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Reaching The African American Fan
by Paul on 01/14/09 at 01:33 PM ET
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from Pamela Holley-Bright of Carolina Peacemaker,
When it comes to hockey, many feel like it’s a White man’s sport. But not Willie O’Ree. O’Ree who started his NHL career in 1958 as a winger for the Boston Bruins, has been dubbed as the Jackie Robinson of ice hockey....
“I feel that the NHL isn’t doing enough to reach out to us,” said Larry Ervin, a High Point resident. Look at motorsports. They have programs at Winston-Salem State and at A&T. That sport has reached out to us. And if we had more African American players in the hockey league, African Americans could find someone who they could relate to,” Ervin said.
Eighteen-year-old Christopher Thorpe agreed that the NHL isn’t doing enough to reach out to Blacks.
“Our Black youth are not exposed to the game, so our interest in it seems to be very low. The only Blacks who get a chance to experience hockey are the ones who are raised in northern states and in Canada....
Filed in: NHL Talk, Hockey Related Stories | KK Hockey | Permalink
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How is this different than any sport that is “geographically” related? Should we have outreach programs to make sure that inner city kids (of any color) have ample opportunity to become surfers? Or snow skiers? Maybe kids are attracted to what they can actually play as they grow up...regardless of how many individuals of their race or ethnic background already play a particular game.
Posted by OlderThanChelios from Grand Rapids on 01/14/09 at 05:33 PM ET