Nowak's "Send him back to Africa/to the hospital" remark

Re: Discuss Nowak and DC Mods reaction to the story.

If you want to complain about how the DCU mods have handled this, please make your comment in "Customer Service".

 

Re: Discuss Nowak and DC Mods reaction to the story.

I have something to say. This Sucks. It is not gonna matter what was intended. Perception is a part of reality. My beloved D.C. and the league for that matter are going to suffer for what Nowak said. I heard the interview with the SLC Coach this is not good.

I feel sorry for Nowak but I don't at the same time. You have to be smarter than that. No way the league takes this lightly. Especially after the 1836 thing.

 

Re: Nowak's "Go back to Africa" remark

I was planning on contributing on the DC boards, but they are excluding non-DC fans in that discussion, 'cuz the DC boards like that insular, incestuous dialogue thing and all. And even though I'm a DC fan, I've stepped out of line and I don't think I'm welcome there.

I hope that DC fans come over here and offer their contributions.

 

Re: Discuss Nowak and DC Mods reaction to the story.

Thank you. I also want to insure DC United supporters can discuss this serious matter amongst themselves. Is that bound to rub some people the wrong way? Sure. And I'll take the heat for that. But there are going to be lots and lots of threads on this topic, and I want to insure that DCU supporters - particularly the die hard regulars on the United board - have a place of their own to talk about it.

 

Re: Nowak's "Go back to Africa" remark

I'm going to guess that he said it.

That said, Piotr is Polish. Translations don't always work. I am (was) fluent in Italian. I lived in Rome, Italy, for several years. I've grown very, VERY, accustom to literal translations that sound bad in one language and normal in another.

Does anyone believe Piotr is racist? Considering who he played with on the Fire, I would guess he's not racist. Could he be? Of course, but I lean towards not.

People in the USA are over-sheltered and over react to situations like this, especially white people. They get concerned that they'll be perceived as racist so they over compensate. Some people call this "pee cee".

As a Fire fan, Piotr deserves the benefit of the doubt.
As an American, I give those who's first language is NOT Engligh the benefit of the doubt.
As someone that's lived and traveled abroad extensively, I ignore something like this until it's habitual.

 

Re: Nowak's "Go back to Africa" remark

It's important that Peter Nowak hold a press conference soon to let people know exactly what he said.

The longer the league and DC United sits on this story, the worse it'll make the league look when it eventually comes out.

 

Re: Discuss Nowak and DC Mods reaction to the story.

Thread started... https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?p=7571284#post7571284

Why am I not surprised that it's the DC forum that is pulling this? No wonder we have the rep for having the most heavy handed mods. And no wonder I never post on this site.

 

Re: Nowak's "Go back to Africa" remark

Nowak is Polish. Has lived in the US, what, six or seven years?

I, as a white person growing up in this country, would know the very heavy baggage wrapped up in saying that someone should be sent back to Africa. Hopefully I wouldn't say it for personal value reasons...but I'd know enough not to say it in public even if it didn't offend my values.

Nowak doesn't have that cultural awareness. If he sees a black player with whom he's upset, he reportedly says the comment. If he'd said 'Send him back to St. Martins and Kitts" would the same firestorm be erupting? If he'd said of Mattheaus, 'send him back to Germany', what would the reaction have been?

I think he stepped in it without realizing the territory was mined. If I'm right, it doesn't at all prove he's racist. He's just not culturally aware. We need to be careful not to assume he knows what we know about our culture. More important to view how he plays and values his own black players.

I think he does. Some black DC fans don't. I have no idea what reality is on this one...but we need to be careful about projecting our own view of the world into Nowak's head.

 

Re: Nowak's "Send him back to Africa" remark

you're a cutting and pasting fiend ain't ya?

 

Re: Nowak's "Send him back to Africa" remark

Wow.

My initial reaction is that if Nowak said it, he should be gone.

If you can communicate in English well enough to be the head coach of one of the most visible teams in the league, then you can communicate well enough to be responsible for what comes out of your mouth.

I'm not buying the "but he's not a racist" defense, either. I'm not a racist. But if I wanted to get under the skin of an opposing African-American player, I know a few inappropriate things I could say, even if I didn't believe them. That wouldn't make it OK.

