Deadspin found a quote from Jemele Hill over the weekend that, while over-the-top and since taken down, is not sitting well with Celtic fans at the start of this week. Jemele tried to take the angle that rooting for the Celtics is like “saying Hitler was a victim,” and MSM sites like CBS TV in Boston are now picking up on it….
The writer behind the poor choice of words was Jemele Hill. She wrote on ESPN.com, “Rooting for the Celtics is like saying Hitler was a victim. It’s like hoping Gorbachev would get to the blinking red button before Reagan.”
Some Celtics fans told WBZ its one of the most insensitive comparisons they have ever heard.
“We’re not talking about war; we’re talking about basketball,” one fan outside the Garden said. “How can you compare Hitler to a basketball game?”
“I don’t think you can say Hitler is a victim no matter what the circumstance is. That’s over the top,” another fan said.
Late Saturday night, the online article was changed. ESPN spokesperson Paul Melvin told WBZ, “the column as originally posted made some absolutely unacceptable comparisons. It was edited to correct those and we will continue to look into the issue.”
In all honesty this just makes me laugh. Not only is making a Hitler comparison to a Basketball team idiotic, it’s just stupid to even bring that name into any discussion. You know it’s going to upset people so why even attempt it? I mean would it have been fair to say that rooting for Kobe is like rooting for John Wayne Gacy? Of course not.
I know I say this a lot but again, it’s just Sports….let’s all just calm down, enjoy the games and have a little fun with them. Okay?
Harsh Words For Celtics Fans Pulled From ESPN (WBZ TV)
Celtics Fans Are No Longer Hitler Sympathizers (Deadspin)
