Spanish Team Should Be Prepared to Get Called Into the Principal's Office

Humorous team photos are nothing new to the basketball world: one striking pose (self-link) by the 2002 Sacramento Kings has been passed around like a virus the past year. But there's a space between humorous and offensive, the Valley of the Blatantly Stupid. The Spanish men's national basketball team visited it last month.

The Guardian reports (via Deadspin) the Spanish team recently took out a full-page ad in Marca featuring the above photo -- the 15-man squad all mocking the eyes of their Olympic hosts. It's a shock upon our camraderian sensibilities, for sure, but hardly the worst thing Spanish athletes have done.

In November 2004 black English footballers were subjected to relentless racial barracking from home supporters in a match in Spain. Before the World Cup there were calls for Luis Aragones, then Spain's football coach, to be sacked after he called Thierry Henry a "black s---". And last year Lewis Hamilton suffered racist abuse during testing for the Spanish grand prix near Barcelona.

Still, it's grandly stupid and rather offensive. The Spanish will pay their penance, I imagine: Jose Calderon (back row, fourth from left) plays in a city with a substantial Chinese population. Pau Gasol (back, third from right) has a new flippin' Chinese teammate! And oh, this seems important: Spain plays China tomorrow at 4:45 p.m. Beijing time. If fans there can get through the internet censors to see the crush of blog coverage this will receive today, I imagine Yao will have a bit more audience-powered wind at his sail.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

8-11-2008 @ 5:21PM

bg1 said...

I hope the Chinese kick the crap oit of these racist pricks

8-11-2008 @ 5:29PM

Angelo said...

F*** THE SPANISH. theyre people stole all of our gold, from my people in south/central america (and people wonder why were broke) and what else, the spanish have the Nerve to insult world-class futebol (soccer) athletes, WHO PLAY FOR THEIR OWN CLUB, and hosts, of the 2008 Summer Olympics, along with a Billion others.

anyone recognize Jose Caulderon and beloved Pau Gasol ?
Cant Wait, for this game.

8-14-2008 @ 9:50AM

Gato said...

Latino Americanos are always bitching about what happened more than 500 years ago. Get over it. I'm sure your country folk are guilty about something too. Besides it's not the Chinese who find this offensve it's the always Oh I need to be Politically Correct North Americans. AND you know you've done the same gesture yourself-so get off your righteous horse.

8-11-2008 @ 6:53PM

Medgerevers said...

So much racial hate> I look forward to God's Judgement. " I gave you life and breath and you repay me by being a hate monger to my other children". I hope I have a ront row seat!

8-11-2008 @ 11:09PM

grover said...

Claaaaaaassy!

8-12-2008 @ 3:46AM

Pila B. said...

It sickens me to see something like this. Why would the coaches allow this? The Spanish team is without class. Way to go Pau. Remind me to never cheer for you at the Laker games.

8-12-2008 @ 10:14AM

frank said...

Agreed with Mr. Juan to the T.

Hey Ziller , why you don't talk about team USA not having any white players in this roster????

Better yet why an american white boy is playing
for germany instead, that is for real, is it ?

8-12-2008 @ 3:30PM

henryclemente said...

You are ridiculous. The racial composition of other teams has nothing to do with Spain making overtly racist gestures in a team picture.

8-12-2008 @ 10:46AM

migala said...

is this for real? political correctness at its worst... os la cogéis con papel de fumar...

I don't see how racist gestures are harmless? If i walked up to an Asian person on the street and made slant-eyed gestures, would you think that's OK? How about if I walked around an African-American neighborhood dressed in blackface? No big deal, right?

8-12-2008 @ 4:39PM

jesus said...

arggggggggggggg... why in Earth would this be considered offensive? Oh, I see... in the US, kids under 3 can be convicted of sex abuse just because of a kiss or whatever.

Now I get the whole picture,.

get a life. I used to follow this website. Not anymore.

8-13-2008 @ 1:50AM

mn1 said...

What kind of question is that, "why would this be considered offensive?" I'd need to ask you how ignorant can you be. I don't know what race you are or what ethnicity you are, but I sure bet that there are things that if someone said or did to your face you would definitely be offended by, and this kind of picture is definitely something that Chinese people would get offended at.

And come on, the Chinese people are HOSTING the Olympics. What kind of respect is that? What if the Olympics comes back to the US and Spain tries to take a picture wearing KKK costumes. Would you let that fly too? Think before you speak.

8-13-2008 @ 3:50AM

Pila B said...

Mr. Juan, it's ignorance like yours that perpetuates bigotry. Go sit on your La Z Boy in your stretched elastic waistband tidy whities and finish off that six pack of PBR watching reruns of 'One Day at a Time.' Don't forget to close the front door to your trailer. Open your heart and your brain man and close your mouth. The flies are getting in.

8-14-2008 @ 3:54PM

Breico said...

mn1 said:

"Think before you speak"

and also said:

"What if the Olympics comes back to the US and Spain tries to take a picture wearing KKK costumes"

Spanish team pretended to be like chinese people in that picture as a friendship gesture. Chinese people didn't find it offensive, but US people do. Ok. When you compare this picture where Spanish team pretending to be like all chinese people, with "what if wearing KKK costumes to the US"... do you mean that all US people are racist and belong to KKK?
Is that all you can think before speaking? You are the ignorants.

8-14-2008 @ 4:52PM

David W. said...

Umm..considering the spanish team got booed, I would tend to think that some chinese were offended.

8-16-2008 @ 11:45PM

B.R.V. said...

It's mind-boggling that not one person in that room thought that it was a bad idea. Coaches, team officials, players who play abroad... all of them could not be that ignorant.....come on! The entire world is watching.....the host country is China.....and you take a photo mocking and slurring them by tightening your eyes....mind-boggling. Shame on all of you......you should beg them for forgiveness.