My thoughts on the Wayne Simmonds incident.
I was not going to talk about my hockey fandom on tumblr, because most people were not interested (except for a few) on my previous incarnations of this tumblr.
This incident however I cannot shut up about.
If you have known me for a while, I am the one who NEVER likes to bring up racial issues or complain about them. I especially do not want any other privileges nor do I take advantage by using the “Race Card”. It’s cheesy to say this, but I think there is only one race to me, the human race.
So anyway, the other night the Philadelphia Flyers (who I hate with a passion as a Rangers fan but it doesn’t matter now) played the Detroit Red Wings in a routine and meaningless preseaon game played at a neutral site in London, Ontario Canada. From written accounts of the game, it was actually competitive. I believe the game was tied 3-3 and eventually it went into a shootout to determine a winner. (I dislike the shootout, but more on that later)
Wayne Simmonds, was one of the shooters to trying to win this meaningless game. During his shot attempt probably one of the most disgusting events in recent sports history happened. Some asshole fan decided to throw a banana peel during his shot attempt. (FYI, he still scored anyway)
Just to let you know Wayne Simmonds is a black hockey player in a game where there aren’t many of them. Aside from the obvious safety issue, throwing that is highly offensive to black people. I shouldn’t have to even explain this to people and most people on twitter were just as pissed as I was. Something like this has absolutely no place not only in the game of hockey, but in sports itself.
Sadly one person on twitter, who shall remain nameless, thought it wasn’t racist. Again I do not like talking about race at all. It makes me uncomfortable and I do not like playing the role of a victim. Hockey, even though it is probably the least diverse sport on earth, is a distraction from such issues to me.
Hockey is probably the purest of team sports. Every person has to contribute toward winning regardless of what role they have or who they are. It like a metaphor for real life to me.
However this person who thought it was a harmless joke doesn’t have the slightest clue of what black people go through everyday. In the past I have been teased constantly for “acting white”. By both black and white people, I get strange looks when I don’t speak ebonics or tell them I enjoy hockey and not basketball. Me and Simmonds are used to being subjected to this and even WORSE bullshit.
It’s great that he spoke up about this and said this.
“When you’re a black man playing in a predominantly white man’s sport, you’ve got to come to expect things like that,” Simmonds said. “Over the past 23 years of my life, I’ve come to expect some things like that. But I’m older and more mature now, I kind of just left things roll off [my back]. I try not to think about stuff like that.”
I agree with him mostly, but he shouldn’t let this slide. Shit like this does not belong at all in the game of hockey or really any sport. Sadly the prick who did this wasn’t caught, but if he does this person should never be allowed to attend any other NHL game for life. The league has to have zero tolerance toward this behavior from fans or other players.
