What do you think about Barry Bond's comment on racism?

Question

He said on the news this morning he thinks he is being discriminated against.

He says racism is preventing him from achieving his goals.

Answer 1

I think, in this particular situation that it's a good thing that Hank Aaron isn't white...If he were, I can almost guarantee that Bonds would turn his absence during the record breaking game into a race issue.

The comment on racism doesn't surprise me a bit... He's a guy that won't hesitate to play the proverbial "race card" when he thinks it might be of some benefit to him... BUT, he'll leave the "Balco" card buried in the deck. (All just slight of hand to divert attention from the real issue). ---> Cheaters come in all shapes, sizes, and COLORS! This is not a race issue... never has been. And, even if it were... Hammerin' Hank had it a WHOLE lot worse when he LEGITIMATELY accomplished the feat.

*Also, I think that if it were McGwire or Giambi who were in Bonds' position right now (going for the record) they'd be facing the same sort of flak*

Answer 2

Barry made those comments due to the large amounts of vicious hate mail he gets and the fact the government and media has tried to portray him as a someone that used steroids for long periods of time. The guy has admitted to using the cream which he used all of 2 to 3 years. He did not use steroids prior to that.

As for the discrimination part. He's wondering why was it not a big deal when Mark McGwire used androstenedione which is a well known banned substance by the NFL, the NCAA, the International Olympic Committee, and ever other sport.
And how he could avoid answering congress after Canseco's testimony that McGwire used daily with him. Talk about a guilty coward. Is he being investigated ? No!

Yet Bonds is being investigated like he was mass murderer and is being portrayed as the steroid poster child for baseball. That is unfair BS and this country knows it.

I'm not a fan of Bonds because he was a jerk to baseball, his teammates, and to fans for as long as I can remember. There was a time when he thought he was God's gift to baseball. Even if he had not taken the cream and was clean as a whistle I would have not wanted to see him break the record.
It's about Barry the man and not Barry the user.

As for McGwire the man who cheated all but two year of his career, I no longer acknowledge he existed as a ball player.

Answer 3

Why if it was racism would anyone care then about him breaking another black man's record? He is just a whiney little baby, and has links to designer steroid labs and distributors, but they didn't have tests for the steroids he was accused of using, and they haven't been able to completely prove anything other than his trainer was involved. I don't think McGwire should be in the Hall of fame or the record books either. He also had steroid accusations when he was going after the single season record.
Roger Maris experienced a lot of backlash when he was going after Babe Ruth's single season HR record. I guess people hate white people too huh? He didn't have any steroid accusations, but they put an asterisk on his record, basically implying that it wasn't good enough.
The fact is that Hank Aaron earned his record honestly and in the face of real racism, yet he didn't whine about it, he just went out and played. Barry could learn something there.

Answer 4

I think Jackie Robinson and Josh Gibson just rolled over in their graves.

Josh Gibson was every bit as prolific a hitter as Babe Ruth by record... and couldn't play pro because he was black.

And Robinson made $5,000 a year with a $3,500 bonus... the league minimum... and had to endure more than you, I, or Bonds can imagine.

If they heard a man making $15 million a year, and pursuing the All-Time Home Run mark amidst allegations of steroid use and tax fraud, saying that he's being discriminated against... I think they'd throw up.

Answer 5

I try my hardest to not pay attention to anything Berry Bonds says. You can’t convince me that he is a victim of racism. If he is then why isn’t Griffey or Andrew Jones or Shawn Alexander or LT or Tiger Woods screaming racism? Because it’s not true that’s why. Because it’s an escape or as my dad called it a cop out to hide the fact that Berry Bonds is just pissed off cause no one cares if he breaks the record and no one cares because he cheated.

Let’s look at this

1. Berry enters the MLB and becomes one of the biggest stars in baseball and is a liked player.
2. Mark McGwire breaks the single season home run record and Berry becomes jealous of Big Mac’s fame so he starts to shoot up roids.
3. Berry starts to clime the HR ladder (while taking roids). The sad thing is he lies to hide every thing but we all know it is impossible to become that big in that short amount of time.
4. People don’t like him because he cheated and lied.
5. Now he is saying its racism. No you freak it’s because you cheated and lied. Don’t try to mask your issues and pass the buck.

He says it’s keeping him from achieving his goals and dreams. Cough cough BS cough cough. You are about to break one of the most if not the most covenant records in all of sports. If that’s not a goal or dream give it up Berry.

Answer 6

It quite would not count while you're black, white or green, cheating is cheating. while a white guy does it he's cheating, while a black guy does it its racism, even Jesse Jackson could have a no longer straight forward time merchandising that one. i've got self assurance that Jackie Robinson had adequate appreciate for the interest that he'd be upset with steroids even with the colour of the consumer.

Answer 7

Racism would imply that the media/fans treatment of him is arbitrary and apply to any person of colour.
If Vladimir Guerrero was approaching the territory that Bonds is, the reaction would not be the same.

People aren't shunning Bonds because he has dark skin, they are shunning him because he took steroids and he's a rude dork.

Did you know in 1994, during the baseball strike, he went back to court to have his spousal support payments reduced and GOT IT.

Let's see how much he celebrates and gets involved when someone beats his record.

Answer 8

I wonder if he understands the racism and threats Hank Aaron went through when approaching Ruth's record.

It was a whole lot more brutal and life endangering then. He should speak to Jackie Robinson's family about Racism as well.

Steroid & performance enhancing drug use criticism is not racism.

Answer 9

This is the biggest line of crap that has come out of this lying cheating, and racist person in baseball. He lied to his fans by taking steroids, he cheated the fans of baseball by using steroids and the only reason he took them was because white players and Latino players where getting more press then him. Well you know what why don’t you take your crap back and cry with your father and mother and your children who hate you and your wife who is with you for the money and your ex-wife who knows what kind of a person you really are and your mistress who you wanted to kill because she was hiding your money for tax purposes. So in a nutshell Barry Bonds is the only one holding Barry Bonds back, Thou I can’t wait to see what happens when he goes to prison and meets Bubba the guy who was a huge Roger Maris fan who is carrying a bar of soap that Barry’s going to need to drop.

Answer 10

Does anybody really take Barry Bonds' comments seriously. He is the biggest crybaby ever in professional sports. He is the racist with an attitude and I hope he breaks his legs (YES, LEGS) before he breaks the record.