Yesterday, we wrote about how Philly.com's Annette John-Hall called the Ryan Howard garden gnome racist. We observed the potential for this weeks ago. Our writer Christian Rivera thinks her claims are ludicrous. Literally.
We all love lawn gnomes and we all love Ryan Howard. Carlos, Crossing broad's very own mascot,
is a lawn gnome and we love him dearly. He's single-handedly won
Phillies games merely by showing his handsome mug at the park.
Who could possibly hate on a lawn gnome?
In a recent
Philly.com/Philadelpha Inquirer column, writer Annette John-Hall wrote
an article
bashing the Reading Phillies' Ryan Howard Lawn Gnome giveaway.
Why?
Because it's supposedly racist.
In the article laced with utter
nonsense, she writes about how a ticket for a Phillies game is among
the priciest in baseball (the Inquirer must not pay very well) and how
the Ryan Howard gnome looks too reminiscent of a lawn jockey.
Really?
A lawn jockey? You're gonna bring race into this? With Ryan Howard of
all people?
"But as time went on, lawn jockeys were often
caricatured as a stooped-over black man with dark skin and painted-in
white eyes and big red lips. They were usually displayed on lawns of
homes in the South and served no real purpose other than to diminish
African Americans."
So you're saying a Ryan Howard gnome looks like a
slave and the reading Phillies are out to promote racism? Ludicrous!
Ryan Howard is the number one alumnus of the reading Phillies and they
simply want to put a fun spin on him. It just so happens that he's black. Sure, it looks a little dopey,
but that's kind of the point, isn't it? It's a fucking lawn gnome!
It
kills me to see someone take something that is meant to be fun and
brings something serious like racism to the table. It's not like he has
a sandwich in his hand and a speaker that says "I made you a sammich
massa" when you press his nose. That MIGHT be a little racist.
Not Racist.
Racist.
In
all seriousness — It's 2010, we don't harbor slaves anymore, our
president is black and Tyler Perry is allowed to make movies. What else
could you possibly ask for? Clearly you've come a long way.
And
what about the Phillies ticket prices? They're some of the cheapest in
baseball! Have you ever been to a Yankee game? I haven't …because
they're so god damn expensive.
In 2009, the Phillies had the second cheapest ticket prices of any
other team in major league baseball. Not much has changed and that's
been proven through 50+ consecutive sellouts.
"Tickets for the
major-league Phillies are among the priciest in baseball. Add food and
parking, and a game at Citizens Bank Park can easily set a family of
four back $500."
$500?! Clearly the family's son is 300 pounds
and drinks too much. Learn to budget your money. No one spends that
much.
Even Ludacris thinks it's ludicrous.
Oh,
it is.
More can be said about this woman and her pathetic attempt to make something out of nothing, but I wouldn't want to extend her 15 minutes.
Do you
think the Ryan Howard lawn gnome is racist?
Take our poll here.
13 Responses
i can see how people could be offended. however, i think this has become a bigger story than it should be given that ryan howard hasn’t said anything about it. i think they could’ve done a better job on the gnome…but you know the phillies must really fucking suck right now if all anyone is talking about is a fucking lawn gnome that their AA team is giving away.
give me a break. the flyers are in the stanley cup finals and we’re talking about lawn gnomes.
You do realize you will now be called racist for the satirical picture you made because you know that will happen.
And another point: anybody bother to ask Ryno if he think’s it racist. Something tells me someone at the Phillies had enough foresight to say “Hmm, let’s just run this one by the guy we just gave 150 million dollars real quick, and make sure he’s ok with it?”.
Yeah, Reading Phils GM said Ryan was cool with it.
First: I see what you’re saying, but I’m certainly not racist, I hold no bars against anyone. I’m simply illustrating the difference of what could be racist and what clearly isn’t.
Second: Reading Phils GM said Ryan was cool with it. Ryan seems like a down to earth guy with a sense of humor who would go along with something like that. He’s certainly not someone to get upset over anything racial. He’s the epitome of why race shouldn’t be an issue with anything anymore.
I think its a case of accidental “racism”. I think the thing looks racist as hell… but did the person designing it do it with that intention? No. So, it looks racist, but its not. The designer could have looked at it and thought, yeah this doesn’t look well but oh well. Its meant to get people in the seats and with the conversation it has started is guaranteed to do so.
The sandwich picture made me LOL seriously though.
The real Ryan Howard wishes his nose was in proportion to his face like that of the gnome. Howard’s nose is too big for his face – it’s ugly.
actions speak louder than words.
Take a rest and read some articles! Welcome to post your favorite article here.
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First,you’re in Philly,historically the MLC city least welcoming to black athletes (well,Boston is 1-A),so you obviously didn’t do your homework.(But I did;I’m 61 and remember Dick Allen’s travails in Philadelphia in the ’60’s after he beat up racist outfielder Frank Thomas after “The Big Donkey,’ as the powerful-six-three,215 lb.-Pittsburgher [another non-welcoming city for African Americans;ask Barry Bonds,Rennie Stennett,Dock Ellis and other black Pirates of my boyhood and younger manhood] racially slurred Allen;also,
Jackie Robinson’s horrific treatment by Philly fans,players and Manager Ben Chapman,
an unconscious Michael Irvin’s jeering by Eagles a**-holes,I mean-FANS,and Donovan McNabb’s booing by Eagles partisans when McNabb was drafted by the Eagles,among other examples of “The City Of Brotherly Love’s” un-brotherly attitudes towards blacks.)
That said,Howard’s UGLY A** DUDE WITH A FREAKISHLY HUGE SCHNOZZ!!!!!!
My father,rest his soul,would be 101 were he still with us,and would say Ryan’s honker is the black equivalent of 1930’s-1940’s Hall Of Fame Catcher Ernie Lombardi’s proboscis.
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