Spain Basketball Team pictured in Controversial Pose.

[dr8ked]

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Sport/Pix/pictures/2008/08/10/spanishbasketballteam.jpg



Spain's Basketball Federation has published a good luck advert for their men's team, the world champions, in which they stand pulling at the sides of their eyes in a slit-eyed gesture.

There is no obvious intention to upset their Olympic hosts in Beijing, but the irresponsible picture is likely to cause controversy and could be interpreted so as to lead to accusations of racism.

Spanish sport has been mired in rows over racism in the last few years. In November 2004 black English footballers were subjected to relentless racial barracking from home supporters in a match in Spain. Before the World Cup there were calls for Luis Aragones, then Spain's football coach, to be sacked after he called Thierry Henry a "black ****". And last year Lewis Hamilton suffered racist abuse during testing for the Spanish grand prix near Barcelona.

Spain play their first match in the Olympic basketball competition against Greece at 7.30am BST today.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/aug/10/olympics2008.olympicsbasketball

[niko]

It amazes me how silly people can be. Why the f*** would anyone do that?

[Godfather]

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Sport/Pix/pictures/2008/08/10/spanishbasketballteam.jpg



Spain's Basketball Federation has published a good luck advert for their men's team, the world champions, in which they stand pulling at the sides of their eyes in a slit-eyed gesture.

There is no obvious intention to upset their Olympic hosts in Beijing, but the irresponsible picture is likely to cause controversy and could be interpreted so as to lead to accusations of racism.

Spanish sport has been mired in rows over racism in the last few years. In November 2004 black English footballers were subjected to relentless racial barracking from home supporters in a match in Spain. Before the World Cup there were calls for Luis Aragones, then Spain's football coach, to be sacked after he called Thierry Henry a "black ****". And last year Lewis Hamilton suffered racist abuse during testing for the Spanish grand prix near Barcelona.

Spain play their first match in the Olympic basketball competition against Greece at 7.30am BST today.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/aug/10/olympics2008.olympicsbasketball

Racism should have no part of sports. I find myself losing respect for several of these players who I once admired.

[picc84]

Shouldn't surprise anyone about Spain.

[RoseCity07]

The only one that looks like he is actually pulling is Pau in the upper right corner. The rest look like they are just pointing to their eyes lol. People always need to find something to get up set about. It's a silly picture.

[iamgine]

What can we say...everybody want to be Chinese these days.

[Maniak]

wow

there goes my respect for spain

this is also about the 3rd thread on it.

[Interminator]

How is this racist?

These guys are just pointing to their heads.

Is there a hidden racism in this that I just dont see.

[bigkingsfan]

Looks like the "think" gesture to me when I first saw it.

http://i37.tinypic.com/65bgw0.jpg

[AppleNader]

I really really want this to come out all over the Chinese media and outrage to occur. The only reason I want this is because USA BAsketball is going to need all the help it can get against Spain. If we have the entire stadium booing the sh&t out of Spain and cheering for us, it will be de-facto home cout advantage. The most important thing is while this may not have a definite impact on our play, it couldn't hurt.

[Meticode]

How is this racist?

These guys are just pointing to their heads.

Is there a hidden racism in this that I just dont see.

Becuase they're not pointing to their heads, they're pulling their eyes back to look chinese or asian. You can clearly see Pau Gasol doing it and a couple other players.

[mattreis62]

Must be a slow day at work for some people, there's like 3 threads on this. Who cares?

[Eldrunko247]

i guess being a homo is not enough for pau. he now wants to be a racist homo.

[starface]

so what?

people are WAY too sensitive these days.

what if they were playing ireland and they all wore orange mops on their heads? bet everyone here would think its funny and not gravely offensive.

for some reason i guess its off-limits to make fun of blacks, chinese, and mexicans. why? its not like the spanish team is burning their houses down. they're ribbing them over the stereotype of their eyes. big deal.

people just seem to LOOK for reasons to cry and get offended these days. seriously, get real.

[Eldrunko247]

so what?

people are WAY too sensitive these days.

what if they were playing ireland and they all wore orange mops on their heads? bet everyone here would think its funny and not gravely offensive.

for some reason i guess its off-limits to make fun of blacks, chinese, and mexicans. why? its not like the spanish team is burning their houses down. they're ribbing them over the stereotype of their eyes. big deal.

people just seem to LOOK for reasons to cry and get offended these days. seriously, get real.
get real? i dare you to make that gesture to my face. you'll see what "get real" means. so the world olympics means let's go make fun of the host country's ethnicity? everything the olympics doesn't stand for.

[YoungRich]

get real? i dare you to make that gesture to my face. you'll see what "get real" means. so the world olympics means let's go make fun of the host country's ethnicity? everything the olympics doesn't stand for.
:violin:

[A.M.G.]

