Utah Jazz and the Jazz Fans are NOT Racist

By SomeBunghole from jazzfanz forum

Yes, it's been around for decades. It's a story that doesn't go away, like Jimmy Hoffa being buried under the Giants Stadium. Apparently, there is a massive conspiracy by the Utah Jazz to sign only white players. The explanation for the conspiracy is that the members of LSD Church, which such conspiracy theorists believe surely controls every aspect of life in Utah, are inherently racist and would love nothing more than to see their handpicked collection of white players win the NBA title and stick it to the black man. Well, okay, that's the most extreme version of the theory. The less extreme ones still see something sinister about the presence of white players on the Jazz. In the mid-90s, questions would be raised over whether it's a coincidence that the Jazz had Hornacek, Stockton, Foster, Ostertag, Keefe, all play significant minutes. Of course, the Jazz making two straight Finals and coming so heartbreakingly close to success was surely not proof that the Jazz simply signed the best players available to them. No, it must mean they went out of their way to sign white players, forsaking success for some kind of a racial policy.

One hears the same arguments thrown around today. Never mind that the Lakers, Raptors, and a few other teams have more white players than the Jazz. No, surely, it must be a matter of Jazz front office policy. 10 out of the last 11 players selected in the draft by the Jazz have been black. The one white player, Pavel Podkolzine, was selected in a pre-arranged draft-and-trade deal with the Mavs. The Jazz had no interest in the player whatsoever. But it makes no difference to conspiracy theorists. Somehow, some way, there has to be a connection between the amount of white players on the Jazz, and the state of Utah. More so, there has to be a connection between the amount of white players and the LSD Church membership. But, why does this happen? Why the association between Utah and white players? How did this come about?

First of all, misconceptions about Utah are so common, and I'm not even talking about perceptions, but just basic facts. There is no proper census information, but some serious research has been done on Utah's religious composition. http://www.rickross.com/reference/mormon/mormon455.html Apparently, the LDS identification in SLC is under 50% and just over 60% in the state as a whole. Now, as I'm sure we all know, not everyone who identifies with the LDS is actually a practicing believer. Some are even downright atheist. By the same token, North Carolina is 40% Baptist and almost 80% Protestant. Yet no one wonders if Matt Carroll gets flak for being Catholic or Nazr Mohammed for being Muslim. Likewise, SLC is 79% White and Portland is 78% White, but you never hear about race as an issue with the Blazers. Of course, common arguments about this topic will have all kinds of "stats" brought up, including that Utah and SLC are more or less 99% White and Mormon..

Second, NBA arenas are not exactly the stomping grounds of the wealthy, genteel, and the cultured. Racism happens just about everywhere. People who attend basketball games come from all walks of life, and some of them are downright jerks. I've heard comments aimed at white players, black players, latino players, you name it. The league may be 2/3rds black, but the audience is white by that same margin. Detroit may be 82% Black, but the Pistons play in a very white suburb of Auburn Hills. Look at a crowd at any NBA game, and you'll notice it's mostly white. It's not just Salt Lake City. And I won't even start on the idea that Utah is somehow more racist than the Deep South. But you never hear anyone complaining about playing in Atlanta.

Third, a few times over the years, most memorably with the Derek Harper fiasco, players have raised objections over playing in Utah. Not the Jazz players, of course, but players on other teams who were mentioned in trade rumours with Utah as a destination. The assumption here is that players don't wanna play for Utah because they fear racism. The idea is idiotic, because you're not an average person, you're an NBA player. The Jazz being the only pro team in town until Real SL, the team is absolutely huge. From SLC, to Provo, to St. George. People love basketball and they love their Jazz players. Now, I don't know, if you were a black plumber, then maybe you might worry that you can't get a reservation at some posh restaurant in SLC. But if you're Carlos Boozer or Jarron Collins, not only will there be a seat for you, but somehow, the waiter's probably going to find a bottle of wine somewhere too. You know, because you're Carlos flippin' Boozer. You're neither white nor black, you're a Jazz superstar, and you're treated accordingly. I mean, can anyone actually think of a single former Jazz player who complained about racism while playing in Utah?

