Let me preface my remarks by saying, as a human being, I’m proud to be a Celtics fan and I’m proud of Red Auerbach. Auerbach broke the NBA’s color-barrier on more fronts than I can count. Readers of this blog will remember my zealous support for our president-elect last fall. Two of my three favorite Celtics of all-time are African-American.
So maybe it’s “White Man’s Guilt” that leads me to pose this question.
Whatever the muse, I do wonder why Brian Scalabrine has a cult-like following among Celtics fans. At home games (and even some road games), fans chant his name, and, let’s be honest, 95% of these fans are white. Even Celtics fans that don’t chant his name get excited when Veal makes any contribution whatsoever, far more than we did for Sam Vincent, Derek Smith, Acie Earl, or Marcus Webb.
Is this just because the fans are white and they are rooting for a white guy?
I’m gonna say no. Race is not the reason we cheer for Brian Scalabrine. Sure, race is the reason some fans cheer for him, but the percentage of fans that do so on that basis are a minority (statistically, that is), perhaps even a small minority.
What proof do I have?
I chose the above black underachievers for a reason. I did actively root for Sam Vincent, Derek Smith, Acie Earl, and Marcus Webb to make big contributions during their time with Boston. When Derek Smith looked like he might make be the difference-maker off the bench the Celtics needed, I was ecstatic. When Marcus Webb looked like a brute force in the post, I had him penciled in for the Hall of Fame.
Celtics fans are smart. We root for the bench players to contribute because without a bench, you ain’t gonna go very far. So any signs of bench productivity, no matter how rare or how small, are celebrated.
Still, there is something more to the Scalabrine phenomenon than rooting for an underachieving bench player. Scalabrine is not a well-conditioned athlete. In fact, you might say he is poorly conditioned. Vanilla Thunder definitely has some skill, but Celtics fans are left to wonder how much better he might be were he committed to an aerobic and weight-lifting regimen.
Scalabrine’s witty, and his target of choice is usually himself. The guy is overpaid, but it’s not his fault. He’s the ultimate team player. After the Celtics acquired PJ Brown last year, Scalabrine took a seat at the end of the bench and never said anything about it other than “Go Celtics.” Yet when called upon, he steps up, and, for his skill set, he steps up big. The examples are plentiful, but stepping in for an injured KG last year and an injured Perk this year are two good examples.
So is race a total non-factor?
No. That would be going too far. In a sport dominated by world-class African-American athletes, white fans are probably drawn to Scalabrine like they would be drawn to him if he lived in the college dorm room down the hall. He seems like a great guy to shoot the breeze with over a beer. You probably knew a guy like him in college—permanently attached to a couch with a bag of chips in one hand and a can of Coors in the other, with a largely empty box of pizza from the night before sitting on the table in front of him.
Most of us probably rooted for Joe Dorm Room. We rooted for him to get off his duff and do something. The fact that Joe Dorm Room now plays basketball for the World Champion Celtics gives fans the opportunity to root for that guy all over again.
So race may play a factor in the Scalabrine phenomenon, but it is a small and benign factor as far as I can see.
8 comments:
I remember not too long ago when Scalabrine was the most despised guy on the roster and some fans still want him out. Being white certainly didn't help him out then.
My hubby cheers for Scal because they are both red heads.
I love Scal's team spirit. Like you said, he is the ultimate team glue guy. He never complains about lack of minutes but when called on he gives it all he's got, whether for 5 minutes or for 30 minutes. I didn't care for Scal for a couple of years, but he won me over. Race had nothing to do with it. It is his spirit and attitude that won me over to his side. Same reason Perk and Leon are my favorite players. Work ethic, spirit and attitude.
Good points by you both.
Derek Smith!
He played just a few games for us one season, but his defense against the hated Pacers in a hard fought playoff series makes him one of my all time favorite Celtics.
i never care race.
About Scal conditioning: maybe he's not a weight lifting fans, maybe is just his body. Not everybody have a body that respond (without chemical supports i mean) in a "fashion" way. like some people can eat everything without getting fat and others just look at pizza and gain double the weight the same with condition. Else everybody could ran faster, or jump higher without limits. but our body HAVE limits.
That said, maybe he's lazy ;)
I loved Derek Smith too!
I agree with The Kid, when the team was down and out Scal looked like the next Raef LaFrentz, a big semi athletic waste of money. He was taking the spot and money of some one that could have contributed. But now we are winning and we can apreciate what little contribution he can make. That along with his effort, personality and "every man" quality makes him like an unofficial mascot to me; and I love him for it.
Good stuff.
Post a Comment