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USA Today Probes: 'Too Many White Guys' on Wisconsin Basketball Team?
NewsBusters.org ^ | 04/06/2015 | Tim Graham

Posted on 04/08/2015 4:15:13 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum

Racially obsessed USA Today on Friday wrote this headline: “Wisconsin doesn't hide from 'white guys' reputation.”

Josh Peter assembled current and former Badger players,  former assistant coaches, and “authorities on the African-American experience” to answer: “Why is the Badgers' roster predominantly white?”

When the Final Four is played Saturday in Indianapolis, all five starters for Kentucky, Duke and Michigan State will be African American. Wisconsin's starting lineup, by contrast, includes one African American, forward Nigel Hayes.

The average Division I men's basketball team this season includes nine African-American players and four white players, according to data provided by the NCAA. At Wisconsin, the roster includes five African Americans, 10 whites and one Native American.

This year's starting lineup is no aberration. When Wisconsin played Kentucky in the Final Four last year, it had one African American in the starting lineup. When the Badgers reached the Final Four under previous coach Dick Bennett in 2000 — in the school's only other appearance since 1941 — it had one African-American starter.

Former Badgers point guard Jordan Taylor told of being was needled by a teammate about Wisconsin's chances against undefeated Kentucky.  

"He was just saying we've got too many white guys," Taylor says with a chuckle. "I still get kind of poked at, teased about it, because it always seems like there are about four white guys and a black point guard all the time (in Wisconsin's starting lineup)."

“Too many white guys?” Is that funny? It’s proof that you can’t be racist for joking that whites are inferior at basketball.

Peter eventually, near the very end, relayed the obvious: coach Bo Ryan recruits heavily inside the state, and “African Americans represent 6.5% of Wisconsin's population, about half the national percentage.” Add to that Ryan’s low-scoring, slow-tempo style arouses complaints from basketball stars who want to score a lot and audition for the NBA.


TOPICS: News/Current Events; US: Wisconsin
KEYWORDS: athletes
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
Of the Final Four, the three teams that were 100 percent monochromatic... no problem. The one team that had starters of multiple races? Clearly racist!!!

(13 of the 16 kids on the UW roster were form WI, MN, and Northern IL... in other words, all local kids. WI is 89 percent white, and less than 6 percent black. It's not hard to figure out.)

21 posted on 04/08/2015 4:44:24 PM PDT by Teacher317 (We have now sunk to a depth at which restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

“WE” must become color blind.

Those on the Wisconsin team belonged there. No affirmative action. No white privilege. They came within 5 points of being #1 team in America.


22 posted on 04/08/2015 4:45:21 PM PDT by shalom aleichem
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

“WE” must become color blind.

Those on the Wisconsin team belonged there. No affirmative action. No white privilege. They came within 5 points of being #1 team in America.


23 posted on 04/08/2015 4:45:53 PM PDT by shalom aleichem
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
In other news, the NCAA is investigating to determine who had the audacity to place a white guy on the team.


24 posted on 04/08/2015 4:49:22 PM PDT by SkyPilot ("I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6)
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To: hardspunned
"You want to talk about racism, just look at any swim team."

It might be that we need more white drop outs and street thugs.

25 posted on 04/08/2015 4:55:32 PM PDT by Baynative (You can judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Whenever I hear of Liberals “probing” men, I get a little sick to my stomach.


26 posted on 04/08/2015 4:57:10 PM PDT by SaraJohnson
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
The USA Today is trying to see what is wrong with a mostly white Wisconsin team... OK, USA Today, what percentage of said Wisconsin team is conservative, Marxist, libertarian or apolitical?

Also, USAToday, see what the political leanings of The Notre Dame and UConn's (champions as usual) women's team is... and check the racial makeup if the following football teams: Hawaii, Free Shoes (or Seafood) University (aka FSU), Florida, New Hampshire, Florida A&M, Delaware State or Grambling.

