Let’s get something straight right off the hop, the issue of race in sport or any other aspect of society is always a sensitive one. None of the opinions represented in this article represent the opinions of Last Word On Sports, nor anyone else in the world for that matter, they are 100% my own.
Earlier today an article written by Rachel Décoste over at the Huffington Post caught my eye. She espoused her feelings that Montreal Canadiens defenseman PK Subban would be wise to take his talents elsewhere, largely because of racial intolerance shown towards Subban, a fact somehow proven true due to the fact that Subban is yet to sign a new contract with the team.
While I’m not one to criticize Décoste’s knowledge on issues of race, considering that she’s a daughter of immigrants who has been involved with numerous social causes including the Black Canadian Scholarship Fund, not to mention the fact that she worked on Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, I can’t shake the feeling that she’s conveniently overlooked some aspects of the current situation to make her point.
One of Décoste’s main points is how Montreal as a market is racially intolerant, and Subban would be better off plying his trade in the United States. There’s no debate that Montreal has its issues with racism, that’s to be expected in a Canadian province that has long been fighting to preserve a unique shared language and culture, but the fact is that Montreal may be one of the most racially diverse cities in Quebec and actively fights for equality.
According to Statistics Canada, Montreal’s population of visible minorities stands at 20.1%, higher than the national average (19.1%). While that doesn’t necessarily indicate racial tolerance, it does make Montreal the 5th most diverse urban center in Canada, and far more diverse than Quebec City (4%), indicating that Montreal is as good a place to live in Quebec, or anywhere in the country for that matter, when it comes to being a visible minority.
In fact, Canada as a whole is far more diverse than the United States, and while diversity doesn’t always directly relate to tolerance, there are some statistics available to us here as well. The Social Progress Imperative is a group dedicated to providing analysis of a multitude of factors, including basic human needs, health and wellness, and tolerance, among many others, to provide an index score that allows them to rank countries based on their social progress. For those not interested in the link, Canada’s tolerance score ranks second, behind only Iceland, at 86.79 (out of 100), while America sits 13th at 74.22. Given this information, is it really such a stretch to suggest that a visible minority might feel more comfortable living and working in Canada?
While these statistics generalize, there are many specific examples of intolerance in hockey on both sides of the border we could cite. First in most hockey player’s minds was the recent racist backlash Subban received on social media from “fans” of the Bruins after he helped eliminate the Bruins from playoff contention this season. While Bruins management said all the right things, claiming that “The racist, classless views expressed by an ignorant group of individuals following Thursday’s game via digital media are in no way a reflection of anyone associated with the Bruins organization.” is patently false. I’m sorry, but if you’ve ever bought a Bruins jersey or attended a game, you are associated with the organization.
It’s a fact that is backed up by an incident that occurred just two years earlier, when those same Boston fans went on a similar tirade after Washington Capitals forward Joel Ward eliminated the Bruins from the playoffs with a game seven overtime goal. It’s an outlandish reputation for a franchise that employed Jarome Ignla last season, not to mention having PK’s brother Malcom Subban working his way up the organizational ranks, and trotting out Willie O’Ree, the first player to break the NHL’s color barrier, every chance they get.
Okay, so Boston doesn’t look so great, but what about some other American markets? How about Los Angeles, a place that Décoste cites in her article as being one of the most progressive places in America? Sure, it’s one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the world and many of it’s sports teams feature minorities (who are quickly becoming majorities), but it’s also home to one of the most racist men in sports, owner (for now) of the LA Clippers Donald Sterling, a man that Philadelphia Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds spoke out against. Somehow, I don’t think Subban would feel comfortable there.
How about Pittsburgh then? Well if Subban were to ask Simmonds, he might find that may not be such a friendly place either (Link has VERY strong NSFW language). While Montreal has had it’s issues with racism, it’s not worse than many other places in North America.
The fact of the matter is, these intolerant views permeate all aspects of our society, and it’s not just a vocal minority of intolerant people in places like Boston, Los Angeles, Montreal, or Pittsburgh that are guilty. The truth is that if you search for racial slurs on social media and filter them by city or team, you’re going to find it everywhere. It’s a sad reality, and one that, for the moment, is unavoidable.
So, if based on all that evidence that Subban would likely face the same issues in Montreal as anywhere else in North America, if not less, then why is his contract with Montreal a racial issue? Well, believe it or not, is has very little to do with race and much more to do with the current financial landscape in the NHL.
Subban is a 25-year-old defenseman who has already won a Norris trophy, has shown great development in his game on both sides of the puck over the last two seasons, and who is about to enter his prime. The fact of the matter is that Subban could be an all-star and a top five defenseman in the NHL for the next decade. Combined with a rising NHL salary cap and Chicago Blackhawks forwards Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane raising the bar on star player contracts above the $10 million level, it all adds up to one thing: Subban is going to get paid BIG.
That puts Montreal in a difficult situation. On the open market, Subban could easily command at least $8.5 million a season right now, a number that would make him the highest paid defenseman in the league, and a number in line with other top NHL stars. Luckily for Montreal, Subban is a restricted free agent, so the team has some control over just how inflated this contract could get. However, if Subban signs to a short term deal and goes unrestricted in 2016, he will be the one who sets the new bar for what a top-flight NHL defenseman makes, just as Toews and Kane did for forwards earlier this summer.
For Montreal, that’s a huge problem. Not this season, where the team has about $11 million to spend and Subban the only player really needed to flesh out the roster, but look at some of the names needing needing new contracts over the next two years: Thomas Plekanec, Alex Galchenyuk, and Brendan Gallagher. All three are important core players, and all three will eat up a fair chunk of cap space. Assuming Subban signs a one or two year deal this summer, can they really afford to break the bank for Subban after that contract is up, especially if salaries have escalated by then to a point where Subban could also command $10+ million on the open market? It’s a worrying situation, and one that has nothing to do with race from Montreal’s perspective.
Subban’s new contract isn’t even the most contentious in the NHL this off-season. Look at Lady Byng winner Ryan O’Reilly in Colorado. It’s the perfect example of a player who has priced himself higher than his club would prefer, and it’s caused an untenable rift between team and player which may not be fixable. It’s a young player trying to cash in on recent success on a team that can’t necessarily afford nor would be willing to make that commitment given their current cap structure. Does it sound similar to the Subban situation in Montreal? Aside from the fact that Subban has shown unwavering devotion to the Montreal franchise, it does. Does it have anything to do with racism? Of course not, and neither does Subban’s desire for a higher salary and Montreal’s hesitation to give him one.
The issue of race in hockey has long been discussed and to say that it doesn’t affect some aspects of the NHL would be lying. However, that’s not the issue being looked at here. All I’m trying to determine is whether Décoste is accurate when she paints the picture of Subban being better off in a different market, and whether or not the current contract negotiation difficulties have any bearing on Subban’s race. I think it appears pretty obvious that both of those statements are false.
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