I hate to even do this on here but everyone knows exactly why Kyrie brought up racism in Boston last night. He's trying to deflect, and maybe stop, the booing he's going to get in Boston for saying he was going to re-sign with the Celtics and then bolting to form his superteam with Durant in Brooklyn. And on top of it for being a world class weirdo. If someone credible said it I'd take it seriously. But he's a freaking kook so I don't take him seriously. But he is a very good basketball player when he's not being a weirdo.
I hate to do the "both sides are right" thing but I think it applies here.
1. Yes, Boston has had issues with racism in the past. Red Sox were the last team to integrate (though I think the Celtics may have been one of the earlier NBA teams to) and black outfielders and other players are on record discussing the sort of racial epithets they've endured from the crowd that they haven't necessarily experienced elsewhere. I don't think the whole city is racist, but it does have a reputation for grappling with the issue culture-wise that some of the other major northeast cities maybe don't. Again, I don't think the city is racist, nor are the vast, vast majority of Bostonians, but I think there are some clowns.
2. Speaking of clowns, Kyrie is a huge one. He's going to get booed because he was a total mental case on the Celtics, bailed on the team, and generally says nutty stuff constantly that takes away from the fact that he's a basketball savant. If he'd actually experienced any racism and then made those comments prior to his return, makes sense. As many of you mentioned, what he said instead sort of molds the narrative from "celtics fans booing him because he's an balloon knot" to "they're booing him because they're racist". Not really cool. I am 100% behind athletes using their platforms to speak on whatever issues they want to bring attention to, but I think the use of that platform does mean that it's fair to criticize them on how they go about doing it.
Thanks for coming to my Ted talk
