Point guard Jose Manuel Calderon said the team was responding to a request from the photographer.
“We felt it was something appropriate, and that it would be interpreted as an affectionate gesture,” Calderon, who plays for NBA’s Toronto Raptors, wrote on his ElMundo.es blog. “Without a doubt, some … press didn’t see it that way.”
Jose Manuel Calderon suggested the issue had been blown out of proportion.
“I think we’re talking about things that don’t matter,” the Toronto Raptors guard said after the game. “We feel bad, but there is too much talk about it. We are a very multicultural country in Spain. We are for sure going to apologize.”
Calderon led Spain with 15 points and Alex Mumbru added 14.
this is precisely the reason that MLSE is allowed to make just enough moves to field a competitive team that has no hope of post-season success, while gaining the blind devotion of fans. Let me qualify that…
…case in point – the Jermaine O’Neal trade. Making this trade, without a follow-up one to shore up the wing position is a job HALF-DONE! I’m not going to debate the merits of getting a Jermaine O’Neal on this team, that has been beaten to death. But getting a Jermain O’neal ONLY, while not addressing other needs appeases the exact same fans who would rather the same ‘ol things from Bosh and Calderon then what our new backup point guard is capable of – while the rest of us are left feeling raped, abused and Raptered.
“This photo is deeply offensive and racist – it’s surprising that members of an Olympic team preparing for the Games in Beijing of all places would show such poor judgment,” Victor Wong, executive director of the Chinese Canadian National Council, said in a statement yesterday.
“The Spanish Olympic basketball team owes a full and unconditional apology to their hosts, to their fellow Spanish citizens and to the people that they have offended and disappointed with this photo.”
He said the Raptors should also condemn the photo. But in a statement to The Globe and Mail yesterday, Raptors president and general manager Bryan Colangelo said Mr. Calderon would face no discipline.
“It is very unfortunate that this happened, but I seriously question whether Jose or his teammates realized at the time what harm might come of the organizer’s suggestion,” said Mr. Colangelo, who will be travelling to Beijing later this week to watch several games of the men’s Olympic basketball tournament.
“Jose Calderon is far too classy to intentionally insult anyone. There is no doubt, however, that better judgment could have been used by everyone.”
Clement Chu, a former basketball commentator for Toronto Chinese Radio and long-time Raptors fan, said the ads were clearly not well thought out, but that condemning the photo would be going overboard.
“They were trying to be funny, it didn’t necessarily come across as such, and I think they made the appropriate gestures to apologize and as long as they learn from it we can all move forward,” he said.
Gasol’s teammate Jose Calderon, who plays for the Toronto Raptors, said the gestures had not been racist.
“Some of my best friends in Toronto are of Chinese origin, ” he said.
7. Raptors: GM Bryan Colangelo made perhaps the most underrated move of the offseason, acquiring five-time All-Star Jermaine O’Neal from the Pacers for T.J. Ford and Rasho Nesterovic. If O’Neal is recovered from his knee problems, he should join with Chris Bosh to give the Raptors one of the best frontcourts in the East. Colangelo also re-signed Jose Calderon and brought in Croatian star Roko Ukic to replace Ford as backup point guard. The Raptors still need Andrea Bargnani to live up to his billing as a No. 1 overall pick, but Toronto definitely will be a team to watch next season.
It was in bad taste, intentional or not, if they say they’re sorry that’s got to end it.;
And, quite frankly, it’s a non-issue over here. No one I’ve spoken to has seen a single outward show of anger from anyone around the basketball venue, or anywhere else.
It’s certainly hasn’t created a huge buzz in the media. It’s a story, it got written and now there are other stories to work on.
We’ve been in China for over two weeks now and so far, it’s been a great trip. I’ve experience a lot of new things and cultures that I’ve never experienced before. We’ve been playing pretty well in the exhibitions and pool play and nowwe have the chance to redeem ourselves against Greece in a couple days. No one on our team has forgotten about the game they beat us in two years ago so I think it’s going to be a great opportunity for us.
I want everyone to know if they ever get a chance to go to the Olympics, whether you’re going to be a spectator or an athlete, you should go. It’s been amazing! Everything from the Opening Ceremony to the sporting events to the different venues have been a spectacular. This is something special and I really feel that way when I see people stand on that podium to receive their Gold Medal. Every time I watch that, I get chills and I hope that I get that chance too. I still have to see some swimming events and track and field hasn’t even started yet so there’s still a lot to do. I got the chance to see the women’s team play and I also went to the boxing matches a couple of days ago. I still want to see Michael Phelps, but it’s tough to get tickets for that because he’s on fire right now. There are so many different events that it’s hard to coordinate which ones to go to. Gymnastics is still going on too and I’m sure that will be great to watch. I’ll make sure I schedule everything right so I can see everything I want to see.
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I showed my wife the picture last night and we both had a good laugh about it. I was actually thinking what might really offend me as a Chinese person. The reality is, I do have narrow eyes so what sort of things could they have done or said that would truly offend us as a people?
How about trying to make a mockery out of the most spectacular Olympic opening ceremonies of all time? Or blaming a bunch of accidents on Chinese people purposely using poisonous materials to make toys? Let’s make fun their culture and how we eat things that look absolutely disgusting that it makes you want to puke. The Chinese won double gold in team gymnastics? They must be under-age — the Chinese have been lying about their age for years, because we’re all a bunch of liars. Oh I got another one — How about a picture of the Spanish team all wearing gas masks because apparently the Beijing air is toxic and if you breathe it you will die, and 16 million people living there must be mutated otherwise how could they possibly breathe?
You want to offend Chinese people, see the above for ideas. Oh wait, they’ve all been done before.
the ceremonies were spectacular, but I do admit I was disappointed to read how some of the fireworks were done earlier and pre-taped just so it looked choreographed. The lip syncing thing also bugs me, but that does anytime, anywhere.
Ah yes.. we discussed that one over lunch the other day. The footprints thing was a great idea, graphics or not. I heard some of them were real. I didn’t know you could even do fireworks like that, aren’t they usually all round? I couldn’t even pretend to understand pyrotechnics.
But with the lip syncing, yea I probably would have been better off not knowing. Could they have used make-up to make the singer girl as cute as the lip sync girl though? I guess we’ll never know. That was a really cute girl though.
Two of my coworkers are Chinese. One came from HK other one recently from “big” China. Asked them about the picture. They do not find it offensive and they don’t understand the fuss about it. It is overblown, just politics and it’s so sad that the media people are more entertained with this and other totally non sport things than the actual event. I’m sick and tired of hypocrisy and pilgrimism…
ebrian – I like your Cyrano de Bergerac-esque take on the Team Spain photo situation.
Thanks Jeff.
I got another one. How about standing up and walking to the opposite end of the subway car when I cleared my throat — because I’m a Chinese guy coughing and therefore I *must* have SARS?
I googled pilgrimism and wound up with a bunch of new-agey stuff. So… um… yeah… I’m upset about that too.