Here's The Email That Forced Hawks Owner Barry Levenson Out Of The NBA

 

If anyone has followed some of my comments about Atlanta and it's sports teams you will see where I am coming from.

 

Complete and total disconnect with the city and culture.

Who was more offended by the email message, blacks or whites? The message strikes me as one that was hastily written to people he trusted. Apparently, at least one of the recipients of the message was a very bad hire.

 

The issues that Levenson discussed are no different than those confronted by media outlets, ad agencies, and political campaign staffs as they tailor their programming and messaging to attract certain demographic mixes.

 

I honestly do not see why the email message should have offended anybody. A team owner is entitled to his opinions and to discuss his ideas in confidence with his staff. I am sure that he would have chosen his words more carefully and supported his positions with some data had he known that the memo was going to be made public.

I do not see a problem with the email. I do see where some would make it an issue.

Wow really, force to sell his team for that.

I really fail to see how that was racist. If you substitute the words black for white, no one would even bat an eye. Don't really see the harm in this email as well. He's identified the most lucrative demographic of fan and is trying to find a way to attract more of them. Seems like a solid business practice to me.

Political Correctness.

 

Not allowed to mention anything like this without being labeled a racist. But if a Dem says it, then fine.

I'm thinking people should get over themselves. I'm guessing he will fire someone before he is forced out.

Political Correctness.

 

Not allowed to mention anything like this without being labeled a racist. But if a Dem says it, then fine.

 

Once again, not a Dem/Rep issue. You can't tell me that he wouldn't be facing the same backlash if he were a Dem (and I'm not sure what his political party is).

I'm standing by what I say.

How many times have Dems said stuff and got away with it.

The VP even referred to reps putting blacks back in chains

It sounded like a business discussion on how to get more to the games.

 

Would he be forced to sell if he had said the whites are scaring off the blacks with the country music and white cheerleaders and is afraid there isn't enough rich white people to support the team at home games and he is looking for a way to get more blacks to the games.

It really seemed to mention factual statements, nothing offensive or derogatory really. As most have said, I can see where people would take offense because "political correctness" must rule.

I'm standing by what I say.

How many times have Dems said stuff and got away with it.

The VP even referred to reps putting blacks back in chains

 

Again, it's irrelevant to this situation. It's not a political issue. Not once in any of this has his political affiliation even been brought up. It's not, hasn't been, or isn't going to be about Dem vs Rep, and who can get away with what. That being said, I don't have a real problem with what he said....he certainly could have said it better. I'm in advertising and I talk demographics with clients all the time, and really, I think that was all he was doing.

This is a political issue because political correctness is mainly the creation of liberal Democrats. However, the victim in this case, as far as I can tell, is a liberal Jewish businessman. To his credit, he publicly supported the ouster of the Clipper's Donald Sterling for making racist statements and decided that it would be hypocritical of him not to give up his ownership interest in the Hawks.

 

What Levenson said was, IMO, more offensive to white Hawks fans than it was to black fans. He essentially painted the Hawks white fans as southern bigots. Levenson's desire to increase the number of affluent white fans attending Hawks games was nothing that a black owner would not want to do.

 

If you are in business, you want to attract people having as much disposable income as possible and to part with as much of that money as possible. It is obvious to me that Levenson welcomes fans with plenty of money to spend to Hawks games, regardless of their race.

 

I respect Levenson as a man of principle, although if this email is the real reason that he is giving up his team, then it is unfortunate that political correctness has claimed another victim.

Wow really, force to sell his team for that.

 

He wasn't forced to sell. He made that decision.

It will only take time before someone like Hank Aaron spouts off and we will see if a double standard exist.