Kobe: 'Pistons Disappeared Forever'
White Supremacist Faces Charges After Horrific Attack
The game ended when the refs refused to continue officiating. The player who attacked the referee is 18-year old Mason Holland. The referee is 51-year old Jim Hamm. According to police, Holland was "remorseful" for his attack and he said that he was frustrated over uncalled fouls being made by the other team.
Obviously, this incident should lead to a serious punishment for the young man involved. Referees should not, in any way, feel that they are physically threatened when making unpopular calls during an athletic event. What I hope, however, is that we don't somehow conclude that the young man who made this mistake is some kind of irreparable social deviant. My interpretation is that there was plenty of testosterone flowing in the game and it simply got out of hand. Young people, often unable to handle hormonal changes, can sometimes do things that they regret. In fact, during college, I once threw another player to the ground in the heat of competition. After the incident, I immediately left the court and went home so I could cool off.
My point is that the young man's ill-advised decision to attack a referee will probably lead to serious and harsh punishment by the school system and the basketball coach. They will probably even make an example out of him, to remind the other athletes to stay in line. Also, this incident remind us of the way our society often interprets violence from black male athletes. The black male athlete is one of the most admired specimens in the world, but there's a part of the American psyche which sees the black man as an animal that needs to be controlled. Therefore, when black athletes engage in violent activity, they are typically made into examples and even have their sanity questioned. But we should notice, however, that the way the public responds to a fight in the NBA differs vastly from their reaction to violence in the National Hockey League. That difference is not a coincidence, and you cannot disconnect the reaction to this incident from the fact that black boys are the ones who are most often suspended and expelled from school. Black men don't usually get second chances.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here. 
Comments: (18)
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By: The Truth on 12/15/2010 8:53PM
Being we've been led to believe race has anything to do with this, I propose the following...
Imagine every person in the video was the same color. (I imagined they all were green).
Based on that it would appear the call as lame as it was did not call for the child like behavior of the young man.
Cut him some slack, giving him benefit of doubt based on age, suspend him for a few games and let's move on please.
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By: Bebe' on 12/15/2010 9:08PM
Including the camera operator it looked like there was what, 10 people there.
Other than a kid needing a little guidance,
Who cares?
The whoppin' 50 bucks the refs get for each game should more than cover their aggravation.
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By: rbk84 on 12/15/2010 9:05PM
How can you defend that if if was reverse and a white kid did a black ref you would be livid. Wrong is wrong no matter who does it. What kind of parenting he has at home or is he being brought up with the thug mentality thats so prevalent in our culture at this point. As an educator i can't how you don't see that was inexcusable.
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By: Ellie on 12/15/2010 9:23PM
His actions were indefensible no matter what the races of the individuals involved.
If he can't handle his "testosterone" driven anger on the court,what happens when a girlfriend doesn't agree with him and makes him angry,or a teacher asks him to do something he doesn't want to do and makes him angry? Stop making excuses for athletes who can't or won't control themselves because they feel "special".
He needs to suspended from school, sent to anger management counseling and he needs to learn to control himself before he finds himself being the "fresh meat on his cell block"
You need to stop making excuses for bad behavior from young Black males, you are doing them a grave disservice.
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By: SEXY MOMMA on 12/15/2010 9:38PM
I feel like race plays a factor in some but not all...now I said that to say this, that player was wrong 1st off he push the ref once and it seems like when he heard the reaction from the crowd he went in for the 2nd push and then he picked the man up and slammed him in the ground. Wrong is wrong and what he did was beyond wrong, he disrespected the ref, the game, his team, the coaches hell everybody. He should be put in in-house suspension (if the school has it), should have to write apology letters detailing what went wrong and what wasnt supposed to happen and last but not least be suspended from some games. That behavior should not be tolerated. If I was his mom I would be highly pissed and probably would still be telling him off and knocking him upside his head. Ridiculous just plain ridiculous
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By: Norman on 12/16/2010 3:40PM
We have know time for this,its not a big deal
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By: cee on 12/21/2010 4:36PM
I think the student needs to be made an example. We need to stop playing the race card and accept the consequences for DOING WRONG, PERIOD!
The commentator mentioned that black male athletes are viewed a certain way. Being black has nothing to do with it. White or black, wrong is wrong.
My state is right now in the midst of prisoners protesting the conditions of the prison, not being treated fair, not being able to get an education, and strict restrictions for having visitors. How about NOT GOING and you won't have to protest.
I think if people period are given swift consequences that fit their actions, then we wouldn't have these nuts protesting while in prison.
I am a black female.
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By: ssshhush on 12/16/2010 7:56AM
This young man needs to be shown that are consequences for his actions. I agree with an earlier post about his temper. What happens when his girlfriend does something he does not like? The jails are full of young men and women who were out of control because they do not possess coping skills or at the fear of reprocussions from their actions. Did you ever see people fight with coaches and officials in the professional sports in the 70's?
Why is it kosher now to do this? Race played absolutely no factor in this. This young man would have attacked anybody no matter if it was male or female or otherwise. He was angry and out of control.
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By: Paris1 on 12/16/2010 10:38AM
The YOUNG man was only doing what he seen on the SUNDAY {NFL} FOOTBALL game, when the COACH TRIPPED the MIAMI PLAYER...
We teach our KIDS that Play Sports to have GREAT SPORTSMANSHIP CONDUCT and this COACH DOES THAT, WOW, go FIGURE!!!
NOW the YOUNG MAN will be LABELED ANGRY, and will not be able to play in the NFL, HMMMmmmm, IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU'RE WHYTE but IT DOES MATTER IF you are black!!!
The COACH was SUSPENDED for only 3 of the LAST game of the SEASON, for the COACH that is an EARLY VACATION, $25k that is not a FINE, the OWNERS should have FIRED him on the SPOT FOR UN~SPORTSMANSHIP CONDUCT, what if the player was INJURIED SEVERLY and could not PLAY any LONGER< the Legue made an eXAMPLE out of the "DOG FIGHTER" which is Fling high with eAGLES!!!!
This action of the COACH TRIPPING THE DOLPHINS PLAYER,this is sending the WRONG MESSAGE to YOUNG PLAYERS; The YOUNG man SHOULD BE SUSPENDED for a GAME and PAY ZERO dollars, yes BIGG GOOSE eGGS $00.00
In this SOCIETY it does MATTER if you are "WHYTE, WHITE, this COUNTRY need to stop LOOKING AT COLOUR, The COACH just SHOWED HIS TRUE COLOUR you TAKE YOUR CHOICE, BLUE, WHITE, RED!!!
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By: bob on 12/16/2010 11:30AM
paris 1 rediculous post no where does it say black player attacks white ref. that is what you and black voices are here for, to make it a racial thing. Fact is he is black and the ref is white. Thus shows the respect the black boy had for the old white ref, none! If it were the other way around there would be hell to pay and you know it! If you want to talk about racist talk "the black athlete is most admired specimen in the world" what if a white man had said that about white athletes? Didn't hitler say something to that effect? You black people on this site need to read your own trash carefully to realize how hypocriticl and racist you all are!
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