We may not "save" the world, but we might make it a better place. Write the letter.

Rosa Parks, who Rut rightly eulogizes in his signature line, took a simple - yet courageous - stand because it was the right thing to do. In doing so, she showed all of us that the simple actions of regular people (like us) DO make a difference in the world. None of us, alone, can "save" the world, but we can "change" it, little by little. Write the letter.

Great post....

What Rosa Parks did was against the law and was trying to take a stand for social significance to change the law. Also what Rosa Parks did was just a spark, the actions afterwards were of bigger significance. Also remember Ms Parks worked with the local NAACP Board at the time and her stand was very enlightened and calculating. Writing a letter about a coach that uses a word has little or no large social significance. If I got upset every time someone used language I found objectionable, I would be writing letters all the time. You have to learn to know when to fight certain battles, for me as an African-American it would not be one of them.

Peace

You're right Jeff. Writing the letter might not change the behavior. We don't know.

What is certain is that nothing will be done if the letter isn't written.

Call the school. Talk to the tournament people (which they will contact the school directly). Maybe you could have your program contact the school. There are a lot of ways to skin a cat. Writing a letter is not the only thing you can do. Sorry, it is not. I know I have complained about a lot of things and chance took place and I did not have to write a letter.

Peace

Thank you, Jeff, for confirming my point. Ms. Parks, a regular person (even regular people can be, and are, enlightened), provided a spark. To be sure, not every spark starts a fire (and here, I think I am confirming your point!); but that's often how fires are started. In my opinion, a spark, in whatever form, that might result in the censure or removal of a coach/educator who uses racial epithets like described in this thread IS socially significant.

Thanks guys and gals,

I really appreciate your feedback. I realize that a letter might very well fall on deaf ears, but I went ahead and wrote the letter, and will mail it tomorrow. In the end I figured it couldn't hurt. I CC'ed all administrators that I could find.

While I think my motives might come into question, if they take an honest look at the situation...I'm not from their state, I don't know their school, and we are highly unlikely to ever see this team again.

For a couple posters who asked, I'm a white guy. However my step daughter is African American. Our team's racial makeup is about 50:50. Not suprisingly, this guys team is 100% white, they were getting spanked by about 25 when this guy went off. His specific comments were:

"You gonna let that big, corn-fed N____ run all over my girls" to the ref.

"Play defense on that monkey" yelled towards his team.

and as he was being ejected, towards the refs "If you weren't such a God D@#ned N______ lover you would have seen that charging call". I honestly thought he was going to attempt to slug the ref when he made this last comment

All of these comments were made loud enough to be heard by many spectators.

Suprisingly this guy was back at the tournament for the game the next day. We played them again, he behaved himself this time.

Sorry for it taking so long to reply, I've been at the hospital welcoming my new daughter to the world.

Thanks again to all who replied,

Mike

PS - The Adolf Rupp comment made me laugh, if you only knew how close this tournament was to Lexington.

[Edited by grizwald on Jan 5th, 2006 at 11:37 PM]

If you only knew how inaccurate the popular portrayals of Adolf Rupp are. The man may not have been the pioneer that some were but he was far from the villian that many make him out to be. He had racially mixed teams (by choice) as early as the 20's. He attempted to sign black players well before any of them actually came to Kentucky. There were a lot of other forces going on in the south in those days that contributed to the lack of black players at Kentucky. Racists were (and still are) plentiful but the evidence strongly suggests (but does not prove) he was not one of them.

I apologize if I slandered Rupp. I certainly know of no proof that he was racist. I heard the same said of Bobby Jones and did a Web Serach one night and read alot of biolgraphical material on him. I could find no record saying that he was personally racist. Like you say, there were and are a lot of forces both in the South and the North that contribute.

With regard to this Coach, I can't believe any School System would have a guy like that representing them? It's a disgrace. How can the parents of his players let that kind of behavior slide? It's hard to believe.

Now this is one of the funniest posts I have ever read. ;)

Peace

What's so funny about it? Do you not belive it.

For several decades, he was the only coach (or one of a very small minority) in the SEC that would play opponents that were not compltely white. Other SEC schools actually turned down NCAA bids because they would have to play teams with other than white players. Several players that could have played at UK didn't, not because Rupp didn't recruit or want them, but becuase they'd have to play in deep south towns where their safety would be in jeaporday if those towns would have even let them in the arena.

Before you vilify the man or believe those that do, khow the facts.

I will put it to you this way. I will believe the people that were good enough to play for Kentucky and played for neighboring school like Louisville and what they thought of Coach Rupp. Was the Texas Western program in the Deep South? I guess Oscar Robinson never played southern school when he was a Cincinnati either or any other Black player at that time? There is a term that I have heard all my life as it related to race relations. “Up South” and “Down South” are terms used by many Black people at that time and still today. Just because Black people lived in the south did not mean they had that much of an easier road.

Peace

What does Texas Western have to do with this discussion. The mere fact that you mention them just goes to show you have prejudged UK without actually knowing anything about them or their coach or WHO was actually behind the composition of the team. UK played them as they would any other team. The fact that it was the first time it was 5 whites vs. 5 blacks in a high profile game doesn't make the team/coach with 5 whites racists any more than it makes the team with 5 blacks racists.

Oscar Robinson wasn't even in college when those deep south schools were at their worst. I never said the Big O or other Blacks didn't play in the south. I said several SEC schools wouldn't schedule games against opponents with black players (where Rupp and UK would freely do). Since UK was in the SEC, 18 games per year would be against those teams. Not all school's programs had racists practices.

Oscar did actually play for Rupp on an all-star team at one point.

I also never said anything about blacks in the south having an easier or harder time. In fact, I'd guess that the blacks in the south had a miserable time. The way they were generally treated was dispicable.

Here are a few quotes from Rupp:

As the fifties came to a close, it became a legitimate question of when the University of Kentucky would integrate its basketball team. Rupp did start dropping small hints that he would like to recruit black players but his did not go far enough to satisfy those looking to him to take the first step.

"A national magazine article on Oscar Robertson sparked criticism of Rupp in Lexington when it mentioned that the coach had considered recruiting the black star.
" - by Frank Fitzpatrick, And the Walls Came Tumbling Down, Simon & Schuster, 1999, pg. 103)

Adolph Rupp was once asked if he would have liked to have had Wilt Chamberlain, the Philadelphia sensation who played for Kansas in the late 1950s. "Sure," Rupp said, "but could I take him to Atlanta and New Orleans or Starkville ?" - by Chip Alexander, Raleigh News and Observer, "Remembering Rupp," 1997.

Rupp announced in 1961 [5 years before the game against UTEP/Texas Wester] that he would sign and play black athletes. SEC schools which did not want to play UK would have to forfeit the games. When he learned that Mississippi State Coach Babe McCarthy secretly snuck his team out of the state in order to attend the NCAA Tournament, against state regulations, Rupp said, "That took some nerve on his part. Maybe that will wise those people up down there." - Adolph Rupp, Kentucky's Basketball Baron, - JNB

Sounds like the guy was not so racist afterall...maybe a little unwilling to stick his neck out but not racist.

[Edited by Camron Rust on Jan 6th, 2006 at 07:46 PM]

If the Original Poster is to write a letter, I'd stress making sure it's professional in tone.

While it doesn't guarantee any action, it will be given more credibility than a poorly written letter or one that rants.

At camp this summer, I learned that "Up South" means going to Atlanta from Savannah. :)