Fourth, I think the real issue here isn't even race. As mentioned, the Jazz have fewer white players than the Lakers, and a few other teams as well. The real issue here is class. The NBA has had the current balance of black and white players for years now. Things were a little different 6-7 years ago, but the influx of European and South American players brought things to the same ratio it was in the 70s. The real difference between now and 70s or the 60s is class. Before the government decided that poverty isn't really an issue, and that creating more of it isn't really a problem, most NBA players, black or white, did not grow up in ghettos and projects. Partly because things weren't as bad in inner cities back then, and the poverty wasn't always accompanied by levels of violence we see today, but also because NBA players were more likely to come from smaller, rural communities. Larry Bird was from freaking French Lick. Karl Malone from Bernice, Louisiana. Moses Malone from Petersburg, Virginia. Ewing from Cambridge, Massachusetts...and so on. Nowadays, there's an entire generation of NBA players who were raised in the poverty and violence ridden inner cities in the 70s and 80s, and the image of the league is starting to reflect that. Players like Iverson, Carmelo, Marbury, Tinsley, take pride in growing up in such neigbourhoods, as if it's a good thing poverty and crime exist. This is often accompanied by subtle digs at players who didn't go through that, usually white. What is much worse though, is that black players who didn't grow up in ghettos are looked down on even more. Remember when Derrick Coleman called Malone an Uncle Tom? It's no coincidence that Coleman's from Detroit, and Malone from rural Louisiana. Hence his interest in trucking, fishing, and other "white" pastimes is proof that he's somehow betrayed his "race." Phrases like "keepin' it real" are thrown around a lot, especially when the NBA introduces dress codes or flips out over homophobic rap albums you're trying to put out.

Either way, this brings us to the Jazz. Majority of the team is black, but you'll often see their "blackness" questioned in popular perception. And it's not because of skin tone, but their economic status and background. Boozer grew up a military brat in Alaska, Collins went to exclusive prep schools in the LA area and then to Stanford. Brewer's dad was an NBA player, and Price had already lived in Utah of his own free volition before. As far as I know, The Colony is a middle class suburb and Deron certainly didn't grow up poor. AK and Fess were born in the USSR, and poverty in American sense certainly didn't exist there at the time. Memo's grandparents include an Olympic athlete and a Muslim imam, much like Korver whose parents are also a minister and an athlete. Harpring's social pedigree is very upper-middle-class as well. This basically leaves only the fringe players, about whom I don't know much, so I can't say. Regardless, the Jazz are a very middle-class team in a league where more and more players are coming from poor backgrounds, and the Jazz players don't really fit in. There's no rags-to-riches stories on the Jazz really, there's no kids who had to struggle mightily to make it, who had family members shot, who struggled with addictions and crime, or anything like that. Read the Salt Lake Tribune or Deseret News, and see if there are too many "feel-good" stories about Jazz players conquering adversity. Sure, you'll read about Boozer and his family's courageous struggle with illness, or AK and his personal renaissance this year, but I don't think you'll find stories of a hard knock life.

And I think that's the real issue. Class. The Jazz have always been a middle-class team, because Salt Lake City is a middle-class city. Not that that is a bad thing. SLC is a great city, and it is a wonderful place to live. But compared to many other US cities, especially those with NBA teams, sometimes, just sometimes, it feels a little too much like a 50s sitcom. And it that sense, it doesn't really fit with the image of the NBA. For all the accusations of racism leveled at David Stern, the NBA is not trying to make itself out to be a "white" league. There are no rules against tattoos, or cornrows, or against pursuing music careers. Hip-hop has become an integral part of the NBA, and much cross-promotion has been done with musicians. The NBA has also been much more active than other sports leagues in marking Black History Month, being involved in community projects, and let's not forget that they put the All-Star game in New Orleans only a few years after Katrina.

But the Jazz, at the end of the day, are a very old fashioned team. They are the Andy Griffith Show our parents and grandparents loved compared to our Seinfelds, Fresh Princes, Family Guys. In other words, awfully tame for most people's taste today.