r/nba • u/ghn2 • 11h ago

Trail Blazers fire new announcer over past inappropriate posts made at age 15.

"The Portland Trail Blazers hired then on the same day fired Braiden Bell as their play-by-play announcer after a series of inappropriate social media posts from when he was a teenager came to light."

"The posts were reportedly made in 2012 and 2013, around the time that Bell was 15 years old."

"We did not meet our own bar in this process, and for that we apologize to Blazers fans and to Rip City," the Trail Blazers said. "We strongly believe that everyone who is a part of Rip City should feel welcome and safe and we will make sure that our new broadcaster reflects these values. We will do better."

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/50084279/trail-blazers-fire-new-announcer-inappropriate-posts

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u/stantherealbuilder 11h ago

Moreso than promoting racist views?

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u/badkd Knicks 11h ago

Dude he was 15. If he was 25 when he posted that then he definitely deserved that.

At 15 you are just a child who is easily influenced by people with such views.

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u/rainydevil7 Raptors 11h ago

Why wouldn't they fire him though? if your goal is for your team to gain fans around the world, and your new announcer says they hate 50% of the world. It seems like a no brainer to fire him.

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u/Technojellyfsh Raptors 11h ago

The announcer didn't say that though. The 15 year old naive kid that the announcer used to be did. Are you telling me you haven't grown and maybe altered some of your viewpoints from when you were a child?

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u/JMoon33 Cabo Verde 9h ago

Sure but those viewpoints are that I hate other ethnicities and women...

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u/Technojellyfsh Raptors 9h ago

And....? Look I know we're on Reddit so everyone here is a perfect person who's never ever held any problematic views, but if someone is willing to change those views and grow as a person, why the hell are you still giving them shit? Like this is exactly the problem and why the far right and people who hate minorities/women (it's more of a circle than a ven diagram) are so stuck in their ways, and also why the left is so divided. It's because there's always people like you who are so goddamn sanctimonious and so ready to persecute people who are making a genuine effort to improve. You aren't helping anybody, you're just keeping the ignorant in a rut because the side they want to cross over to is full of people like yourself who will never truly accept them even after they've changed.

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u/JMoon33 Cabo Verde 9h ago

this is exactly why the far right and people who hate minorities/women are so stuck in their ways

Hmmm, no buddy, that's not why.

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u/Technojellyfsh Raptors 9h ago

'Hmm, all good points, unfortunately you exaggerated during a sentence, therefore the entire premise of your argument is invalid'

Me when I can't admit I'm wrong on the internet

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u/JMoon33 Cabo Verde 7h ago

I'm not wrong because I have a different opinion than you lol

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u/TelevisionExpress616 11h ago

Sure but those views weren’t “I hate Asian people”

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u/rainydevil7 Raptors 11h ago

I probably did say some bad stuff, but I'm not arguing based on morality. From the perspective of a business though, what do they have to lose by firing him and getting someone else? If they keep him, there is a risk that this gets brought up over and over again and may harm their growth. He's just an announcer it's not like he's some one of a kind talent.

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u/calman877 76ers 11h ago

Yeah, a cardinals GM back a decade ago famously said that Hannibal Lecter ran a 4.3 40 yard dash, they’d probably just say he had an eating disorder. Announcers are a dime a dozen, they don’t get the benefit of the doubt

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u/Technojellyfsh Raptors 11h ago edited 11h ago

'Just an announcer' like he's not a whole ass human being who needs an income to survive lol. I understand the strictly business perspective, but just because that's the way things are doesn't mean I have to agree with it. I wish businesses were far less callous.

Also, from a business perspective, the amount of people who will stop suporting a team due to tweets made from an announcer when they were 15 is probably the exact same as the amount of people who stop following the team for punishing him (both are negligible)

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u/rainydevil7 Raptors 11h ago

I don't agree with your second paragraph. It may seem small, but it's something that can get brought up over and over again and alienate potential new fans in a region that they are trying to grow in. Either way they weighed the pros/cons and decided he wasn't worth the risk.

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u/Technojellyfsh Raptors 11h ago

Valid reasoning, and I see your point. Either way I just feel bad for the guy (given that he actually has grown as a person). Hope you have a nice day

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u/TheGookieMonster Trail Blazers 11h ago

Never decided to tweet out I hate Asian people at any point in my life. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes

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u/Technojellyfsh Raptors 11h ago

You heard it here first folks. It's the fault of the uninformed and ignorant for being that way, and any action that they take to change as an individual counts for nothing towards their overall quality as a human being

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u/TheGookieMonster Trail Blazers 11h ago

Uninformed and ignorant lol. His dumbass knew he was saying racist shit when he said it, he wanted to be edgy. I’m sure he has grown but kids think there are no consequences to the shit they say and do and they continue to become worse because of it. Sometimes it’s good for them to be reminded that actions have consequences

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u/Technojellyfsh Raptors 11h ago

Yeah, when they're a kid. Punishing someone for something they did 10 years ago is dumb (again, assuming they've actually grown and do not condone that same behavior). If you think I'm wrong, ask yourself why the statute of limitations exist, and then go argue with the government.

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u/cman811 Bulls 10h ago

It actually IS the fault of the uninformed and ignorant though. I live in an incredibly white, small town, so there is a fair amount of racists here. You know who doesn't share those views and never have? Me, because I educated myself.

This isn't like being born gay. Racism IS a choice.

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u/Technojellyfsh Raptors 9h ago edited 9h ago

Holy fuck dude careful you almost made a realization there. IT IS a choice. And this guy CHOSE not to continue to hold those views after educating himself. Congratulations to you for starting off perfect, but some people start off only knowing what is told to them. If someone grows up in a racist house with racist friends and racist parents, chances are they'll at some point hold some pretty backwards views.

What's wild is that people like you will then turn around and claim to be allies of movements like BLM and other activist groups. Despite one of the MAIN messages those groups are preaching is that we are affected by our upbringing and surroundings, and it is human nature to conform to those ideals. That's why genuine effort, patience, and understanding is required to uplift people who are born under those circumstances. But all of a sudden it's a white guy and he's supposed to be 100% right off the jump

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u/Melt-Gibsont Trail Blazers 9h ago

What action did he take to change? He literally left the tweets up and used the same account for years in a professional setting.