A poll conducted by ESPN and ABC News finds that 52 percent of baseball fans hope Barry Bonds doesn’t break the home-run record of 755 set by Hank Aaron in 1974. No surprise there — if there’s a more polarizing figure in any sport these days, I’d be hard-pressed to name him or her. The poll also finds that black fans are more than twice as likely as whites to root for Bonds — 74 percent to 28 percent. And 37 percent of black fans believe Bonds used steroids (compared to a whopping 76 percent of whites).

Blacks are additionally more likely than whites to believe Bonds has been treated unfairly — 46 percent versus 25 percent. And of those black fans, a full quarter — 25 percent — think it’s because of his race. (Among whites who think Bonds has been treated unfairly, 66 percent blame steroid rumors — “virtually none,” to quote ESPN.com, blame race.)

As unsurprising as it is that a majority of fans are rooting against Bonds in his home-run race, the abovementioned results are also not surprising — if more than a little disappointing.

Those fans who think that Bonds is getting a raw deal because he’s black seem to have overlooked the fact that the current record holder, Hank Aaron, is also black. Or maybe they think that the same people rooting against Bonds wish Aaron hadn’t broken Babe Ruth’s record, either. And to be fair, I’m sure there are some white fans who do feel that way, although I don’t think it’s naïve to think that that’s a very small minority these days, as opposed to 1974.

More dismaying than that, though, is the fact that some black fans are rooting for Bonds even though they think he has used steroids. (It’s worth mentioning here that he’s never tested positive for steroid use.) It’s impossible not to wonder how many of those are among the 25 percent who believe the animus against Bonds is racially motivated. 

Not to compare Bonds’ current home-run campaign to a horrific act of murder, but it’s also difficult not to be reminded of the folks who leapt for joy and openly celebrated following O.J. Simpson’s acquital in the deaths of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson — despite overwhelming evidence of Simpson’s guilt. I seem to remember some folks caught on television saying they didn’t care whether he was guilty; they were just glad he got off. There seems to be a percentage of people who believe that past injustices against blacks make it acceptable for blacks today to commit whatever crimes they want. You have to wonder if there’s not some of that at work with Barry Bonds, too — “Who cares if he took steroids? He’s sticking it to the man.”

Except that if he’s sticking it to anyone, he’s sticking it to a black man — Hank Aaron — who, in my current home of Atlanta, is revered as a legend (and respected as a very successful businessman) by people of all colors and creeds.

Before Al Sharpton comes banging down my door, I should hasten to add that white sports fans, as represented in this poll, don’t come off all that well, either. Speaking as a white male (and a casual baseball fan), I think it’s a little disingenuous for whites not to acknowledge that race could play some role in Bonds’ current lack of popularity. Admitting that possibility doesn’t make one a racist — it’s recognizing the reality of life in this day and time. Racial tensions still simmer beneath the surface of our daily interactions. Race still affects many aspects of daily life, whether we like it or not. That doesn’t mean that most of us, black and white and Hispanic and what have you, don’t try to rise above those tensions and treat others according to the golden rule. It just means we’re human.

Might those longstanding tensions and biases factor into the fact that whites overwhelmingly thought Simpson to be guilty? Could be. Might they predispose us to think the worst? Anything’s possible — although I think it’s more likely that most whites don’t like Bonds due to his reputation as an unpleasant person. I’d like to think that if Alex Rodriguez were this close t0 756, he’d be facing the same resistance. And that’s probably at least part of the reason Aaron himself has publicly stated he doesn’t intend to be in the stands when Bonds breaks his record, or to talk to him about it.

And while there’s currently no hard, fast evidence linking Bonds to steroid use, I think his white non-fans are just less likely to counter the evidence of their senses and give him a pass because of the color of his skin. Let’s face it: If Bonds hasn’t ever used steroids, he’s got some explaining to do for his Hulk-like metamorphosis. I mean, there’s no arguing against the fact that the dude has undergone a remarkable physical transformation. And if it ain’t because of steroids, then tell me what Barry’s eating, because I’ll have some every day. That’s the reason for the cloud that hangs over Bonds’ accomplishments and his seemingly inevitable breaking of the home-run record. And until the truth comes out, one way or the other, we won’t really know whether it’s Bonds’ actions that are dividing us, or something much deeper and uglier. Even then, we may never really know.

This entry was posted on Monday, May 7th, 2007 at 4:21 pm and is filed under What's Shaking, Sports, Editorial. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.