Reds announcer Marty Brennaman caused a stir when he called fans of the Cubs the most obnoxious in baseball for throwing balls on the field during a game at Wrigley Field last week. It's not the first time someone has complained about the behavior of fans in the ballpark and was followed by the latest fracas between Red Sox and Yankee fans and a brawl-filled weekend series between rooters of the Phillies and Mets. All of that kind of pales in comparison to abject racism spouted from the stands at the players on the field, though. Torii Hunter spoke to the Riverside Press-Enterprise before the start of a series at Fenway Park this week and related how he'd treated during earlier trips to Boston.
"My first five or six (years), I was 'That N-word.' Some people would chant that out, some people would throw beer or whatever . . . batteries."The Boston Herald picked up on the story today and spoke with David Ortiz, Hunter's former teammate with the Twins.
"He told me those complaints before, but what can I do about it?" said Ortiz. "You know how it is. When you play for the other team, you're going to hear some (stuff) like that - wherever you're at. He's aware of that.
"(But) he heard some stuff that I'm surprised at. One of the security guys told me it was true. They were screaming that kind of stuff at him. That's not right."
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Sports and Racism
Angels star Torii Hunter says he has heard racial taunts from Red Sox fans at Fenway Park in the past. Click through this gallery to see other racially charged incidents from recent sports history.
Lisa Blumenfeld, Getty Images
Kosuke Fukudome has become a sensation in his first season in Chicago, but shirts emblazoned with a stereotypical caricature of Asians and the words "Horry Kow" (a play on ex-Cubs announcer Harry Caray's home run call) offended the Japanese outfielder.
Nam Y. Huh, AP
LeBron James became the first black man to appear on the cover of the fashion magazine Vogue earlier this year. Some found the image offensive because of its overt reference to the movie King Kong.
Style.com
Earlier this year Golf Channel analyst Kelly Tilghman said on air that other golfers should "lynch [Tiger Woods] in a back alley" to better compete with him. In the aftermath, Golfweek Magazine ran a cover with a hanging noose, for which editor Dave Seanor was fired.
Golfweek / AP
John Rocker's inflammatory comments in a 2000 Sports Illustrated article made him one of the most despised athletes in recent memory. Rocker described riding the New York subway as "looking like you're riding through Beirut next to some kid with purple hair, next to some queer with AIDS."
Matt Campbell, AFP / Getty Images
Radio host Don Imus caused a stir in 2007 when he referred to members of the Rutgers women's basketball team as "nappy-headed hos." CBS canceled his long-running show 'Imus in the Morning,' but he returned to airwaves with ABC later in the year.
Spencer Platt, Getty Images
Rush Limbaugh was hired as a commentator for ESPN's NFL pre-game show Sunday Countdown, but he lasted only a few weeks after implying that Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb received great praise mostly because he was black.
Getty Images
Former golfer and current CBS commentator Bobby Clampett made waves at this year's Masters when he referred to golfer Liang Wen-Chong as "the Chinaman" on air.
Mike Powell, Allsport / Getty Images
African soccer players, like Cameroon international Samuel Eto'o, are often the targets of racially charged taunts in Spain. Fans of Real Zaragoza made monkey-like chants at the Barcelona striker during a 2005 match, and he nearly walked off the pitch during a match against the club the next season.
Phillippe Desmazes, AFP / Getty Images
In an interview with HBO's Real Sports last summer, former Yankees outfielder Gary Sheffield claimed that manager Joe Torre gave white players preferential during his time in New York and said that biracial shortstop Derek Jeter wasn't "all the way black."
Mark Mainz, Getty Images
It's important to note that Hunter was speaking about the past and that he said he wanted to play for the Sox at points in his career. Other black players on the Angels back up the better racial atmosphere and all of them have high praise for the passion and knowledge displayed by Red Sox fans as a whole. Still, it's disturbing to think about hearing racial slurs being tossed freely from a crowd at a baseball game at any point in recent history. And it's disturbing to think that a player as beloved in Boston as Ortiz would just shrug his shoulders and write it off as "you know how it is."
Maybe Ortiz saying something about it wouldn't have helped things at all but maybe it would have. If that's just how it is and Ortiz was subjected to the same kind of belligerence in other cities, he and Hunter should have spoken out together to try and help create a meaningful change or, at least, have attention paid to the issue. It's okay to boo players from the opposing team and be passionate about your own team but it doesn't extend to racism.
That's not specific to Boston. It wasn't okay that vendors outside Wrigley Field sold insensitive t-shirts and it wouldn't be okay if it happened in Milwaukee, Denver or Houston either. Hunter's comments have hopefully opened a door to a place where it will be more common to see players, officials or other fans saying that fans behaving badly isn't something that just is the way it is.
