Ali and the PC Shuffle

[DOUGHBOYS]

Insomnia has struck again, but I've been wanting to write this for awhile.
It is a touchy subject.
Race. Well, more about political correctness than race.
I've found there is hardly any way to approach race without pissing somebody off.
It has almost become a taboo subject.
Political correctness, somehow, has weaved a web in and around race.

One story before I get into what I want to say....
When I was a kid, boxing was one of the elite sports.
Friday nights at the fights was popular on tv and for 'live' viewing.
My father would get really wound up by fights.
On the news, he would see this man screaming and boasting. My fathers fist would get balled up, the veins on his neck would almost pop out, and his face would be red as a beet. The object of his anger was Cassius Clay.
Now to be fair, this was a time when 'Amos and Andy' was still on tv, Rochester was Jack Benny's 'employee', and baseball was still getting used to 'the colored's'.

My Dad thought Cassius Clay was the face of evil. The uppity 'black man'.
My father and I never saw eye to eye much, even then, so I quietly rooted for Clay.
Soon, Clay was fighting for the heavyweight Championship against the baddest man on the planet, Sonny Liston.
Liston was so feared that one boxer said he would accept a Championship fight later, but only if the winner was Clay.
Liston was also a black man.
But, he was quiet and this seemed to please my father.

The night of the fight, my dad invited everybody on the block to the house to listen to the fight.
It ended with Clay dancing circles around Liston. When Liston couldn't answer the bell for a round, the Championship was Clay's. There was stunned silence in the room and I let out a little yelp for Clay. 40 eyes turned and looked at me. I ran to my room. My dad never said a word about it. Then, or later. And to save a whupping, neither did I.

Anyway, getting back to the train of thought, I am tired of the Miami Marlins and they haven't even played a game yet. Reporters and analysts cannot do a story on Miami without mentioning their Latin fan base. We get it! We do! A lot of Spanish speaking people in that area. Got it.
It had me thinking that when Rickey Henderson signed with Oakland, was it because of Oakland's 48% black fan base?
If it was, it was never relayed to us that way.
Am I missing something?
Why is Miami reported that way?
Should it?
It's a politically correct society. But, one that has strange guidelines.
The football Dolphins and basketball Heat are Miami teams.
Are the Latin's their base too?
I don't know, or care and neither should reporters.
Albert Pujols was courted for the Latin fan base in Miami.
In Minnesota, the Twins courted both Cuddyer and Willingham, only because they needed an outfielder.