27 posted on 04/08/2015 5:06:23 PM PDT by ExCTCitizen (I'm ExCTCitizen and I approve this reply. If it does offend Libs, I'm NOT sorry...)
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To: entropy12

But if the liberal crowd wants to send Negros to the far north shouldn’t they at least have to give them a supply of vitamin D to keep them healthy? Wisconsin is white skin country being close to the 49th parallel. Wouldn’t be fair to expect dark skins to function well there without some chemistry help at least.


28 posted on 04/08/2015 5:17:28 PM PDT by cherokee1 (skip the names---just kick the buttz)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
The top player in the state the last two years were both black. Both (Kevon Looney and Diamond Stone) were heavily recruited by Wisconsin...especially Stone who was reportedly leaning towards Madison but instead signed with Maryland. Looney signed with UCLA and is now declaring for the draft after one year of college ball.

We don't need one and ones thank you. We came within an eyelash of winning the whole thing without them.

29 posted on 04/08/2015 5:18:55 PM PDT by driftless2 (For long term happiness, learn how to play the accordion.)
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To: driftless2

Sorry for the double er triple post.


30 posted on 04/08/2015 5:19:39 PM PDT by driftless2 (For long term happiness, learn how to play the accordion.)
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To: driftless2
One and dones...not one and ones.
31 posted on 04/08/2015 5:20:37 PM PDT by driftless2 (For long term happiness, learn how to play the accordion.)
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To: Kid Shelleen

Thanks for the link, I enjoyed reading it.


32 posted on 04/08/2015 5:30:09 PM PDT by NorthstarMom
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Just another reason why nobody takes McPaper seriously anymore


33 posted on 04/08/2015 5:40:36 PM PDT by Walrus (I love the America that used to be ---I hate the America that now IS!)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Just did a statistical evaluation of the odds of having no blacks starting on a basketball team (assuming no biases). If blacks are 13% of the population....

There is an 49.8% chance that there will be no blacks that start.

If there are 15 total players there is a 12.4% chance that there will be no blacks on the team.


34 posted on 04/08/2015 6:00:48 PM PDT by itistimetoseekthelord
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To: SkyPilot

Token Honkey.


35 posted on 04/08/2015 6:10:41 PM PDT by Rodamala
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To: cherokee1

In all northern states, including vitamin D in your diet is very important. Our bodies manufacture vitamin D using Sun’s rays. But darker skin is a barrier for Sun’s rays, and less vitamin D can be made by the body. However on the plus side, darker skins also reduce risk of skin cancer.


36 posted on 04/08/2015 6:39:58 PM PDT by entropy12 (Real function of economists is to make astrologers look respectable.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

When I was a kid the last time I was in the old Madison Square Garden was when my Dad took me to a Knicks game, in 1966. I still have the program, other than Cazzie Russell, Earl “The Pearl” Monroe and a then up and coming Willis Reed, most everyone on the team was White.


37 posted on 04/08/2015 6:41:06 PM PDT by Impala64ssa (You call me an islamophobe like it's a bad thing.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

So if the Wisconsin team had one black starter out of five—i.e., 20%—and the state of Wisconsin is 6.5% black, that means blacks were OVER-represented by a factor of three!


38 posted on 04/08/2015 6:47:16 PM PDT by Charles Henrickson
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To: Impala64ssa

Earl Monroe was not yet on the Knicks at that point. And besides Willis Reed and Cazzie Russell, other blacks on that ‘66-’67 team included Dick Barnett, Walt Bellamy, Emmette Bryant, and Dave Stallworth. So that’s about half the team, actually.


39 posted on 04/08/2015 6:57:52 PM PDT by Charles Henrickson
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To: Charles Henrickson

OOPS, I thought Monroe played his rookie year at the old MSG.


40 posted on 04/08/2015 7:00:23 PM PDT by Impala64ssa (You call me an islamophobe like it's a bad thing.)
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