I’ll be the first to admit that my baseball knowledge is limited. In fact, I only became truly interested in baseball in 2005, which is when I married my husband—a baseball historian and die-hard fan. His enthusiasm rubbed off on me and before I knew it, I was at a baseball game, mistakenly cheering for the wrong team, and absolutely loving the game.
Now that baseball is on my radar, it stands to reason that Barry Bonds is also on my radar. I love his attitude. He is a man’s man. He does not buck, scratch where he does not itch, or engage in any minstrel behaviors—never. In spite of the controversy that follows him around like a crazed stalker, he stands his ground.
Of course the primary story that has hounded him over the years is that he is a steroid abuser. Yet, he has not actually tested positive for steroids. In addition to that fact, he clearly is not on steroids at this moment so how do those who question his skills account for the fact that as a man in his early 40’s he is still knocking that ball out of the park? Clearly, his talent is authentic and natural.
People (myself included) hate it when race is brought in as an issue or explanation when a person of color finds him/herself up against a wall or in controversy. No one wants race to be used as a cop out. Yet, I must be honest and admit that I believe race is the only reason Bonds is being demonized in the press.
Barry Bonds presents a “threat” to some in the mainstream. He can be called a strong black man with a backbone. That trait (having a backbone) unfortunately is missing in too many men today regardless of race or background.
I recently read a wonderful article on this topic—The Unforgiven: Jack Johnson & Barry Bonds. The article compared a former boxer (Jack Johnson) from the early 1900’s to Barry Bonds. During his time, Jack Johnson was known as an “uppity nigger”. So much so, that it’s only a miracle that he was not lynched and castrated for some of his antics. For example, he proudly escorted white women all around town. That was unheard of in that day and time.

The media whipped up a frenzy around the need for a “great white hope” (a phrase coined by author Jack London) to restore order to the boxing world - and the world in general. Former champion Jim Jeffries was coaxed out of retirement and said, “I am going into this fight for the sole purpose of proving that a white man is better than a Negro.”
In the weeks before their fight, Johnson - in stark contrast to the standard African-American posture of the day - was more than willing to be heard. In a July 4, 1910, Philadelphia Inquirer story titled, “Johnson believes he’s Jeff’s master,” he is quoted as saying, “I honestly believe that in pugilism I am Jeffries’ master, and it is my purpose to demonstrate this in the most decisive way possible. … Let me say in conclusion that I believe the meeting between Mr. Jeffries and myself will be a great test of strength, skill, and endurance. The tap of the gong will be music to me.”
This might seem tame by contemporary standards, but at the time it was verbal TNT. To say he was a white man’s master a mere fifty years after the formal end of chattel slavery was simply explosive.
But Johnson wasn’t merely despised: he was hated by one America and revered - if not loved - by another.
When Jeffries and Johnson finally squared off, the ringside band played, “All Coons Look Alike to Me,” and promoters led the all-white crowd in the chant “Kill the nigger.” But Johnson was faster, stronger, and smarter than Jeffries, knocking him out with ease. In an early incarnation of the information superhighway, young children working as “telegram runners” ran through city streets shouting out the progress after each round. Bonds/Johnson article
That type of in-your-face braveness and nerve is what made Johnson the most hated “negro” of his time.
He was seen as arrogant, disrespectful and most important—he was viewed as a colored dude who did not know his “place”.
Barry Bonds is today’s Jack Johnson. Like Johnson, he is a dominator in his sport, a pantheon player: the only person in baseball history with 500 home runs and 500 stolen bases, a seven-time Most Valuable Player, and eventual home run king.
He is also, like Johnson, someone who plays with a mammoth chip on his shoulder, a chip handed down - as one writer put it -”like an heirloom” from his father, Bobby Bonds, a talented player of the 1960s skewered by the media and front offices for his own pro-pride, pro-union politics.
It is hardly difficult to find sportswriters or sports fan blogs slamming Bonds as a steroid using, foul-mouthed malcontent. But even players have broken ranks to jump on his back. Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, a man with GOP senatorial aspirations, said, “He admitted to cheating on his wife, cheating on his taxes, and cheating on the game.” (Actually, none of that is true. Leaked grand jury testimony had Bonds saying he unintentionally used a steroid cream. The other two allegations are unproven.) It was so bombastic, sports columnists and talk radio yappers criticized Schilling and he was forced to offer an apology.
…the FBI has even approached players about wearing a wire in an effort to get Bonds on tape admitting steroid use. Bonds/Johnson article
Why do blacks in particular believe that Bonds is being mistreated mainly because he is black? Because like it or not, blacks generally do get treated differently in the media as well as justice system. A few years back, Wayne Gretzky’s wife was accused of having a connection to a group of shady characters who bet on games—including hockey games. There were even tapes of Gretzky trying to figure out a way to protect his wife. Yet, that case was in the media for a brief period (two weeks?) and then abruptly disappeared.
Lawyers involved in the case said details of the three-month investigation should not be made public.
“I have never been involved in a case where the prosecution has engaged in such inappropriate conduct in terms of making investigators available to the press, appearing on nationally syndicated television,” said Kevin Marino, a lawyer for Tocchet, who was granted an indefinite leave from the NHL Wednesday. “It’s improper, it’s unwarranted and I will not tolerate it.”
“We are not going to try this case in the press and we’re not going to let them either,” he said. Gretzky’s secret case
Gretzky’s lawyers got their wish. The case went away from the media and apparently away, in general—like a puff of smoke. Gone. Never again to be discussed. Do you seriously believe that a black man would have received such royal treatment?
As of this writing, Bonds is within two hits of making history. It’s unfortunate that such a cloud of doubt hangs over his impending accomplishment. I, for one, cannot help but wonder if things would have been different for this “uppity negro” with the Jack Johnson sized chip on his shoulder if he were the complexion of Mark McGwire...or Wayne Gretzky
Other blogs discussing Bonds:
ProductivityGoal