Some of the interview ran last night on Sports Center. And yes, Carmello, LeBron, and Magic were laughing and nodding in agreement to some of the things Bird said.
My thoughts:
Not everything that is said regarding races should be considered racist. I didn't find Dusty Baker's remarks offensive, and thy were probably stronger comments than Bird's. Quite honestly, I think some of Bird's remarks, about being guarded by a white guy, were said somewhat tongue in cheek but also with a some honesty.
My guess is that the demographics have changed with regards to NBA fans. I think there are probably fewer white fans than in the past. I know I don't watch it as much as I used to. It has nothing to do with there being fewer white players in the league. I'm just not as interested in the league since Jerry Reinsdorf and Jerry Krause broke up the Bulls. I usually watch the playoffs but hey, I even watch hockey playoffs. Jordan transcended race AND sport making the NBA much more popular with fans of all races.
I'm in the schools everyday. Most of the kids wearing NBA jerseys are black males. I think it's obvious that these youngsters want to emulate and watch successful black athletes. It just seems natural to me for there to be more black viewers drawn to the NBA.
And hopefully, I didn't offend anyone.
