Author Topic: Spanish basketball team poses for offensive picture  (Read 738 times)

Dos Equis

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Spanish basketball team poses for offensive picture
« on: August 13, 2008, 11:42:43 PM »
What the heck were they thinking?  Is the outrage about PC or actual racism? 

Spanish basketball team poses for offensive picture
By Chris Chase
Updated: 4:43 p.m. EDT


Spain's Olympic basketball team posed for an advertisement prior to the Games which appears to show all its players slanting their eyes, a move that could offend its Olympic hosts in Beijing. The ads, for a Spanish courier company, appeared in the Spanish-language newspaper La Marca.

As the uproar over the picture has grown today, more information about the advertising shot has come to light. The ad was sponsored by a Spanish courier company, Seur. Spain's team, ironically, also is sponsored by Li-Ning Footwear, a Chinese company founded by Li Ning, the final torchbearer who was hoisted along the top of Beijing National Stadium during the Olympic Opening Ceremony finale. 

The Spanish-language paper El Mundo has a piece debating whether the ad was racist that basically calls out the British press for trying to smear Spain's good name. But they miss the point. Whether the picture was made in good fun is irrelevant. It was a ridiculous idea that was bound to upset a lot of people.

It's baffling that nobody involved in the picture -- from the photographers to the players -- even seemed to consider that this ad would be looked at negatively. Did it not occur to somebody that it might not be a good idea to mock a large portion of the continent before the world's largest athletic competition that, by the way, happens to take place on that continent. Were they not aware of an invention called "the Internet" that allows pictures taken in Spain to be transmitted all over the world for the eyes of everyone?

And now that the inevitable controversy has hit, they're still defending themselves when a simple, "the ad was in poor taste, we apologize" would have sufficed. This story would be slowing down if the Spanish Basketball team had apologized immediately. Now it's just picking up steam.

The Organization of Chinese-Americans has released multiple statements condemning the picture. George Wu, deputy director of the group, said, "it is unfortunate that this type of imagery would rear its head during something that is supposed to be a time of world unity." Response in Beijing has been muted so far.

Madrid is thought to be one of the frontrunners to land the 2016 Summer Games (the site will be announced next year). Could this controversy hurt Spain's chances of landing another Olympics?

Interestingly, the Spanish basketball team took on China tonight, winning 85-75 in overtime. No word on whether Pau Gasol was on the receiving end of any elbows from Yao Ming. The Chinese crowd did have a message for the Spaniards though, booing vigorously during the game.

http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/beijing/blog/fourth_place_medal/post/Spanish-basketball-team-poses-for-offensive-pict?urn=oly,100152

2ND COMING

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Re: Spanish basketball team poses for offensive picture
« Reply #1 on: August 14, 2008, 12:10:00 AM »
yea.. seen this on another site. China was HANDLING them in the first game they met. They were up like 15 points at some point, mind you spain was fiba champ last year. Unfortunately vhina lost in over time. lmao

tonymctones

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Re: Spanish basketball team poses for offensive picture
« Reply #2 on: August 14, 2008, 07:35:38 AM »
whats sad is that this was probably done all in fun but they didnt think it through... ???

w8tlftr

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Re: Spanish basketball team poses for offensive picture
« Reply #3 on: August 14, 2008, 12:36:35 PM »
BWAAAHAHAHAHAHA

Wercome to shitty wok. May I taka orda pree?

youandme

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Re: Spanish basketball team poses for offensive picture
« Reply #4 on: August 14, 2008, 12:42:47 PM »
BWAAAHAHAHAHAHA

Wercome to shitty wok. May I taka orda pree?

haha stuwpid mongowians, i get you dis time

Tapper

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Re: Spanish basketball team poses for offensive picture
« Reply #5 on: August 14, 2008, 01:02:18 PM »
ROR!

(Raff Out Rowd)

tonymctones

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Re: Spanish basketball team poses for offensive picture
« Reply #6 on: August 14, 2008, 01:40:38 PM »
ROR!

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lol hahjaha now that was a good one!!!!!!!!!!! ;D