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Astros Player Makes Racist Gesture - How Serious? (1 Viewer)

How Serious And What Should Punishment Be?

  • Extremely serious - multiple game suspension

    Votes: 11 12.1%
  • Very serious - 1 game suspension

    Votes: 28 30.8%
  • Serious - but no suspension

    Votes: 23 25.3%
  • Not very serious

    Votes: 19 20.9%
  • Not serious at all

    Votes: 10 11.0%

  • Total voters
    91

Joe Bryant

Guide
Staff member
https://www.thedailybeast.com/astros-win-against-dodgers-overshadowed-by-racial-controversy

The Houston Astros claimed a 5-3 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 3 of the World Series on Friday night, but the win was overshadowed by scandal after Astros first baseman Yuli Gurriel made a racist gesture. Gurriel was caught on camera apparently mocking Dodgers pitcher Yu Darvish, pulling down the corner of his eyes to take a swipe at Darvish’s Asian heritage. Gurriel also appeared to say the word “Chinito,” a Spanish slang term that roughly means “little Chinese boy.” Gurriel apologized afterword, saying he “didn’t mean to offend anybody in Japan.” “I was commenting to my family that I didn't have any luck against Japanese pitchers here in the United States,” Gurriel said. Darvish, who was born in Japan, is of Iranian and Japanese heritage. He called the move “disrespectful” but said Gurriel had simply “made a mistake and you have to learn from it.” A source cited by The Associated Press said Gurriel may be punished by the league for the gesture, and possibly suspended during the World Series.
How serious is this and what should Gurriel's punishment be?

 
As a dodger fan I would say it is serious and he should do some community service as a nice gesture but no suspension. Let’s just play it out without keeping a player from playing.

 
1-2 game suspension easily. A player got a 2 game suspension for using a gay slur earlier in the season. MLB cannot let this behavior be tolerated on its biggest stage.

 
I'm half-Japanese and grew up in a very white neighborhood.  I saw that gesture a lot when I was a kid and there were times that it hurt.  I haven't seen anyone do it in years, partially because we hopefully live in more enlightened times but primarily because I'm an adult and I interact mostly with other adults. 

It's both serious and stupid when a 33 year old man (who played in the Japanese Leagues before coming to Houston) pulls that act, especially in an environment where he knows he'll be observed doing it.   It's disrespectful of a colleague and straight up racist; he should know better.  We should all know better.

That said, I think there are more constructive ways to address his behavior.  I'd be concerned about backlash if he's suspended and it's seen as impacting the outcome of the series.  If Gurriel is truly contrite, there are things he can do to prove it on and off the field.  Personally I'm more interested in education than punishment but MLB may be more interested in appearances.

I think a suitable punishment would be to make him wear that stupid hair-do for the rest of his life.

 
As a dodger fan I would say it is serious and he should do some community service as a nice gesture but no suspension. Let’s just play it out without keeping a player from playing.
This.  Dervish wasn't really upset by it. 

 
I am more for community service with Yu in a charity Yu works with or speak with kids about the mistake you made to make it a teaching moment. Maybe that's just the teacher in me and it's different since these are grown adults.

 
I think a suitable punishment would be to make him wear that stupid hair-do for the rest of his life.
I think Eephus's whole post was great, and it's sad that he did it, but this quote had me rolling.

Yu is a stud. How are you going to make fun of him with that on your head?   

 
I don't think being a racist should be a suspendable offense but he should definitely be open to public ridicule for his behavior 

 
People do childish, stupid things each day.  If you want to make an example, sit him a game.  Otherwise, get used to the fact that people do childish, stupid things each day.      

 
Did he really make "Chinese eyes" with his fingers? How does a grown man in this day and age do something like that? Just stupid. 

1 game suspension, IMO. 

 
Hasn't he been in the US less than two years? Not saying that makes it ok, but if he wasn't raised in the PC climate of the US, he may not have thought it was that big of a deal. I have no idea though. Not sure what the climate may be in Cuba towards this sort of thing.

 
"Suspend him, keep him from playing so it can hopefully help us get back into this series err...because it's the right thing to do."

- Dodger fans

 
Five game suspension but served next year.

Stupid.  If you're gonna suspend him suspend him now.  World Series shouldn't be treated differently.

 
Same response I give to the question about kneeling for the anthem.  I may not like how you express your First Amendment right to expression, but I'll be damned if I want to keep you from expressing it.  As for it being racist, how can we saying anything is racist if not perpetrated by someone of a race that has power of numbers and thereby the ability to oppress another race?  I was recently reminded that only white Americans of European descent can be racist in this country and I am not sure that Gurriel fits that description.

 
It needs to be a one game suspension, MLB does not want this in their game and they should remain consistent with suspending for actions like this, having given out a suspension for gay slurs earlier in the year. 

 
That may be the dumbest rationale. Didn’t want to punish the rest of the team. That calls a hand all punishment into question. 

 
Same response I give to the question about kneeling for the anthem.  I may not like how you express your First Amendment right to expression, but I'll be damned if I want to keep you from expressing it.  As for it being racist, how can we saying anything is racist if not perpetrated by someone of a race that has power of numbers and thereby the ability to oppress another race?  I was recently reminded that only white Americans of European descent can be racist in this country and I am not sure that Gurriel fits that description.
So you believe in treating people differently based on their race.   Seems the very definition of being racist.  

 
Serious is not the right word imo. 

Honeslty, it's not that "serious" - it's utterly stupid, somewhat insensitive and absolutely worthy of a suspension. 

Something doesn't have to be "serious" to be wrong, and as such punishment is appropriate to send the message that this won't fly.

I don't have an issue with the 5 games next season. Would not have had an issue with one game in the WS, either

ETA: Bob McNairs comments, in the context of all that is going on, the audience to whom he was referring and the fact that a main component of the protests themselves are judicial inequities that end up with a disproportionate number of African Americans ending up as inmates was far more "serious" in its connotations, undertones and overall context.

 
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Chicken #### move by MLB imo - if it is a suspendable offense - then suspend him.  If its not a suspendable offense, then don't suspend him.  Waiting until next year shows baseball thinks it has to do something, but does not really want to.

 
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More outrage. Well at least it fits in with all of the other outrage. Everyone might as well get in on it. None of these types of things were said in the past. It's a brand new thing. You're better off just not speaking these days. 

 
More outrage. Well at least it fits in with all of the other outrage. Everyone might as well get in on it. None of these types of things were said in the past. It's a brand new thing. You're better off just not speaking these days. 
This is such a tired response - nobody is outraged - the guy did something ####### stupid at best and racist at worst - they know he deserved to be suspended but MLB completely ####ed out.

 
MLB went down the thought police road when they suspended Pillar and the other guy for things people never would have known about and frankly, have been things ball players have always said and weren't a direct slur (but agreed we should be moving past that).   Those guys sat out games.

This is FAR worse IMO, what exactly are you saying to your asian players with your throughly limp action here.  You're trying to reach a chinese market, you actively market with Japan and you punt on this kind of crap?  He should sit one world series game, thats stiff but not the end of the world but the thought this guy will be back out on the field is a joke. 

May have said this in the other thread, but would MLB have worried about "fairness" if Gurriel dropped an n bomb or did something mocking black people to a black pitcher? 

Baseball falls all over itself for 70 year old guilt with the Jackie robinson stuff and here's a chance to take a stand against some real live racism in their time and they punt.  Disgusting and I won't be watching this crap tonight.  I'm suspending myself.

 
So they are saying they are suspending him next year because players don't actually get paid by game in the postseason.   :loco:

 

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