Should the Sebastien de la Cruz flap have been a story?

The short of it:

Mexican-American child sings the national anthem at the NBA Finals.

Predictably, idiots on the Internet make racist jokes to get a rise out of people.

Predictably - also - it works. People rise.

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/blog/eye-on-basketball/22406385/popovich-calls-out-idiots-who-tweeted-about-national-anthem-singer

I know I beat this drum a lot, but is it really news worthy at this point when a few jokesters on Twitter or Reddit or in the comments section of a newspaper Web site try to out-do each other? Should it have even been covered or acknowledged?

 

No. When someone tweets "OMG a beaner is singing the anthem!" there is no need to pretend it is somehow "People taking to twitter to question the 11 year old's dress." It is racist trolls being racist trolls.

 

I think it's a story in San Antonio. It was the San Antonio reporter who asked Popovich about it during the pregame presser.

 

Well, yeah, it's a story now that Popovich has sounded off.

My question, I think, is a little bit like your thoughts on asking athletes about gay marriage. Why ask Popovich what he thinks about some online trolls to begin with? Why give them this amount of credence?

 

The bigger story was that Popovich was asked a question and he gave a thoughtful answer rather than a snide, one or two word response.

 

Pop isn't dumb. He knows his fan base.