Interesting proposition. I wonder if there is a mitigating factor: in group and out group. Even in an immigrant in a anti-immigrant area may be considered ‘one of us’ by the local fans and thus may still be considered in the ‘in group’. However, in away matches, they would be in the out group. It would be interesting to see foreign players’ performances in away games in anti-immigrant places vs home games. Just a thought. Thank goodness the fascist days and anti-French sentiment under Boy George and renaming French fries to freedom fries are over!
That is a good point and while the study does not say anything about that, there are plenty of stories in European football (just think of Vinicius Jr at Real Madrid) where black players are cheered on by the fans of their teams but racially abused by the fans of opposing teams.
A good comparison would be to look at the level Luka Doncic, a Slovenian player who also plays in TX, has been playing at. Interesting fact, currently the top four players in the NBA are all international players and last season was similar.
This proves how little you understand San Antonio or South Texas in general. San Antonio is 70% Hispanic and is teeming with immigrants, both legal and illegal. Having grown up there and spent my adult life in the area, it must be noted that just because the state voted Trump, doesn't mean that region is a monolith. It's quite the opposite. The Spurs under Popovich are an extremely progressive organization and Pop regularly voices support for Democrat policies and has been unapologetically outspoken about Donald Trump since 2016. That said, that doesn't necessarily equate to international players feeling comfortable either. What if an international player views the world through the lens of a more conservative ideology? They may despise playing for a California or New York team then. Quite frankly, the take you suppose only highlights your implicit biases and totally ignores the proven track record the Spurs have in developing players to become All-NBA talents.
Just to top it off, the Spurs fanbase has a short list of most beloved players, and the top 3 are all from outside the U.S. (if Tim Duncan and the USVI counts). And furthermore, one of those guys, Tony Parker, is French. He still resides in San Antonio (yes! despite Trump winning Texas). He is still very active with the team, and is incredibly active/visible in the San Antonio community.
Interesting proposition. I wonder if there is a mitigating factor: in group and out group. Even in an immigrant in a anti-immigrant area may be considered ‘one of us’ by the local fans and thus may still be considered in the ‘in group’. However, in away matches, they would be in the out group. It would be interesting to see foreign players’ performances in away games in anti-immigrant places vs home games. Just a thought. Thank goodness the fascist days and anti-French sentiment under Boy George and renaming French fries to freedom fries are over!
That is a good point and while the study does not say anything about that, there are plenty of stories in European football (just think of Vinicius Jr at Real Madrid) where black players are cheered on by the fans of their teams but racially abused by the fans of opposing teams.
Yes, I was thinking the very same; Spanish football/soccer is a particularly despicable example of this.
A good comparison would be to look at the level Luka Doncic, a Slovenian player who also plays in TX, has been playing at. Interesting fact, currently the top four players in the NBA are all international players and last season was similar.
This proves how little you understand San Antonio or South Texas in general. San Antonio is 70% Hispanic and is teeming with immigrants, both legal and illegal. Having grown up there and spent my adult life in the area, it must be noted that just because the state voted Trump, doesn't mean that region is a monolith. It's quite the opposite. The Spurs under Popovich are an extremely progressive organization and Pop regularly voices support for Democrat policies and has been unapologetically outspoken about Donald Trump since 2016. That said, that doesn't necessarily equate to international players feeling comfortable either. What if an international player views the world through the lens of a more conservative ideology? They may despise playing for a California or New York team then. Quite frankly, the take you suppose only highlights your implicit biases and totally ignores the proven track record the Spurs have in developing players to become All-NBA talents.
Just to top it off, the Spurs fanbase has a short list of most beloved players, and the top 3 are all from outside the U.S. (if Tim Duncan and the USVI counts). And furthermore, one of those guys, Tony Parker, is French. He still resides in San Antonio (yes! despite Trump winning Texas). He is still very active with the team, and is incredibly active/visible in the San Antonio community.
One of the the reasons Webmy was so excited to be drafted by S.A. was the Tony Parker connection.
He will save a ton in state income taxes playing most of his games in Texas since it has no income tax.
Did they not factor in the fact that San Antonio has historically thrived with foreign players? Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker? Anyone? Anyone??