONE faces racism, not just minorities. Can you imagine a movie titled "Black Men Can't do X" or "Hispanic Men Can't do Y" but a movie called "White Men Can't Jump" is no big deal.) But what Bonds is facing is not racially motivated. Hank Aaron is an American legend who played the game as well and with as much class as anyone in history. And he did it without cheating. To put Barry Bonds in his class is a disgrace. Bonds is a disgrace. And all along I continue to have the same thought: it couldn't happen to a nicer guy.