Much has been said about Yankees' star Josh Donaldson calling White Sox' star Tim Anderson “Jackie.” Some believe it was completely harmless, while others are sure there was racist intent behind it. White Sox manager Tony La Russa even directly referred to Donaldson's words as “racist.”
Donaldson explained what happened after the game in which he made the “Jackie” comment.
“I called him Jackie,” Donaldson stated. “In 2019, he (Tim Anderson) came out with an interview that says he’s the new Jackie Robinson… We’ve actually joked about that. I’ve said it to him in years past, not in any manner than just joking around… If something has changed from that, my meaning of that is not trying to be racist by any fact of the matter.”
Anderson and the White Sox took offense. They believed that at best it was an inappropriate remark made by the Yankees third baseman.
ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, who has been extremely vocal on racial topics in sports, took a fairly surprising stance on the issue.
“Here is what upsets me about this,” Smith said. “We are having a conversation about race, and I can't sit here and tell you that anything Josh Donaldson said was racist. I think it's actually wrong for people to attach racist, or racism, to Josh Donaldson today.”
Smith continued by explaining why he is “annoyed” by this particular scenario.
“Here is why I am annoyed by it. We gotta make sure when we make accusations like that that it counts. It's damn near pretty irrefutable what you are… And then when real, bonafide, undeniable, unequivocal racist behavior is exhibited and put on display, people get to feign denials and all of this other stuff because so many times we're bringing this up. I'm just saying we gotta be careful.”
Stephen A. Smith's perspective on the issue certainly sheds some new light. Regardless, it is clear that the Yankees and White Sox have a rivalry brewing between them.
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