That's a great expression of solidarity in Spanish culture, trying to look like your hosts. When they come to America, Spanish people try to become obese before hand so they fit in.

[A.M.G.]

Seriously, what's the problem? I make that gesture to every Asian person I meet or see walking on the street. They like it, give me a martial arts demonstration free of charge! Let me tell you, Wing-Chu punches to the sternum HURT! But tis all in good fun.:cheers:

[Heretik32]

everything the olympics doesn't stand for.

That's right. The Olympics should be about honoring a country that steals technology from the rest of the world and gives a flying piece of cowdung about free speech and basic human rights.

And before you come crying about "stereotypes"... even Chinese friends of mine agree with this. It's a shame the Games are being held in a country like China.

[SourGrapes]

i guess being a homo is not enough for pau. he now wants to be a racist homo.

i hope the irony of this post was purposeful.

[rezznor]

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Sport/Pix/pictures/2008/08/10/spanishbasketballteam.jpg
entire team in unison: "me chinese, me play joke, me put pee pee in your coke"

[vinsane01]

i hate sensitive people... if everyone were blacks and chinese, there will be no fun in this world.

[hippos]

I still leave a lot of room for intent when I think about racism. I can let something pass if the intent was not racist. I'm not saying people should sit back and let others make fun of their ethnicity, but I find people of different ethnicities try to dictate what can and can't be said or done too much.

It too often gets to the point where people end up saying "You know what, I just don't give a **** what you think anymore" and that can't help things at all. You can't tell everyone what can and can't be done as if you're the ultimate authority.

Sure people can take things too far and again, there is a time and place to make sure they know what they did was wrong, but from all indications there was no malice in what was done. Perhaps someone can say "even if that was meant in good taste, it hurt me", but don't try telling them they're racist or **** like that because whether you like it or not, people live in different cultures than you and what is right and wrong is more gray than PC America understands.

Acceptance goes both ways.

[highwhey]

That's a great expression of solidarity in Spanish culture, trying to look like your hosts. When they come to America, Spanish people try to become obese before hand so they fit in.
:roll: :roll: :roll:

[Lebron23]

i hate sensitive people... if everyone were blacks and chinese, there will be no fun in this world.

You are one of the most sensitive douche bag in this forum, and you love guys who always Flop/Whines in the playoffs.

[SuperLopez]

lol that's ridiculous. Only stupid people would think that's racist.The whole photo thing started because a chinese reporter asked Ricky Rubio to do it, after that some idiot of the spanish organization found interesting to do the the same with the whole spanish team for the media. No one noticed until this absurd article of the Guardian

[Hammertime]

****ing hell, people need to get the sand out of their ******. Seeing as there's no history of enslavement, oppression or anything like that of the Chinese by the Spanish, why would anyone be offended?

[vapid]

I'm not a fan. It still causes unneeded controversy at an event thats supposed to promote global cooperation. Can't wait to cheer on USA when they play Spain!

[worldbefree]

Last thing I would do is piss off communists on their home turf. I wouldn't be too upset if Pau and Marc got the axe ya dig?:rockon: :rockon:

[ZeN]

I'm not a fan. It still causes unneeded controversy at an event thats supposed to promote global cooperation. Can't wait to cheer on USA when they play Spain!


Unfortunately these events are non the less filled with bad occurances...



Violence
Despite what Coubertin had hoped for, the Olympics did not bring total peace to the world. In fact, three Olympiads had to pass without Olympics because of war: due to World War I the 1916 Games were cancelled, and the summer and winter games of 1940 and 1944 were cancelled because of World War II. A recent and more ironic example is that in the 2008 South Ossetia War, Georgia and Russia started their engagement on the same day the 2008 Summer Olympics began.

Terrorism has also become a recent threat to the Olympic Games. In 1972, when the Summer Games were held in Munich, West Germany, eleven members of the Israeli Olympic team were taken hostage by terrorist group Black September in what is known as the Munich massacre. A bungled liberation attempt led to the deaths of the nine abducted athletes who had not been killed prior to the rescue, as well as that of a policeman, with five of the terrorists also being killed.[35]

During the Summer Olympics in 1996 in Atlanta, a bombing at the Centennial Olympic Park killed two and injured 111 others. The bomb was set by Eric Robert Rudolph, an American domestic terrorist, who is currently serving a life sentence at ADX Florence in Florence, Colorado.[36]

The Winter Olympics in 2002 in Salt Lake City were the first Olympic games held since September 11, 2001, which meant a higher level of security, which is now required for all Olympic games, as they may become terrorist targets.

