Basketball league for white Americans targets Augusta
By Billy Byler | Staff Writer
Tuesday, January 19, 2010


A new professional basketball league boasting rosters made up exclusively of white Americans has its eyes set on Augusta, but the team isn't receiving a warm welcome.

The All-American Basketball Alliance announced in a news release Sunday evening that it intends to start its inaugural season in June and hopes Augusta will be one of 12 cities with a team.

"Only players that are natural born United States citizens with both parents of Caucasian race are eligible to play in the league," the statement said.

Augusta Mayor Deke Copenhaver, who has publicly expressed his support for minor league teams in the past, said he would not do the same for this team.

"As a sports enthusiast, I have always supported bringing more sporting activities to Augusta," he said. "However, in this instance I could not support in good conscience bringing in a team that did not fit with the spirit of inclusiveness that I, along with many others, have worked so hard to foster in our city."

Clint Bryant, athletic director at Augusta State University, laughed when he heard the news.

"It's so absurd, it's funny, but it gives you an idea of the sickness of our society" he said. "It shows you what lengths people will go to just to be mean-spirited. I think at any basketball level, no matter if it's all black, all white, all Hispanic, all Asian or anyone else, the players should just be a basketball team."

Don "Moose" Lewis, the commissioner of the AABA, said the reasoning behind the league's roster restrictions is not racism.

"There's nothing hatred about what we're doing," he said. "I don't hate anyone of color. But people of white, American-born citizens are in the minority now. Here's a league for white players to play fundamental basketball, which they like."

Lewis said he wants to emphasize fundamental basketball instead of "street-ball" played by "people of color." He pointed out recent incidents in the NBA, including Gilbert Arenas' indefinite suspension after bringing guns into the Washington Wizards locker room, as examples of fans' dissatisfaction with the way current professional sports are run.

"Would you want to go to the game and worry about a player flipping you off or attacking you in the stands or grabbing their crotch?" he said. "That's the culture today, and in a free country we should have the right to move ourselves in a better direction."

The Atlanta-based league, which will operate as a single-entity owning all of its teams, is looking for local contacts to pay $10,000 to become a "licensee" in one of 12 cities throughout the Southeast. Lewis said he has already received threats from people opposed to the roster restrictions and several cities have told him to stay out of town. Lewis said he has yet to hear from any one in Augusta.

"We need a local person ingrained into the community to make this successful," he said.

Lewis said he expects to eventually find support in every town with a team.

"People will come out and support a product they can identify with. I'm the spoken minority right now, but if people will give us a chance, it'll work... The white game of basketball, which is essentially a fundamental game, works."

Lewis said he wasn't sure where the team will play.

Augusta has had problems with minor league basketball teams in the past, but the issues never centered around race. The Augusta Drive lasted less than a month before folding in 1995, citing financial reasons. The Augusta Groove made it through a full, 20-game schedule in 2009, but accusations from players and local businesses that the team wasn't paying its bills surrounded the team during the second half of the season. The team later shut down in the offseason.

From the Tuesday, January 19, 2010 edition of the Augusta Chronicle
http://chronicle.augusta.com/cgi-bin/print_story.pl

Clthomps wrote:Being an american I feel its there right to make a league how ever they want. But it doesn't mean people have to support them.

Albatross wrote:Why shouldn't they have an 'all-white' Basketball team?

There's an 'All-Black' Rugby team.




I did a rugby joke.

FITZZ wrote: So,do the players in the "AABA" have basket ball uniforms or will they just have their names and team number on the back of their hoods and robes?

"I don't hate anyone of color. But people of white, American-born citizens are in the minority now. Here's a league for white players to play fundamental basketball, which they like."

Lewis said he wants to emphasize fundamental basketball instead of "street-ball" played by "people of color." He pointed out recent incidents in the NBA, including Gilbert Arenas' indefinite suspension after bringing guns into the Washington Wizards locker room, as examples of fans' dissatisfaction with the way current professional sports are run.

"Would you want to go to the game and worry about a player flipping you off or attacking you in the stands or grabbing their crotch?" he said. "That's the culture today, and in a free country we should have the right to move ourselves in a better direction."

NidMaster40000 wrote:The only thing that I will say is that this will give white basketball players a chance to shine. Haha.

Orkeosaurus wrote:Why don't they just say "I started this league because I hate black people" instead of this "I love every black person on earth, but I just wish they would stop carrying guns everywhere and grabbing their crotches" crap? I mean really, if you're going to be racist then be racist.

filbert wrote:It does raise an interesting point - I thought the US had similar anti-discriminatory laws in the same way that the UK does. For example, I am forbidden by law to advertise for a job and say 'you have to be a white male, 30-40 only'. Surely the organiser of this league (whether this is a hoax story or not) has to abide by similar laws? Or does the US not have this enshrined in law?

sebster wrote:

NidMaster40000 wrote:The only thing that I will say is that this will give white basketball players a chance to shine. Haha.

This is why I'm forming my Blacks Only Ice Hockey League. Well, and because I hate white people.

Gwar! wrote:

filbert wrote:It does raise an interesting point - I thought the US had similar anti-discriminatory laws in the same way that the UK does. For example, I am forbidden by law to advertise for a job and say 'you have to be a white male, 30-40 only'. Surely the organiser of this league (whether this is a hoax story or not) has to abide by similar laws? Or does the US not have this enshrined in law?

Of course, while de jure forbidden, it is de facto allowed to say "You have to be a non-white between the ages of 25 and 40", because that isn't racism!

Gwar! wrote:The problem is, it would never even GET to court!