I've heard Peter Nowak speak. I've interviewed him. His English isn't that bad, and he's a pretty bright guy. He's spent eight years in this country. At some point, the "he's from Poland" thing wears a little thin. I don't remember MLS cutting Edwin Gorter much slack, and Gorter had only been living in the US for less than a year. I think they've got to hold coaches and management to an even higher standard than the one they hold players go.

To put it another way, there's a certain standard of behavior that goes along with being an MLS head coach. If you can't live up to that standard, then you can't be a head coach in this league.

Gorter was fined $20,000 and suspended five games. Nowak deserves AT LEAST that much.

 

Re: Nowak's "Send him back to Africa" remark

"send him back to anywhere" is just inappropriate. that's not Nowak's call to make, and none of his business to tell another coach. if he doesn't like a call, the ref is the one to talk to.

 

Re: Nowak's "Go back to Africa" remark

Um...that's how stadium deals get killed.

On one level, sure...there should be an effort to consider the guy's background, review his past language, analyze his psychological makeup, speak to his close friends in an effort to truly "understand"... But when the Washington Post gets a hold of this, is that the way you think it'll spin?

On another level, it's about business.

How would you feel if you had worked tirelessly to cultivate relationships with various DC politicos, trying to get a stadium built? And now all that hard work could be thrown in the crapper if certain constituency groups get a hold of this.

I'm not saying it's right, I'm just saying that I know which side usually wins when business decisions must be made.

Throw away all that goodwill with the DC community? No.
Nowak gone? Yes.

 

Re: Nowak's "Go back to Africa" remark

Has anyone said that maybe Nowak thought Harris actually was from Africa?

Personally, I don't think it matters much because even if he truly thought Harris was from Africa, the facts don't support Nowak.

 

Re: Nowak's "Send him back to Africa" remark

The problem is we don't know exactly what was said and in what context.

Ellinger, though, certainly sounded disturbed by the incident and supportive of whatever action upper management ends up taking.

That makes me think that this was a bit more than a harmless remark or joke taken out of context, but something that bothered Ellinger and his team.

 

Re: Nowak's "Send him back to Africa" remark

DIng, ding, ding.

Perception becomes reality and the team can't risk the perception among the African American majority in the area where they want to build that they employ and sanction a racist coach.

It will be interesting to see what happens. Gorter got his suspension for making derogatory comments about Miss World or Miss Universe winner who was from Trinidad. (And at the time, the captain of the T&T national team was playing for the Revs.)

I imagine something similar to what Gorter got is the best-case scenario for Nowak and his supporters.

 

Re: Nowak's "Send him back to Africa" remark

"Go back to Africa" is a common racial epithet used by genuine racists in this country. It's a phrase that resonates beyond it's plain meaning, which is bad enough.

The subtext when racists tell black people to "go back to Africa" is that they aren't real Americans and they shouldn't be here, even though in most cases their ancestors were here before most white people's ancestors. There isn't a comparison to telling someone "go back to" any other place, because no other ethnic group in this country has a history that matches that of black Americans, and there isn't any other "go back to XXXX" phrase that has been in such common usage as a racial epithet.

I'm not saying Nowak is a racist, and being an immigrant he may not understand exactly how such a statement sounds within this culture, but he used a phrase that is extremely racially charged and which will elicit a negative reaction from pretty much any black person who hears it, so this issue is not going to just blow over if it's true.

 

Re: Nowak's "Go back to Africa" remark

I can't believe that's true. I've only been in Japan for a year and a half, and learning the language for almost five years; all I need to do is read a newspaper here and have some idea which cultural items are loaded so as to avoid. I don't know enough to equate in terms of intensity what is sensitive here to what is sensitive back home, but they are still sticky subjects to come across. (no, I won't tell you what they are, btw)

Certainly Nowak should know better.

 

Re: Nowak's "Send him back to Africa" remark

Yup. I think Chico13 and Sandon have it right.

I don't think you can underestimate the stadium situation here. If this turns into a real story ... in a town like DC? In Ward 8? Not good, not good.

 

Re: Nowak's "Send him back to Africa" remark

One way to take care of this situation is to sack Nowak. Racism has no place in football. Furthermore, while he has won a championship with DC, as a DC fan, his style is too pragmatic for my taste. DC should play attacking football like they did when Bruce Arena was coach. So this might be a good excuse to get rid of him and hire a better manager. Even more, Nowak's actions seriously undermine the negotiations for DC United's stadium in South East DC, a more or less black neighborhood. My suggestion is to hire an up and coming American coach, and unearth the next Bruce Arena.