Conspiracy Theory - The Minnesota Timberwolves Are Hoarding White Players To Boost Ticket Sales

TBI ^ | 10-30-2012 | Tony Manfred

[blam]

There's A Conspiracy Theory That The Minnesota Timberwolves Are Hoarding White Players To Boost Ticket Sales

Tony Manfred
October 30, 2012

Wikimedia Commons

The Minnesota Timberwolves go into the season with only five black players on their 15-man roster, and some people are calling it a conspiracy.

From Jerry Zgoda and Dennis Brackin of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune:

"How did we get a roster that resembles the 1955 Lakers?" asked Tyrone Terrell, chairman of St. Paul's African American leadership council. "I think everything is a strategy. Nothing happens by happenstance."

That strategy, Terrell and others in the black community believe, is to sell tickets to the Wolves' fan base, which is overwhelmingly white.

Lou Amundson, JJ Barea, Chase Budinger, Andrei Kirilenko, Kevin Love, Nikola Pekovic, Luke Ridnour, Ricky Rubio, Alexey Shved, and Greg Stiemsma make up 2/3 of the T-Wolves roster, and they are all white.

Minnesota civil rights activist Ron Edwards thinks something is up too, and he told the paper, "It raises some real questions to me about what's really intended. I think, personally, that it was calculated. Is this an attempt to get fans back in the stands? Minnesota, after all, is a pretty white state.''

There are a few problems with this theory.

First of all, the T-Wolves sold 90.4% of their tickets last year, which ranked 14th in the league. Only two other non-playoff teams ranked in the top 15. And they did it with a majority black roster (8 out of 15 players). So they didn't have an attendance problem at all.

In addition, it's clear that the T-Wolves think there is a market inefficiency when it comes to international players. Five players on their roster are from other countries, which is double the league average (~2.5 in 2011-12).

(snip)

[A_Former_Democrat]

And blacks have always supported the NHL . . .the PGA (even with Woods)

[Mears]

” Well, they do but I am still thankful for NASCAR. LOL

-

Don’t forget the NHL. You should also be thankful for those guys.

.

[j_k_l]

They should go All Midgets.

They would win about as many games.

They would be much more fun to watch.

They might get a TLC reality show out of it.

[GeronL]

lol *cough* lol

That is so wrong

lol

[ilovesarah2012]

Yep, though I’m not a big hockey fan.

[Spike the punch]

I’VE BECOME A BIG MINNESOTA TIMBERVOLVES FAN. GO WOLVES

[Darren McCarty]

I don’t know if it’s a conspiracy or not, but there will be accountability. Wins and losses judge, and if the team of cracka ass crackas can’t get it done, the GM will get fired.

[RightOnTheBorder]

Perhaps the whiteness is a byproduct of selecting players with other specific characteristics. For instance, maybe the coaches wanted a team with no criminal record, or no illegitimate children. Maybe the team was tired of having ridiculous surnames announced over the loud speaker. Maybe they didn’t want a team of black supremecist thugs who insult the fan base with their words and actions. Or maybe, shock of shocks, these white guys are the best players that the timberwolves can get.

[ken5050]

Reminds me of the joke during the 1980 campaign.

Have you heard Reagan's program top wipe out poverty?
500,000 teams in the NBA.

[ilovesarah2012]

Would wipe it out for long:

“Athletes may boast eye-popping sports abilities, but when it comes to money, their inner klutzes come out. 78% of former NFL players are broke or financially stressed after retirement, and 60% of former NBA players go broke five years after retiring, according to Sports Illustrated. Broke athletes are practically an epidemic. Read about the 25 athletes who went broke below, and you’ll understand why.”

http://www.businesspundit.com/25-rich-athletes-who-went-broke/

[SaraJohnson]

Hoardin’ whitey?

LOL!