There have been pro-Tibet / pro-human rights protests during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Torch Relay, some of which included violent incidents.







In 1998, it became known that several IOC members had taken bribes from the organising committee for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, in exchange for a vote on the city at the election of the host city. The IOC started an investigation, which led to four members resigning and six being expelled. The scandal set off further reforms, changing the way in which host cities are elected to avoid further bribes. Also, more active and former athletes were allowed in the IOC, and the membership terms have been limited

[Knoe Itawl]

so what?

people are WAY too sensitive these days.

what if they were playing ireland and they all wore orange mops on their heads? bet everyone here would think its funny and not gravely offensive.

for some reason i guess its off-limits to make fun of blacks, chinese, and mexicans. why? its not like the spanish team is burning their houses down. they're ribbing them over the stereotype of their eyes. big deal.

people just seem to LOOK for reasons to cry and get offended these days. seriously, get real.

**** you. This is offensive and anyone who doesn't see that is just a moron.

Of course, Spain has a history of racism so this is hardly surprising.

[Timmeh]

The only one that looks like he is actually pulling is Pau in the upper right corner. The rest look like they are just pointing to their eyes lol. People always need to find something to get up set about. It's a silly picture.
repped for being logical.

some people just need something to ***** about, absolutely nothing wrong with that picture.

[trig]

im chinese but i dont see it as racist. As long as dont do or say anything that is degrading, I'm fine by it. They just tried to look chinese for fun bec they are in china.

At worst, its just profiling and steriotyping. Just like in 1 post earlier where obese was connected to americans. Did anyone find him racist?

Now if team spain starts talking about the slavery they have done before, thats a different issue

[DatZNasty]

http://img45.imageshack.us/img45/3993/gyi00554625420810151024fj6.jpg
A Wang ZhiZhi sighting!! Seems like Yao, because of his Reebok contract, refused to wear the team Hyperdunks

[worldbefree]

http://img45.imageshack.us/img45/3993/gyi00554625420810151024fj6.jpg
A Wang ZhiZhi sighting!! Seems like Yao, because of his Reebok contract, refused to wear the team Hyperdunks


Which one is Yao? JK JK

Dude in number 10 looks like he's Mutumbo's age.

[hippos]

**** you. This is offensive and anyone who doesn't see that is just a moron.

Of course, Spain has a history of racism so this is hardly surprising.

How are you offended. You will go to bed tonight not thinking about it. You will wake up tomorrow not thinking about it. You will jack off tomorrow not thinking about it. You will work tomorrow assuming you work not thinking about it. You will eat breakfast, lunch and dinner not thinking about it.

Don't lessen what being offended means. ****ing hack.

[NastaMaverick]

http://img45.imageshack.us/img45/3993/gyi00554625420810151024fj6.jpg
A Wang ZhiZhi sighting!! Seems like Yao, because of his Reebok contract, refused to wear the team Hyperdunks
Holy ****! The Chinese team is doing the same thing, but I dont hear people *****ing about that....people these days...

[DatZNasty]

No Mengke Bateer?

[Rekindled]

No Mengke Bateer?

didnt he got a ring with the spurs lol.

[trig]

#10 looks like the father of Sun Yue lol. I guess he's their own version of Jkidd

[KNOW1EDGE]

LOL @ anyone who was offended by Spain's team picture.

[sandwiches]

I wouldn't go as far to call it racist, it's more bad taste and poor judgement. Besides I would bet that it was the photographer who instructed them all to pose like that.

[vinsane01]

You are one of the most sensitive douche bag in this forum, and you love guys who always Flop/Whines in the playoffs.

riiiiiight..... how the fck do you know who i cheer for? i only have 80+ post not unless you read every post of every poster 3 times a day...oh yeah you have 12000 pos.. sorry bout that...

seriously though, people are taking it too far.. i guarantee it wasnt meant to be racist, how others find it so is mindboggling. That's just being oversensitive. Another thing, losing some respect towards the national players of spain just because of this picture is not right.. its not like they are talking trash against the chinese or burning their flag or something.

[Lebron23]

I know you are a Spurs fan Jabroni, and i am glad Duncan never won an Olympic Gold Medal in 2004 because he was the main reason team USA was eliminated in the semifinals round, and he was team USA's best player during that time.

[kentatm]

i'm lazy and this is the exact same post i've made elsewhere on this but here is my take

i havent seen somebody do that since I was in middle school. pretty dumb on their part. very childish.

HOWEVER, once again people seem to not understand what the word racist/racism means


1. a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others.
2. a policy, system of government, etc., based upon or fostering such a doctrine; discrimination.
3. hatred or intolerance of another race or other races.

making fake Asian eyes accomplishes none of those things.

so is it rude and mildly offensive? yea. racist? not so much.