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New York Yankees starter Mike Mussina delivers a pitch during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Wednesday, April 23, 2008. (AP Photo/Brian Kersey)
AP
Detroit Tigers' Curtis Granderson smiles after getting a walk in the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers Wednesday, April 23, 2008, in Detroit. The center fielder was activated from the disabled list after missing the first 21 games of the season. Granderson broke a finger on his right hand late in spring training when he was hit by a pitch. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
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Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Franklin Morales throws to the plate against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning of an MLB baseball game in Denver, Wednesday, April 23, 2008. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)
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St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Todd Wellemeyer throws in the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates in baseball action at Pittsburgh Wednesday, April 23, 2008. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
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Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Roy Halladay throws against the Tampa Bay Rays in a baseball game in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., Wednesday, April 23, 2008. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
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Toronto Blue Jays' Joe Ingletta, right, steals third base as Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria catches the ball in the fifth inning during a baseball game in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., Wednesday, April 23, 2008. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
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Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Gabe Kapler can't come up with a home run ball hit by Philadelphia Phillies' Chase Utley during the third inning of a baseball game Wednesday, April 23, 2008, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
AP
Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Cole Hamels throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers Wednesday, April 23, 2008, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
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Boston Red Sox's David Ortiz and Los Angeles Angels catcher Jeff Mathis watch Ortiz' two-run home run during the fifth inning of a baseball game at Fenway Park in Boston Wednesday, April 23, 2008. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)
AP
Florida Marlins pitcher Andrew Miller throws against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday April 23, 2008, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Amis)
AP
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
4-23-2008 @ 2:10PM
August West said...
You mean people in Boston can be racist? I thought racism only existed in the South and the banking industry?
Please, Boston is more racist than most of Georgia, and this isn't a new development.
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4-23-2008 @ 2:43PM
LB said...
The real problem is some of those people doing the yelling also work at banks, maybe in charge of hiring at a company, and can make decisions that can hurt people far more than a word yelled in a crowd.
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4-23-2008 @ 2:54PM
kilroy said...
August - your comment is 30 - 40 years old. Boston and Massachusetts have become so ultra-liberal, Democrat,and politically correct, that the governor is black, the male public health commissioner is "married" to another man, gay Congressman Barney Frank has a lifetime appointment to Congress, a lesbian former state senator was just appointed judge by the governor, a lesbian psychologist is running for her former state senate seat, we are the only state to legalize perversion -gay marriage - in America; etc., etc. And Bobby Bonds was surprised at how well he was received at Fenway Park and in walking around Boston last year. Your stereotyping is very old and inaccurate!
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4-23-2008 @ 4:05PM
mike gaggos said...
As a former usher at Dodger staduim,(2000-2005).We are told not to put up that kind of stuff, making a baseball game a fan-favorite place to go.Come on people of Boston,show some class,knock that kind of stuff off.
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4-23-2008 @ 4:19PM
Jay said...
YEP- YOU PLAY LIKE CRAP AND THE FIRST THING YOU SCREAM IS RACISM.COP-OUT BIG LYING SACK OF SHIZNET.
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4-23-2008 @ 4:35PM
Alex Smith said...
The north is much more racist than the south. I've lived in both places. It's not even close.
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4-23-2008 @ 4:39PM
David said...
Jay:
He's not "crying racism." The press asked a question and he answered it. And, considering when this happened he was cementing his stature as a premiere outfielder with the Twins, it's got nothing to do with crap.
Seriously, are there little pods of white guys that sit huddled in corners throught suburbia, just waiting for someone to MENTION race or gender so you can lash out and tell them to "lighten up" or "grow a set" or "leave if you don't like a man's game" or "[insert anything about Al Sharpton here]"?
It matters not if a player is batting like Tony Gwynn or flirting with Mendoza - racial epithets spewed at baseball games should be cause for concern by EVERYONE.
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4-23-2008 @ 5:05PM
rob said...
Too many idiots attend sporting events and ruin it for everybody else.
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4-23-2008 @ 5:06PM
David said...
Sorry - "throught" should read "throughout." Yes, it's Make-A-Word Day at Fanhouse!
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4-23-2008 @ 5:21PM
George B Vieto said...
Fans are jealous of the high salaries these atheles get paid and they feel that using racial slurs of the opposing player is cool. What it does is give your city a shameful reputation. Boo the player and that is all she is wrote. Ask any professional wrestler about being booed and they will tell you they are doing their job to get heat from the fans but using racial slurs is crossing the line.
