Yankees’ CC Sabathia on playing in Boston: ‘I’ve never been called the N-word’ anywhere but there
New York Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia said Tuesday that Fenway Park is the only Major League Baseball stadium where he’s been called the N-word by opposing fans.
Sabathia was speaking to reporters about claims by Baltimore Orioles outfielder Adam Jones that he heard racist taunts and had a bag of peanuts thrown at him the previous night while playing at the Boston Red Sox’s ballpark.
“I’ve never been called the N-word” anywhere but in Boston, Sabathia said.
Sabathia and Jones are among 62 African Americans on opening day major league rosters this season. All of those players know what to expect at Fenway, Sabathia said.
“We know. There’s 62 of us. We all know,” he said. “When you go to Boston, expect it.”
On Tuesday night, Jones received a standing ovation at Fenway. But that came the night after the ugly behavior of just one or a few fans helped reinforce a reputation that has long stained the city.
“Boston has a reputation, partially left over from a long time ago, that there is more racism within Boston sports,” Richard Lapchick, director of the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central Florida, told the Associated Press. “The type of incident that happened is something I would’ve expected to read about in Boston 25 years ago.”
University of Hartford sociologist Woody Doane, who has regularly attended Red Sox games at Fenway since 1963, told the Associated Press of the ballpark: “It’s a white space. If you are a person of color there, you would definitely feel in the minority.”
Sabathia said he hasn’t experienced any racism at Fenway in recent years, but he credits that to the Yankees providing security guards to accompany players to the bullpen and other parts of the ballpark. But that wasn’t the case when he played for the Cleveland Indians from 2001 to 2008.
“When I was [with] Cleveland it was bad. Really bad,” Sabathia said of playing games at Fenway. “It’s something you know going in, I guess, when you go there. It’s sad is what it is. I never had it anywhere else.”
He added: “I’m glad that [Jones] spoke up and said something about it. I think it’s disgusting.”
Twitter: @chewkiii
Get our high school sports newsletter
Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
