Another Ed Hale Article

Go Eddie!!!

 

Baltimore Blast owner defends T-shirt with anti-China sentiment sold on team’s website

https://www.baltimoresun.com/maryla...vvpJwoYEYv28xIfvBO81Biu1tsiVJEwHVKVkI0uoOFxmM

 

I have been a supporter of the Blast/Spirit/Blast since 1983 (one-time 14-year season ticket holder) and absolutely condemn the use of this t-shirt. I am angry and upset that the Blast have done this thinking it was appropriate or "funny". Ed Hale's time has passed and he needs to step aside now.

 

I've had some more time to think about this. Between this racist t-shirt and the unceremonious firing of Danny Kelly (name me another professional coach in all of Baltimore's professional sports history that has won more championship than he has), I need to take this one step further. I'm done supporting the Blast. Period. Tacoma and Harrisburg are my teams moving forward.

 

Not to mention the divorces with Kevin Healey and Mike Conway, which I don't think were that amicable.

Can't blame the departure of Dantas on anybody but it's icing on the bitter cake.

 

How is the shirt racist? China has a horrible human right's record. Their trials are kangaroo courts. They oppress the people of Hong Kong. Muslims are placed into concentration camps. They lied about the Chinese Flu.

Danny Kelly should have been fired. The vanilla plays were no longer working. The team experienced a talent drain because he alienated Cabral, Santana, Celenza, Wakefield, Pat Healey and Lookingland.

 

At least somebody pointed out the obvious. Some things are NOT racist. I know that's difficult to believe, but its true.

 

"But Asian American and Pacific Islander groups said the T-shirt is more than just harmless fun, as it unjustly discriminates against several racial and ethnic groups and incites racism. Leaders of organizations representing those groups have called for an apology from team leaders.

In a statement, Clarissa Chen, member of the Chinatown Collective and Charm City Night Market — which celebrate and promote Asian artists and culture in Baltimore — said the shirt reflects the same anti-Chinese rhetoric espoused by President Donald Trump and other top Republicans in Congress, who have referred to the coronavirus as the “China Virus” or “Kung Flu.”

“We’re not claiming the Chinese government to be without faults, but this graphic lacks nuance and does not open discourse. Rather, it suggests exclusionary nationalism, which we cannot condone as a collective that promotes cultural exchange,” Chen said.

In a statement, Dana Vickers Shelley, executive director of the ACLU of Maryland, said stigmatizing China as the whole world struggles to contain COVID-19 is “dangerous, reckless, and racist.”

“Racism and xenophobia have no place anywhere,” she said.

In the months since COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, swept into the United States, groups representing Asian Americans have reported a rise in xenophobic incidents, ranging from targeted harassment to vandalism of Asian American-owned businesses. Some Americans have placed blame on Chinese Americans for the coronavirus, which originated in Wuhan, China, but has disrupted life around the world.

The U.S. leads the world in confirmed coronavirus cases, with more than 4.3 million as of Tuesday. China ranks 26th, with over 86,000 infections reported, according to data maintained by Johns Hopkins University.

The T-shirt sparked anger and condemnation online, with several city residents calling for its removal.

Owen Silverman Andrews, a Baltimore Blast fan, said a boycott of the organization might be necessary to drive the message home that hateful speech has no place in the city.

“Institutions need to be held accountable for their mistakes,” he said. “Fans who care about racial justice should hit these institutions where it hurts: in the pocketbook.”"

https://www.baltimoresun.com/maryla...0200728-7j5rpat6vzconfbyq3yjszob54-story.html

Others on this board can continue to support Ed Hale; I choose not to.