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4-23-2008 @ 6:35PM
Steve said...
Good Grief, any player of color be it white, black, yellow, green or pink, will have some racial slur made towards them. I was in Cincinnati last week and heard Adam Dunn called a "cracker" by some black fans. Sad to say it happens probably at evey park, everyday. I am not making any excuses for the behavior of these fans in Boston, but give me a break its just not Tori Hunter, and he is not the first player this has happened to nor will he be the last.
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4-23-2008 @ 7:14PM
johnnyt471 said...
Batteries???
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4-23-2008 @ 9:17PM
todd said...
When I was a kid I used to go to Dodgers games with Dad and poor Jackie Robinson. They never called him by name the only name they used was the n word, all the time. Then one game he saved our team and made us win and go to championship then the n word was never heard again?
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4-23-2008 @ 11:35PM
hearwegoagain said...
Boston has always been a town with a split personality. Because there are so many colleges and universitys in the area there has always been a major influx of liberal ideas and people that portray Boston in one light. One the other hand there is the other side of Boston which is severely segregated along racial, ethnic, and economic lines. It is the elephant in the room that liberals don't choose to talk about. There still many places in Boston that are scary places for people of color!
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4-23-2008 @ 11:55PM
mikelotus said...
I have lived in Boston for 13 years now. I am from the south. The north is not more racist than the south and its not even close. NY and Mass have black governors. I hate the Red Sox. I have been to many games at Fenway and would just love to say that I have heard racists taunts from their fans. I have to say that alas, in over 50 games, I have not heard a single one. I have been to one game in Atlanta though and heard it there.
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4-23-2008 @ 11:56PM
gene said...
Alper, you must be kidding? You are surprised at this? You need to go back into the historical archives and note that this is the city that is called, "up South." This is the city where the ownership made it strongly known that they had no desire to have black players. This is the city where Jackie Robinson was given a 'courtesy' run onto the field, not a tryout. I will admit the last one is piling on because that could be any of the major league teams. Boston was however the last place to sign a black player. As for Ortiz, give him a break. Remember Jim Rice failed to speak up in the 80's about the overt Racism in Winter Haven. Are things better? Tori Hunter and the players say yes, and I would say to give their view strong preference. But please, you would have to be very young to have this as a surprise, or you have done little to research your topic. One other image, though not athletic...the picture of a lawyer being skewered with an American Flag pole in City Hall Plaza.
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4-23-2008 @ 11:59PM
mikelotus said...
OK hearwegoagain. Where are these scary places for people of color to go in Boston? In Southie? Perhaps into an Irish bar there, but the Irish in Southie I have to say are overall, the dumbest of the dumb, but still the neighborhood is gentrifying. Do you really know Boston or read about it?
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4-24-2008 @ 6:42AM
Ken C. said...
kilroy(#3):
"...we are the only state to legalize perversion -gay marriage - in America"
--------------------------------------
It is apparent that ignorance and bigotry exist in sports BLOGS, too.
Jesus, what a loser.
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4-24-2008 @ 6:46AM
jc said...
as a native of mass. there definitely is racism here in boston and america... i can believe that torii hunter heard those comments... he plays center field doesnt he? those are the bleacher seats and only god knows whats goin on out there... i wouldnt watch a game from there if they gave me the tix..scan the crowd and see how many black faces you see!
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4-24-2008 @ 7:32AM
Ray said...
HERE IS AN EXAMPLE OF TRUE " A SPORTSWRITER HATE OF THE RED SOX".....ITS BEEN 11 YEARS SINCE TORRI HUNTER CAME INTO THE AMERICAN LEAGUE.....SO IT BEEN 7-8 YEARS SINCE HE HAD THIS PROBLEM....since this was a problem in his first 4-5 years.....THERE IS NO RHYME OR REASON THIS ARTICLE SHOULD BE APPEARING UNLESS MR.ALPER AND OR AOL HAS A PROBLEM WITH THE BOSTON RED SOX.......THIS NEWS IS SO OLD AND HAS NO REASON TO BE BROUGHT UP AGAIN AS TO COMPARE WITH AN ANNOUNCER'S FEELINGS ABOUT CHICAGO CUB FANS....ARE YOU SUCH A BAD WRITER YOU NEEDED TO DO THIS OR IS IT AOL WHO THOUGHT IT WOULD BE GREAT TO DRAG UP THE PAST BY TAKING A PIECE OF WHAT TORRIE HUNTER SAID TO MAKE IT INTO HEADLINES.....SHAME ON AOL AND MR. ALPER FOR THIS GARBAGE....GROWUP MEDIA !!!!
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