[zabuza666]

:roll: :roll:

It's just a joke folks, the sooner you can learn to laugh about silly things like this the sooner it'll fade into nothing.

[tsforthrees]

blah blah blah who cares, there messing around. its not like stretching your eyes is a hate crime. this is along the lines of someone telling a white person they cant jump or something like that. who gives a ****

[Allstar24]

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Sport/Pix/pictures/2008/08/10/spanishbasketballteam.jpg
This isn't offensive but neither is it funny. Not sure what the point of this photo is exactly...

[One of Shemps Kids]

Its not racist, just in very bad taste.

[AlaskaBlzDuk]

Now the Chinese are going to do it to us by holding their eyes open and talking about hamburgers... it was like knocking over a domino :lol then we make fun of someone else

[picc84]

I would categorize this as ignorant, not racist. Doesn't make it any more of a good idea.

Spain does have a history of being racist ****s, though.

[TBurge]

i hate sensitive people... if everyone were blacks and chinese, there will be no fun in this world.


As you are probably white, and never encounter racism, shut the **** up.

[SuperLopez]

I would categorize this as ignorant, not racist. Doesn't make it any more of a good idea.

Spain does have a history of being racist ****s, though.What are you talking about idiot.Shut up ignorant.

[n00bie]

so what?

people are WAY too sensitive these days.

what if they were playing ireland and they all wore orange mops on their heads? bet everyone here would think its funny and not gravely offensive.

for some reason i guess its off-limits to make fun of blacks, chinese, and mexicans. why? its not like the spanish team is burning their houses down. they're ribbing them over the stereotype of their eyes. big deal.

people just seem to LOOK for reasons to cry and get offended these days. seriously, get real.

:eek:

[applejoe]

I initially thought they were making fun of Team USA by pointing to their brains

[rezznor]

The Spanish-language paper El Mundo has a piece debating whether the ad was racist that basically calls out the British press for trying to smear Spain's good name. But they miss the point. Whether the picture was made in good fun is irrelevant. It was a ridiculous idea that was bound to upset a lot of people.

It's baffling that nobody involved in the picture -- from the photographers to the players -- even seemed to consider that this ad would be looked at negatively. Did it not occur to somebody that it might not be a good idea to mock an entire continent before the world's largest athletic competition that, by the way, happens to take place on that continent. Were they not aware of an invention called "the Internet" that allows pictures taken in Spain to be transmitted all over the world for the eyes of everyone?

.




.

[Flightposite]

As you are probably white, and never encounter racism, shut the **** up.

D-

[B'Oneal]

Jose Calderon on the picture....
http://sports.inquirer.net/breakingnews/breakingnews/view/20080813-154329/Spanish-basketball-star-defends-slit-eyed-team-photo

[wang4three]

i'm lazy and this is the exact same post i've made elsewhere on this but here is my take

i havent seen somebody do that since I was in middle school. pretty dumb on their part. very childish.

HOWEVER, once again people seem to not understand what the word racist/racism means



making fake Asian eyes accomplishes none of those things.

so is it rude and mildly offensive? yea. racist? not so much.

I hate people who think the dictionary can define a word like "racism." It's like defining "emotions," "happy," or "sad." Sure you can point to a general idea or conception, but those words mean very different to everyone. Webster to Wikipedia will have different styles of categorizing these emotions and beliefs...because that's what they are. They're not scientific words constricted to the laws of some book published. Which is why language was meant to be interpreted in all different ways. Which is why we have people today arguing over literature and scriptures because meanings apply differently to others. For you to think that it's some sort of formula you can apply is inherently wrong and inherently narrow-minded.

At the end of the day, people are not going to care about this in America. It's become socially acceptable to degrade and belittle Asians and other tertiary race in America. And that's the way it is and it will be for a long time. Maybe ignorance and disbelief in humanity (sample size of this board) has made me bitter, but it's a truth and reality I've noticed. I've done my battles for it in the past, but what's the point when people continue to be as ignorant as they are? People on this board can't even VIRTUALLY get together, how they ever going to embrace ideals in real life?

It's funny because our USA team is fulled of mix cultures and mixed people, which is supposed to give us an edge, supposed to seem coherent..Working together cohesively for a common goal. That's what we should be representing when we look at the US flag. It's what makes us "advanced" even. It's this ideal that should bring about disdain and disgust to what the Spanish team..but instead we're just like "**** it, it wasn't my race or my life." or whatever NIMBY response people put out. And that's ok, because we all knew America was actually far from the ideal it professes.

