Sidney Crosby Should Have Done Better
Sidney Crosby
This report was published just after the Pittsburgh Penguins released a statement confirming their intent to visit the White House  and threw into stark relief  the comments of superstar Sidney Crosby  a native of Cole Harbour  Nova Scotia .
 His comments  came as Donald Trump attacked black athletes protesting police violence as "sons of bitches " declaring they should be fired for "disrespecting the flag." Following his comments players from all 28 NFL teams responded on Sunday by kneeling during the US anthem in mass solidarity. Faced with responding to athletes protesting police brutality and systemic racism  the Penguins sided with Trump. Any pretense that their intent to visit the White House was apolitical was rapidly debunked by Trump's gleeful tweet praising them as a "great team."
This wishful thinking disappeared when  Crosby  was found to have told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette  he  saw the visit "as an opportunity." But  he  also said there had been "little to no discussion" in the locker room about the decision to go.
"I'm pretty aware of what's going on "  Crosby  told the Post-Gazette. "People have that right to not go  too. Nobody's saying they have to go. As a group  we decided to go. There hasn't really been a whole lot of discussion about it."
Sidney Crosby  a 30-year-old man and hometown hero in Nova Scotia  has been defended by apologists who suggested that as a Canadian  he simply did not understand race issues in America. Canada  they argue  does not have the same issues with race.
Racism is a problem in the NHL.  Sidney Crosby  the sport's biggest name   had a chance to speak  not only in support of  his  colleagues in football and basketball  but for players like Dustin Byfuglien.
This is a league where PK Subban played in front of Montreal fans who went to games in blackface  and where  he  was memorably accused of not playing the "white" way (a telling slip). A league where Evander Kane endured vicious racism in Winnipeg  the town famously called Canada's most racist city by Maclean's magazine. Where even Jarome Iginla—the model for many respectable  humble  black athletes—experienced racism severe enough that his mother spoke out about it. Wayne Simmonds  a descendent of African Nova Scotians  had a banana thrown at him on the ice.
Racism is a problem in the NHL.  Sidney Crosby  the sport's biggest name   had a chance to speak  not only in support of  his  colleagues in football and basketball  but for players like Dustin Byfuglien. Byfuglien was the only black player on the USA roster at the World Cup of Hockey  where coach John Tortorella threatened to bench any player who protested during the anthem. That tournament was played in Toronto  where Black Lives Matter protesters have taken numerous actions to protest police killings and carding of black people. The children of Toronto's significant population of African and Caribbean immigrants are the hockey players of the future  the future roommates of white players who will ride with them on the bus  buddy with them  and then let them know that when it comes down to it  their lives do not matter.
This report was published just after the Pittsburgh Penguins released a statement confirming their intent to visit the White House  and threw into stark relief  [TGT]Nova Scotia .
 [TGT]came as Donald Trump attacked black athletes protesting police violence as "sons of bitches " declaring they should be fired for "disrespecting the flag." Following [TGT] players from all 28 NFL teams responded on Sunday by kneeling during the US anthem in mass solidarity. Faced with responding to athletes protesting police brutality and systemic racism  the Penguins sided with Trump. Any pretense that their intent to visit the White House was apolitical was rapidly debunked by Trump's gleeful tweet praising them as a "great team."
This wishful thinking disappeared when  [TGT]was found to have told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette  [TGT]  saw the visit "as an opportunity." But  [TGT]  also said there had been "little to no discussion" in the locker room about the decision to go.
"I'm pretty aware of what's going on "  Crosby  told the Post-Gazette. "People have that right to not go  too. Nobody's saying they have to go. As a group  we decided to go. There hasn't really been a whole lot of discussion about it."
Sidney Crosby  a 30-year-old man and hometown hero in Nova Scotia  has been defended by apologists who suggested that as a Canadian  he simply did not understand race issues in America. Canada  they argue  does not have the same issues with race.
Racism is a problem in the NHL.  Sidney Crosby  the sport's biggest name   had a chance to speak  not only in support of  his  colleagues in football and basketball  but for players like Dustin Byfuglien.
This is a league where PK Subban played in front of Montreal fans who went to games in blackface  and where  he  was memorably accused of not playing the "white" way (a telling slip). A league where Evander Kane endured vicious racism in Winnipeg  the town famously called Canada's most racist city by Maclean's magazine. Where even Jarome Iginla—the model for many respectable  humble  black athletes—experienced racism severe enough that his mother spoke out about it. Wayne Simmonds  a descendent of African Nova Scotians  had a banana thrown at him on the ice.
Racism is a problem in the NHL.  [TGT]had a chance to speak  not only in support of  [TGT]  colleagues in football and basketball  but for players like Dustin Byfuglien. Byfuglien was the only black player on the USA roster at the World Cup of Hockey  where coach John Tortorella threatened to bench any player who protested during the anthem. That tournament was played in Toronto  where Black Lives Matter protesters have taken numerous actions to protest police killings and carding of black people. The children of Toronto's significant population of African and Caribbean immigrants are the hockey players of the future  the future roommates of white players who will ride with them on the bus  buddy with them  and then let them know that when it comes down to it  their lives do not matter.