Foul Call: Tracy McGrady Misjudges New Orleans

Published March 27, 2007

By Nate Bradbury

Have you started to notice that people we idolize say things that mark them as surprisingly human? This seemed particularly clear to me on my recent trip to New Orleans. For those of you who follow sports, I’m sure you could come up with several examples from just these past two months.

Tim Hardaway, John Amaechi, Tracy McGrady, and Billy Hunter all crossed over from talking about sports to casually dropping personal judgments on a wide variety of things: morality, sexuality, and the state of social and criminal activity in New Orleans.

For me, it is important to remember that these men, while they are talented athletes or businessmen, have no idea what they are talking about. And that’s okay.

It’s not their responsibility to have a firm grasp on social values or crime rates; they aren’t elected officials or even volunteer community leaders.

However, in these situations Hardaway, McGrady, and Hunter were all in positions that enabled them to influence and inform the public, but instead of opening minds they closed them.

Recently, Billy Hunter, president of the NBA player’s association, and Tracy McGrady, star player for the Houston Rockets, issued statements that questioned the safety of next year’s proposed All-Star Game’s host city, New Orleans.

McGrady formally stated that he would not be comfortable playing in New Orleans. Mr. Hunter calmly explained that New Orleans would present serious security issues, and he did not want to send his players into the city for an All-Star Game.

At this point, you may be asking yourself, “What does this have to do with anything other than a silly basketball game?” This is a fair and important question but the answer is, “a lot.”

I went to Tulane University, in New Orleans, my freshman year before transferring to UVM. I hadn’t gone back until this Spring Break because I was afraid, just like Mr. McGrady and Mr. Hunter. Only I wasn’t afraid of being beaten, robbed, and murdered. I was afraid that the city and people that I once knew would be gone.

It may sound strange because New Orleans is an admittedly violent city. Recent statistics can only estimate the rate of violent crimes in New Orleans parishes and the best estimates available seem to show that the murder rate in New Orleans may be as much as double the figures in the next most violent city, St. Louis.

Beyond those numbers, New Orleans is a casual and friendly city. People make eye contact and say “hello” on the street just like they do in Burlington; the New Orleanians have come together on a common ground in an effort to hold together and rebuild their city that was ravaged by Hurricane Katrina.

My point is that we are quick to judge a city, or a region, or a person, based on second-hand information, flashy news pictures, or a sense of some unknown instability. Why are we quick to do so? In short, we are lazy, and generalizations make our lives easier.

However, New Orleans is a city that is near and dear to my heart, and it is a city full of people completely focused on restoring order, faith, and prosperity to the Gulf Coast.

I would like to see the All-Star Game take place in New Orleans not only because it could benefit from the nearly $100 million in related revenue, but because it will help reinvigorate a great American city. Let’s take a second, slow down and really think about the consequences of our snap judgments. Hopefully, the next time Mr. McGrady has the chance to foul an entire city he’ll have the good sense to stay his hand.

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