Caps fever leaves some black fans cold
Posted: Monday June 15, 1998 05:03 PM
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The success of Kolzig and the Capitals may be going unnoticed in the black community (AP) |
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Steve Jones loves ice hockey and is caught up in the
excitement of the Washington Capitals' first
appearance in the Stanley Cup finals. But he seldom finds fellow blacks who
share his passion.
His status is reinforced every time he talks up his beloved sport with
customers at the News World magazine shop where he works.
"I can't ever get a black guy to talk hockey with me around here. ...
" Jones said. "The brothers look at me like I'm from another planet or
something. I think they think I'm crazy."
If team banners in the streets and jersey-wearing fans are any
measure, "Caps Fever" has hit the nation's capital, but black residents
seem largely immune.
"We're missing out because it's a great sport," said Wes Unseld, the
former Washington basketball great and current executive vice president of
Washington Sports, which oversees the Caps as well as the pro basketball
Wizards.
The lack of black communities' interest in hockey isn't exactly news.
NHL spokeswoman Bernadette Mansur said the league doesn't keep statistics
on the racial makeup of fans, but added, "We know our fan base is not as
diverse as we would like."
Leave it to the fickle deities that oversee the sporting world to
decide that the next champion will come from a predominantly black city --
if not Washington, then Detroit. Right now, with a commanding 3-0 lead, the
defending champion Red Wings are in a strong position to keep the Stanley
Cup in Detroit. Game 4 is Tuesday night in Washington.
Some people point to hockey's Canadian roots as the reason that blacks
don't take to the sport. There are few black players in the National Hockey
League: just seven among the 600-plus players on NHL rosters.
Jones said he's surprised more blacks haven't taken to the Caps
because they are the only championship-contending team in town.
The city's true sports love, the Redskins football team, hasn't made
the playoffs in five seasons. And the Wizards endured a nightmarish
basketball season punctuated with the team's brightest star, Chris Webber,
being traded away.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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