Unless you’ve been sleeping under a rock you are probably aware of the most recent NBA owner who made a racially insensitive and questionably racist statement via email to fellow co-owners about their Black fans. The owner I am speaking of is Bruce Levenson, Atlanta Hawks Controlling Owner, who has decided to voluntarily sell his controlling interest in the team after self-reporting the email that many people find offensive. When you read the email I want you to keep an open mind and truly think about the context in which the email may have been written and then decide if the email was racist or was it about what is best for the failing franchise that ranks #27 out of 30 NBA teams according to Forbes Magazine in value, with a $425M valuation.
In his communication with fellow co-owners he shares that he was grappling with low attendance at Hawks games and needed to attract more season ticket holders and corporate sponsors.
Email (summary) reads…
I start looking around our arena during games and noticed the following:
• It’s 70% Black
• The cheerleaders are Black
• The music is hip-hop
• At the bars its 90% Black
• There are few fathers and sons at the games
My theory is that the Black crowd scared away the whites and there are simply not enough affluent Black fans to build a significant season ticket base. Please don’t get me wrong, there was nothing going on in the arena back then. I never felt uncomfortable, but I think southern whites simply are not comfortable being in an arena or at a bar where they are in the minority.
After self-reporting this email Levenson said that he sent an unintentional and hurtful message that the Hawks white fans are more important than Black fans. He said he chose to step down and be proactive in bringing this out, because he didn’t want to put his family through a public scandal and he didn’t feel that he could be the owner of the Hawks of a majority Black city after the email.
According to the 2010 Census the City of Atlanta is 54 percent Black, 38.4 percent white, and 7.6 percent other. Statistics also show that the Atlanta Hawks currently ranks #28 out of 30 NBA teams in home ticket sales. As a business owner I know that if you are in business, you’re in business to make money. If you are not making money in your business, it is called a hobby. Let’s look at the Hawks, Levenson, and the context in which he may have been making his point.
Businesses spend millions of dollars a year on African-American and Hispanic marketing, marketing to women, marketing to men over 50, etc., you get my point. Businesses market to various demographics for the purpose of increasing market share. In order to attract these markets marketing campaigns must be put in place that appeal to those demographics. Sprite features many NBA stars with a hip hop theme in commercials. Many technology companies feature hip hop artist to promote their product. This is done to attract minority consumers.
Is it wrong for the owner of the Hawks to have a conversation about increasing market share or attendance from a demographic that is needed to increase revenue? Is it wrong to think about what can be done to be more inclusive of white southern people in an effort to sell more tickets when you consistently rank at the bottom of the league in ticket sales? Is it wrong to add some white cheerleaders to the squad, play more diverse music in the arena for more people to feel comfortable and better relate to the Hawks experience? Before we are quick to judge and scream racism, look closely at what was said. Levenson didn’t say he had a problem with Black people because all money is green. I am sure if he was selling out every night with Pacific Islanders in attendance, he would be just fine en route to the bank. He may have been simply speaking business strategy to increase ticket sales from southern whites, keep his African-American base, and make the environment more inclusive. If he could create an experience where everyone could comfortably coexist, he wins.
Put the shoe on the other foot. Let’s take NASCAR for example. Why is African-American attendance at NASCAR at a dismal low? I have attended a NASCAR race and I could easily see how African-Americans could feel excluded in the racing culture. No, I don’t listen to country music; no, I don’t wear cowboy hats and boots; no, I don’t drive a Chevrolet. My point is I am sure that NASCAR has had many conversations about how to add more diversity to NASCAR. Dr. Jesse J. Lewis and Gwen DeRu have worked with them for years to bring more Black people to racing. They have to continue to make it more inclusive by incorporating things that minorities can relate to. Yes, Levenson did a poor job in choosing his words and yes he was definitely on the insensitive side, but racism may be a stretch if you think it was done in the name of business. You decide….
Mahari A. McTier
