Wiz of Awes
Fansided

Washington Wizards Fans’ Loyalty Extends Beyond the Game

By Jen Julie Smith

WASHINGTON, DC -  MAY 12: Bradley Beal #3 and John Wall #2 of the Washington Wizards high five each other during the game against the Boston Celtics during Game Six of the Eastern Conference Semifinals of the 2017 NBA Playoffs on May 12, 2017 at Verizon Center in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC -  MAY 12: Bradley Beal #3 and John Wall #2 of the Washington Wizards high five each other during the game against the Boston Celtics during Game Six of the Eastern Conference Semifinals of the 2017 NBA Playoffs on May 12, 2017 at Verizon Center in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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BOSTON, MA – MAY 15: A detailed view of Boston Celtics t-shirts prior to Game Seven of the NBA Eastern Conference Semi-Finals against the Washington Wizards at TD Garden on May 15, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA – MAY 15: A detailed view of Boston Celtics t-shirts prior to Game Seven of the NBA Eastern Conference Semi-Finals against the Washington Wizards at TD Garden on May 15, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) /

TDGarden is no garden for African-Americans

My town is the product of “White Flight” from Boston and specifically South Boston. Most of the “townies” and I use that word affectionately, didn’t have a college degree. I was probably the only black person that they ever interacted with. And those childhood friends are probably the best friends, one will ever have in life.

But as a child, other kids’ parents would call me the N-word, and “tell me to go back to where I came from”. It didn’t hurt as much. Because even as child, who was taught by her parents to read at age 3, I knew that insults and hate, stemmed more from their lack of education. (Not to say that I didn’t experience racism from my teachers and administrators.) I didn’t run home to my parents, I kept on playing. And when I got home, I only told my parents about the games that I played.

I also remember as a child, Robert Parish saying, that every time before he played in the Garden, he would look into the stands. And count on one hand to see if there were at least five blacks. I didn’t even bother to take a headcount at Game 5. I was the only black person in my entire section.

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So for Celtics-CSN to presume to know that I wouldn’t be a Wizards fan if John Wall left? First of all, growing up in Massachusetts, I was never a Celtics fan, I was a Lakers fan. And when I wore my Lakers jersey to that small high school, an administrator said, “You’re brave to wear that”.

And when I wore my Wizards jersey inside the Garden, a Boston Police Office told me, “You’re brave to wear that”.

And as I got out of my seat to walk up the steps during the game, white men yelled at me: “Go back to where you came from”.

I didn’t respond to their hate. One they were small-minded, no matter their socio-economic background. But the difference between myself and some Boston fans, whether NBA players are on or off the court, I see them as men first, and players second.

And when they step off the court I still respect those players as men. Take for example, when a white police officer pulled over former Celtic player Dee Brown over, for driving home in his rich white neighborhood. Maybe it was a case of mistaken identity, because how many black men would be in that town? And the Charles Stuart case was fresh in people’s memory.

When I go home to Massachusetts, I’m pulled over and followed just because I’m black in an all-white area. I expect nothing less.

Yet, I never worry about Wall being in a Dee Brown situation in Maryland, D.C. or Virginia.

Just because they’re not wearing a jersey, I still root for them off the court. I see these players as men, not cogs.

As I left my father’s place for Game 5, he looked at me with worry in his eyes. I wanted to tell him ‘not to worry about my safety. Boston isn’t like that anymore’. But I don’t lie to my father. Instead I said, ‘you know me, no need to worry’.

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Yet, he still waited up for me. The daughter that jumped into the Black River of Jamaica to swim with crocodiles. And who just last year went free diving for conch, and a shark was beneath her. He never worried when I traveled to Amsterdam, or the Caribbean countless times by myself. But now he worried about me travelling to a place, a couple of train stops on the T.

And I want to thank that nice white couple in the stands, who were witnesses to it all. I stood up for myself, and didn’t need their help. But it was nice to know, that everyone isn’t like what people think of, when they think of Boston fans. I made lifelong friends with that couple. They contacted me the second it was announced, that the Wizards are playing the Celtics on Christmas, and asked me to come up for the game.

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