As far this Spanish team is concerned, whatever. It's not as if my little post in this inconsequential board will do anything. People will continue to ignore because it's what they're accustomed to doing with Asian cultures. I stand in disgust, and maybe as long as I find integrity in myself, that is all that's sufficient.

[facebook]

as a chinese canadian, personally i am ok with it.. but i can understand why so many people is upset..

it's the Olympics, so every news is brow out of proportion, and all medias would like to report controversy.

[final.wrath]

its blown bro, blown.

[applejoe]

"I want to express that we have great respect for the Orient and its people, some of my best friends in Toronto are of Chinese origin."

^ Quote from Jose Calderon

:lol He pulled the "some of my best friends are [insert race]" line to defend their act, nice

[i seen hippos]

What has the Spanish team done to take these actions any farther.

[TBurge]

I doubt any of the Spanish team are actual racists. But whoever thought of the idea is a complete idiot. It's too bad Yao Ming didn't give the Gasol brothers an elbow to the face (and I'm a Laker fan).

[SuperLopez]

I doubt any of the Spanish team are actual racists. But whoever thought of the idea is a complete idiot. It's too bad Yao Ming didn't give the Gasol brothers an elbow to the face (and I'm a Laker fan).
Both of them?:oldlol:

[GOBB]

Is there a facial expression that supports what Jose Calderon says?

[SuperLopez]

I initially thought they were making fun of Team USA by pointing to their brainsClassic:lol you're a ****ing genius

[picc84]

Do any of you think the Spanish players actually hate the mongoloid race and believe themselves superior inherently because their eyes aren't slanted?

Its a retarded, ignorant, insensitive photo, but its not racist IMO. Spain as a country is just backwards in that fashion, they have no sense of racial sensitivity and think stuff like this is humorous, and almost flattering. That said, there are a # of racists in the country as evidenced by their treatment of football players and numerous stories from people who have traveled there as tourists. However, I don't believe this was done with any racist, prejudiced, or bigoted intentions in mind. Just blind, almost naive ignorance. At least in relation to the beliefs and values of the rest of the world.

[niko]

It's irrelevent whether you think this is racist or just stupid, there is no place for things like this. they basically belitted (at best) their host country to make a joke. it makes absolutely no sense. there is no reason not to be respectful, and making fun of your host prior to going somewhere is not respectful.

if i was coming to your house, and right before i came in, i made a rude comment about you as a joke, you would be like WTF is wrong with this dude. Well, thats what they did.

Its more careless and stupid than racist but no one is banning them from the competition. you are allowed to lose respect for people who act stupid, and they acted stupid.

[SuperLopez]

Do any of you think the Spanish players actually hate the mongoloid race and believe themselves superior inherently because their eyes aren't slanted?

Its a retarded, ignorant, insensitive photo, but its not racist IMO. Spain as a country is just backwards in that fashion, they have no sense of racial sensitivity and think stuff like this is humorous, and almost flattering. That said, there are a # of racists in the country as evidenced by their treatment of football players and numerous stories from people who have traveled there as tourists. However, I don't believe this was done with any racist, prejudiced, or bigoted intentions in mind. Just blind, almost naive ignorance. At least in relation to the beliefs and values of the rest of the world.
That's bull****, insulting a hole nation with that is absurd.It will be the same if i said americans kills arabas for oil, or that american are racist because of kkk.

[TBurge]

Both of them?:oldlol:

Hell yes.

[TBurge]

Look everyone goes over the top. I'm asian but the reason i'm not mad is because 1) i'm Korean haha and 2) it's obvious the Spanish national team is not full of racists. I was way more offended when Shaq did that Karate bull**** because to me Shaq's ego is bigger than his body fat and it's ANNOYING!

[SuperLopez]

Hell yes.at the same time would be pretty cool

[GOBB]

Everyone is slamming Sain but I refuse to think they were this dumb. I cant see a collection of players where none objected what they were doing. So I'm more likely to give this the benefit of the doubt and wait to hear the players explaniation for what they were attempting to pull off and look further into thier reasoning.

[hito da god]

would we have even heard about this if pau gasol was still in memphis?

[GOBB]

I hate people who think the dictionary can define a word like "racism." It's like defining "emotions," "happy," or "sad." Sure you can point to a general idea or conception, but those words mean very different to everyone. Webster to Wikipedia will have different styles of categorizing these emotions and beliefs...because that's what they are. They're not scientific words constricted to the laws of some book published. Which is why language was meant to be interpreted in all different ways. Which is why we have people today arguing over literature and scriptures because meanings apply differently to others. For you to think that it's some sort of formula you can apply is inherently wrong and inherently narrow-minded.

