Many professional athletes feel that the fans in Boston have a tendency to be more racist than in other cities, but LeBron James says he has not experienced any of that personally.
Following the Cleveland Cavaliers’ win over the Toronto Raptors in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semis Wednesday night, LeBron was asked about the situation that unfolded with Baltimore Orioles outfielder Adam Jones earlier this week at Fenway Park.
“It’s a delicate situation. Racism, we know, exists,” he said. “For me, as a father, I try to give my kids the blueprint on how life is gonna be for them. At the end of the day, I can only tell them so much. They have to go out and live it themselves.”
While James has certainly experienced racism before in his life, he can’t remember any specific instances in the many games he has played at the TD Garden in Boston.
“I’ve heard a couple athletes say you expect that when you go to Boston,” LeBron said. “For me, I’ve been to Boston and played in Boston a lot. I just try to have tunnel vision when I play. I can’t recall ever hearing something that was racism toward me.
“I think it’s great that the other guys from the Red Sox spoke up for Adam Jones, saying like, ‘Hey fans, this is a situation where you guys need to have a standing ovation.’ It’s not great for sports. It’s not great for society.”
What happened to Jones is something that has to stop, whether it takes place in Boston or anywhere else. The Red Sox have already taken some steps toward trying to prevent future incidents like the one that took place Tuesday night, and hopefully all the attention the issue has gotten will help.
