This is both ironic and pathetic. Last week, as we celebrated the anniversary of Hank Aaron breaking Babe Ruth’s home run record, Aaron recounted the hate mail and threats he received back in the 70s as he approached the milestone. In doing so, he noted that racism isn’t dead. It’s just changed and has become more insidious.
Some people got mad at that. So mad that they decided to send racist hate mail to Aaron. From Bob Nightengale at USA Today:
Sheer racism, exposed in vile letters directed to Hall of Fame great Hank Aaron, have poured into the Atlanta Braves offices this past week.
Yes, it was like 1974 all over again, the year he broke Babe Ruth’s all-time home run record, with letters laced with the most hateful epithet known to African Americans.
“Hank Aaron is a scumbag piece of (expletive) (racial slur)” a man named Edward says in an e-mail to the Braves front office and obtained by USA TODAY Sports.
Edward invokes the epithet five times in four sentences, closing with, “My old man instilled in my mind from a young age, the only good (racial slur) is a dead (racial slur).”
OK, dude. We see your point. Apologies. There is no racism anymore. Hank Aaron was wrong to even suggest it.
Good lord.