At the end of the day, people are not going to care about this in America. It's become socially acceptable to degrade and belittle Asians and other tertiary race in America. And that's the way it is and it will be for a long time. Maybe ignorance and disbelief in humanity (sample size of this board) has made me bitter, but it's a truth and reality I've noticed. I've done my battles for it in the past, but what's the point when people continue to be as ignorant as they are? People on this board can't even VIRTUALLY get together, how they ever going to embrace ideals in real life?

It's funny because our USA team is fulled of mix cultures and mixed people, which is supposed to give us an edge, supposed to seem coherent..Working together cohesively for a common goal. That's what we should be representing when we look at the US flag. It's what makes us "advanced" even. It's this ideal that should bring about disdain and disgust to what the Spanish team..but instead we're just like "**** it, it wasn't my race or my life." or whatever NIMBY response people put out. And that's ok, because we all knew America was actually far from the ideal it professes.

As far this Spanish team is concerned, whatever. It's not as if my little post in this inconsequential board will do anything. People will continue to ignore because it's what they're accustomed to doing with Asian cultures. I stand in disgust, and maybe as long as I find integrity in myself, that is all that's sufficient.

Thats interesting. Guess one would have to be in the shoes of an asian to see it.

[niko]

Everyone is slamming Sain but I refuse to think they were this dumb. I cant see a collection of players where none objected what they were doing. So I'm more likely to give this the benefit of the doubt and wait to hear the players explaniation for what they were attempting to pull off and look further into thier reasoning.

i don't think any official explanation is coming unless someone pulls one of these players aside and they are frank about it. the team's official statement was they were joknig and it's not a big deal, but they don't say if they were joking poking fun at chinese or doing something else. i dont think they will elaborate at this point.

for me, it clearly offended the chinese crowd so why they couldn't just say "we didnt mean what you think, but we are sorry because we didnt mean to offend you" and then move on is beyond me.

[SuperLopez]

i don't think any official explanation is coming unless someone pulls one of these players aside and they are frank about it. the team's official statement was they were joknig and it's not a big deal, but they don't say if they were joking poking fun at chinese or doing something else. i dont think they will elaborate at this point.

for me, it clearly offended the chinese crowd so why they couldn't just say "we didnt mean what you think, but we are sorry because we didnt mean to offend you" and then move on is beyond me.
It was the same idea as Japan 2006 when they put the japanese headscarf.It's stupid advertising for the spanish tv viewers(we go to China) who are not very interested in basket.And the whole idea started because a chinese reporter asked Ricky Rubio to do it.

[biisak]

Correct me if I

[SuperLopez]

[QUOTE=biisak]Correct me if I

[Silverbullit]

I can't detect any racism in this picture.

[DatZNasty]

[QUOTE=biisak]Correct me if I

[SuperLopez]

To us yes, but that's because it's very monocultural compared to the US, so it would never be seen as a huge problem. ESPN did a story on their soccers fans and racism leading up to the world cup

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-iRLmaZf4A

ANyways, here's Jose Calderon's explanationThat's in soccer stadiums in all Europe, the craziest fans who are retarded used to insult the adversary players and if they were black it was very easy for them.But then they adored their black players so it's more a problem of intelligence

[Lebron23]

I like the attitude of Jose Calderon, and I am going to vote him in the 2009 NBA All Star Game.

[DatZNasty]

Pau's apology [quote]

[Soundwave]

Wow that's pretty ignorant. Spain deserves to be criticized, what a bunch of idiots.

[Allstar24]

That's what I said, its not offensive but its not funny either.

[picc84]

Good to see that from Pau.

[applejoe]

I'm wondering if anyone in the US, or the people posting here that are saying the picture was not offensive, would be upset if the Spanish team posed while sticking out their lower lip to make it look bigger as a friendly gesture to Team USA.

[Strangefruit]

To those of you who judge without knowing the whole scene (sp. to you all of anglo-saxon culture), let me state this:

1. The photo is for an advertisment.

2. The company paying for the ads is A CHINESE COMPANY (Li-Ning`s T-Shirt).

3. It was the GUYS FROM THE CHINESE COMPANY who told the Spanish NT what they had to do.

4. Since every single guy in the Spanish team is spanish (huh), it's not unlikely that none of them could think of the gesture being racist. In Spain (a country where nothing is ever taken seriously, and where no offense is ever taken -or almost-) almost noone would see that gesture as offensive.

5. Even if two or three players had thought "hey, this might be offensive to chinese people" (which is VERY improbable), the fact that it was all the idea of a Chinese company obviously convinced them of the contrary.

6. If a third party (a quite over-reacting third party, as a matter of fact - English meida) comes into this two-sided game and starts messing it up with their own stuff, they are to be blamed.

7. No offense intended (and apparently no offense taken from the guys in the Chinese company). No mocking intended. Absolutely no sign of "racial superiority". NO RACISM whatsoever.

