P.K. Subban is a wonderful player for the Montreal Canadians who happens to be black. He will never be a candidate to win a Lady Byng trophy either, but after he scored the winning goal in double overtime, Twitter responded with a slew of racist tweets from upset Boston fans.
Boston's Shame: Racist Tweets About P.K. Subban a Disgrace
It started after Montreal defenseman P.K. Subban potted a powerplay goal in the first period. As the Bruins' nemesis celebrated, many took to Twitter to unleash racist remarks against Subban. Few identified as Bruins fans, which was a relief. But, after the flashy blueliner ripped the game-winner in double overtime, the true scumbags came out of the woodwork.
[Click here to view several of the tweets. Proceed with caution. They use very strong language.]Of course, many of these tweets were deleted and many of these users backpedaled at the sight of their mentions tabs, but the damage was done. A small smattering of intolerant fans had already revived the ghastly memory of the Joel Ward fallout of 2012 and, to a greater extent, the racism seen by other athletes (like LeBron James andRichard Sherman) every day on Twitter.
Conservatives on Fox News and talk radio love to tell the world that racism is dead, but as is evident, we know better.
Check out a few of what these racists were tweeting:
– That stupid n***** doesn’t belong in hockey #whitesonly
– F*** YOU N***** SUBBAN YOU BELONG IN A F****** HOLE NOT AN ICE RINK
– PK Subban = F****** N*****
– F*** PK Subban. F****** n*****. Wish he got sold
– subban is the definition of a n*****
– Someone needs to smack PK subban across his big n***** lips. #scumbag
– SUBBAN IS A F****** PORCH M*****
– F*** that stupid m***** #subban
– F*** you subban you f****** lucky ass n*****!
– Once again, Subban stop being a n*****
– N***** was trending in Boston because P.K. Subban scored… It’s a rare moment in my life to be ashamed to be a Bruins fan.
– I bet the Bruins fans calling P.K. Subban a n***** on Twitter have no idea his brother plays for their minor league team.
– the hashtag #N***** is trending in Boston after Subban’s goal. Do they tweet this after a David Ortiz HR? f*** off Boston, be better.
– N***** trending in Boston- #NHL another sport with issues
I have a lot of friends in Boston, including family and it's a great town. Not all Bruin fans are like this obviously, but it shows what's so apparent to so many of us. Racism runs deep and has not dissipated because Obama was elected as president.
Huge kudos to Bruins president Cam Neeley for doing the exact right thing:
Bruins President Cam Neely issued a statement concerning the racist tweets Friday afternoon.
“The racist, classless views expressed by an ignorant group of individuals following Thursday’s game via digital media are in no way a reflection of anyone associated with the Bruins organization,” Neely said.
Here's what The Hockey's Writers said about this ugly display:
Early Friday morning, PK Subban clinched Game One for the Montreal Canadiens with a power play goal in double overtime. It really was a fantastic and exciting game, but of course that was all ruined shortly after Subban rifled one past Rask. After the game, numerous racist tweets, ones that I cannot repeat on here, were directed at PK Subban. It was an embarrassing display by Boston Bruins fans. Of course, this is nothing new with Boston fans. In 2012, numerous racist tweets were directed toward the Washington Capitals’ Joel Ward after he scored the series clinching goal in an upset victory over Boston.
This display of racism by Bruins fans is upsetting and really doesn’t make much sense. People forget that PK’s younger brother, Malcolm, is a goaltender in the Boston Bruins system, one of the Bruins’ best players, Jarome Iginla, is black, and Willie O’Ree was the first black man to play in the NHL and he did it with the Boston Bruins. The Boston Bruins have a great history when it comes to blacks and minorities in hockey, but why don’t Bruin fans realize this? After Subban scored the game winner, a Bruins “fan” threw a water bottle at him on the ice.
This incident shows a side of racism that is never often talked about. In sports, if a black player is on your side, they are cool, but if they are on another team, watch the hate erupt.
