What's So Wrong About Calling An NBA Player A Mexican Smurf?
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Well besides the fact that it's ridiculously uncalled for, probably the fact that the player in question, Juan Barea, isn't exactly Mexican. LAist was flipping through some power rankings in the LA Times, when they came across an interesting nugget for the Dallas Mavericks. The writer, Mark Heisler, decided to refer to Puerto Rican guard, Jose Juan Barea, a "Mexican Smurf". See for yourself....
10. New Orleans (12-7) Scott worries carrying team will reduce Paul to a grease spot by the end. (9)Not only is the nationality wrong, but Barea is actually listed at 6 feet tall on his NBA.com player page. Not exactly someone I would call a smurf, per se. I'm sure he wasn't really meaning it as that big of an insult, but it sure comes off that way.
11. Atlanta (14-9) Bibby at career-high 44% on threes, gives them big-time backcourt with Johnson.(12)
12. Phoenix (14-10) Looks like Suns vs. Mavericks for No. 8 in West. Loser breaks up team first. (14)
13. Dallas (13-9) Juan Jose Barea, superstar: Mexican smurf gets 15-18-22-21 off bench. (11)
14. Detroit (13-9) Once Bad Boys, now Small Boys, starting Wallace, Prince, three guards. (13)
Power Rankings (LA Times)
A 'Mexican Smurf," he is Not (LAist)
8 Comments:
So...Barea's not gonna be on the "Mexi-Cam" during stoppages of play?
/NC State
Hilarious...just hilarious.
The whole world needs to lighten up. Nobody would have cared if he called him a Mexican or if he called him a Smurf. What the hell is wrong with combining the two words. Do Puerto Ricans get offended when someone mistakes them for Mexican? I do not get offended when someone mistakes me for an Englishman. At least he didn't call him a Lazy Mexican.
At least he didn't tell him to order another beer and call him a Mexican piece of s##t.
/Dan Issel'd
@Anonymous
While "Mexican" itself isn't derogatory, a lot of Americans intentionally stamp all Hispanics with the title of "Mexican," with intention of it being derogatory.
I'm Puerto Rican and grew up in a predominantly white area, and I heard it all the time. Along with jokes about lawn care. Which are also not funny.
I'm sure JJ has heard these kinds of things before - he'll roll his eyes and move on, but that doesn't mean it's okay.
i f'n hate Heisler...this is the guy who bashed Kobe all throughout the Shaq era in LA and last season couldn't stop kissing his ass because of how he was leading the Lakers to a surprising start....he is the last guy who should be writing a book about the Lakers, and working for a "world-class" paper (the same paper that employs Bill Plashke, so that tells you how shitty it is), you would think he'd do a little research on a player
by the way, i'm 5-6 and Mexican...i'm the FUCKING MEXICAN SMURF...haha
ANOTHER STUPID FUCKING RACIST WHITE MAN. IM PUERTO RICAN AND GREW UP IN BROOKLYN AND IF SOMEONE CALLED ME A MEXICAN I WOULD CUT THEM WITH A BLADE.
Barea is barely 5'9" in his sneakers
but he has been playing VERY good the past few weeks