8. If a word or a gesture or any issue is considered offensive or sensitive in a a certain country, it doesn't mean every single country in the world should avoid it in their own territory (where ir may have completely different significance or background).

In fact, there's a gesture (:rockon: ) which Americans may understand as "man, this rules", whilst in Spain it means "**** you" or even "you're an idiot whose wife constantly fu(ks another men". Do we get annoyed wen an American (o any other) uses that gesture in their own "scenery"? No. I mean, we know that's the way it works.

From the point of view of a Spaniard, the only way to see "Racism" in all this is to have a race-based mindset at first. It is said that the ones claiming "racism!" are too often the very first ones to be racist.
Please better look at yourself before judging the others, especially if you don't know it all (but who knows anyway?)

[gabeh1018]

this whole thread reminds me of those instances when:


you say a derogatory comment about another race, someone then says thats not cool and your being racist

then you say " its all cool, my friennd is {{insert minority}}"

[ihatetimthomas]

[quote]

[dr8ked]

JASON KIDD RESPONSE TO THE PHOTO



BEIJING – When Jason Kidd logged into a laptop to see the Spaniards with his own eyes on Wednesday morning, the photo appeared just as described to him: Here were National Basketball Association players giggling like schoolgirls as they posed with fingers pressed against their temples in a squinty-eyed pre-Olympic salute to China.

Before long, Kidd considered the consequences had those giddy European faces been substituted with those of Team USA.

“We would’ve been already thrown out of the Olympics,” he told Yahoo! Sports. “At least, we wouldn’t have been able to come back to the U.S. …There would be suspensions.”

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And for his European peers, well, Kidd suggested, “They won’t do anything to them. It’s a double standard.”

For Spain, there are several NBA players, including the Lakers’ Pau Gasol and Toronto’s Jose Calderon, in this unnerving team photo. They wore Spanish uniforms and had the federation’s seal on the floor. It ran as a full-page advertisement in a Madrid newspaper, an advertisement for a national team sponsor. This wasn’t an impromptu shot, but a carefully calculated choice.

Gasol is too smart, too sophisticated, to have let this happen. After practice Wednesday, he suggested that he wasn’t troubled with the photo on the merits of longstanding racial implications as much as he thought it wasn’t funny. The sponsor pushed and pushed them to pose, he said. They broke him down.

“It was supposed to be a picture that inspired the Olympic spirit,” Gasol said.

And how’d that work out, Pau? Just imagine what would’ve happened had that explanation come out of the mouth of Carmelo Anthony? Here’s what would’ve happened: Stern would’ve been on the next plane to China to work the damage control.

The Spaniards made a deplorable circumstance worse with dense justifications and a sense that they had done nothing wrong and nothing offensive. When they were hemming and hawing, digging a deeper ditch, Kidd talked at Team USA’s practice. He was curious how the Spanish players were spinning this.

“They have some explaining to do,” he said. “They’ll come up with something good.”

Gasol and Calderon aren’t just accountable to Spain on this Olympic stage but the global corporate entity that pays them more than $130 million in pro contracts. The NBA could’ve delivered a ready rebuke on Wednesday and there was none.

They’ll dock you $50,000 for ripping an incompetent official, but you can get a pass on an orchestrated racial slur? Gasol is kidding himself to say that he was pushed into it. Do you think Kobe Bryant would’ve been pressured to pose this way? LeBron James? Gasol is a serious, sensitive player with the prestige and clout for Spain to step up and say: Forget it, fellas. This isn’t happening. Only he didn’t.

As much as anything, this episode feeds a prevailing feeling among African-American NBA players that they’re the constant scapegoats for whatever issues – real or perceived – plague the sport. Without the public demanding a pound of accountability for European players, do they get a pass?

“The simple question is, ‘Would Stern and the league hold the American players accountable?’ And I think the answer to that is yes,” one NBA general manager said. “So why wouldn’t he hold the ‘other’ NBA players accountable – unless the rules only apply to the American players.”

So far, there’s nothing out of the league office. Rest assured, unless there’s an outcry over that photo, the NBA will wish this story away. Maybe the league will even issue a mild rebuke. It won’t be enough. Maybe this doesn’t rise to a suspension, but there should be significant fines and a bold condemnation. There needs to be a message delivered to NBA players everywhere: When you earn your money with us, you are always on the clock. Kidd, Kobe and LeBron understand it. It’s time the rest of the league does, too.

As some suggest he’ll do, Stern can’t dismiss this as the business of a federation team. These are NBA players returning to NBA cities this year. Never mind the host country and millions of fans here, but consider the Asian-American season ticket holders in cosmopolitan cities such as Toronto and Los Angeles. One of the reasons the New Jersey Nets traded for Yi Jianlian was to market him to a large Asian-American base in Metropolitan New York.

The NBA is a global league, so understand: Whatever the summer uniform, it’s the players who are forever representing the logo. The idea that Stern shouldn’t act on this behavior because it falls under FIBA and Spanish rule is ridiculous.

“We could say that too, but at the end of day, we are still representing the NBA,” Kidd said. “No matter if we’re saying (the actions) have nothing to do with it. At the end of day, we have to go back home, and our jobs are there.”

Stern is walking a slippery slope here, balancing relationships and partnerships in China and Europe. Already, there are jealousies developing in Europe over the way Stern is fawning over the Chinese market. Some European teams have told American marketers and agents that they’ve felt neglected in Stern’s wanderlust for Asia. FIBA is the governing body for European basketball and they’ve already dismissed this as a non-issue. That’s FIBA’s right, but the NBA has a different responsibility here. It has to take the higher ground.

“It would start an international riot if we did it, but they aren’t us,” an Eastern Conference executive said. “It’s low-rent stuff, but FIBA won’t do squat, so (the) NBA would show them up with any punitive action. I would be shocked if the NBA does any more than condemn (the) action.”

These Games have been a fascinating illustration in the complexities of the NBA’s globalization. The Americans have been treated like rock stars in China. Team USA has handled everything with grace and good humor. After too many trips overseas when this wasn’t the case for America’s national team, it sure is now.

Yes, there are different attitudes in the world, different sensibilities in Europe and North America. But for the NBA, there can be just one set of right and wrong. There should be only a strong voice and strong action now. No one should have to call for accountability from the Spaniards – the way that they would for Americans. Once and for all, David Stern has to be clear that there aren’t rules and responsibilities for different athletes, and different backgrounds – just those for an NBA player.

[Strangefruit]

What a horrible analogy Spain's Head coach used. My god, he is he so dumb that he is comparing slanting your eyes to poke fun at Chinese to being tall? My god. At least gasol sounds like he has a brain on his shoulders but this guy sounds idiotic

That's exactly what he doesn't understand: THAT BEING OFFENSIVE. He doesn't belong to your cultural background.

I'm noone to ask you to read my other thread, of course. But I urge you to do so. You'll still have the right to think your way, but at least you won't be judging people without knowing the half of it...

[Heilige]

TEAM USA PLAYERS RESPONSE TO THE PHOTO


Jason Kidd was the only player who responded. Why did you post TEAM USA PLAYERS RESPONSE?

[Mr Know It All]

How about we stop making fun of them until they stop bullying peaceful nations? And stop butchering the environment, not to mention the animals they kill, endangered and otherwise, for garments and trinkets. Hell, this was nothing, they should be thankful no one on the USA squad has the balls to speak out against the ****ty nation that is China.

[dr8ked]

Jason Kidd was the only player who responded. Why did you post TEAM USA PLAYERS RESPONSE?

Just changed it, it's saying Jason Kidd's response to the Photo.

[big tuna]

How about we stop making fun of them until they stop bullying peaceful nations? And stop butchering the environment, not to mention the animals they kill, endangered and otherwise, for garments and trinkets. Hell, this was nothing, they should be thankful no one on the USA squad has the balls to speak out against the ****ty nation that is China.
uh oh, silence everyone. the man who thinks his sh!t don't stink has spoken

[Mr Know It All]

uh oh, silence everyone. the man who thinks his sh!t don't stink has spoken

Uh oh, silence everyone. The man who condones invading peaceful nations and destroying the environment has spoken. Morons like you cannot think outside the box and understand what a country like China is doing to the world.

[i seen hippos]

I'm wondering if anyone in the US, or the people posting here that are saying the picture was not offensive, would be upset if the Spanish team posed while sticking out their lower lip to make it look bigger as a friendly gesture to Team USA.

No one could possibly have good intentions by sticking out their lower lip. Let's not be silly.

[Jailblazers7]

The fact that a basketball team representing their country could be this irresponsible is hilarious to me.

[applejoe]

No one could possibly have good intentions by sticking out their lower lip. Let's not be silly.

How about holding fried chicken in one hand and watermelon in another, how's that for a "friendly gesture"?

[SuperLopez]

:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:

[Rasheed1]

very low class gesture by spain...

Im not surprised that spain would stoop this low and then give the typical bigot response which is that they thought it would be funny.

I guess you cant expect any better from these people

[i seen hippos]

How about holding fried chicken in one hand and watermelon in another, how's that for a "friendly gesture"?

*Copies and pastes last post*

The intention of boths actions would be completely different.