It is really the race card of fan's Perceptions?

Jamele Hill, ESPN Page 2 Columnist writes "SMACK. Time to play the race card. Bonds' blackness is not the sole reason Bonds is in this mess. But it is a factor in why the fairness seems so skewed, why the vitriol seems so severe, why the pursuit was so unrelenting.
Bonds' most egregious error is that he is not content to play the role of the grateful black man. Black athletes, particularly males, who express the kind of arrogance Bonds does are often villified more than white athletes who do the same. Brett Favre pleaded to be surrounded by talent for years, yet when Randy Moss expressed similar frustration in Oakland he was called selfish and whiny and told to shut up. Gary Sheffield, while not the most eloquent speaker, alerted us to the obvious -- that MLB has a certain amount of economic control over Latino players because it plucks them from their home countries so they won't have to pay hefty signing bonuses in the draft. Sheffield was roasted for this, but it was perfectly fine for Larry Bird to say the NBA needs more white superstars.

Black athletes who refuse to kowtow get it worse, and from that perspective the race card is appropriately applicable.

For weeks, we've gotten reports of various baseball players purchasing human growth hormone, for obviously circumspect reasons and from obviously suspect people. Why isn't the government knocking at the door of Rick Ankiel, forcing him to testify against his supplier? Why didn't the government pursue the past that Mark McGwire wasn't eager to talk about? Why does MLB seem to have only a passive interest in Paul Byrd?"

I am a die hard Packer fan, but some of your comments were spot on. Im also a big Brett Farve fan. Yet, I'll admit, Brett Farve, rather than be vilified for his former alcoholism, hard partying ways and serious addiction to pain-killers taken during his rise to stardom has been forgiven completely. In fact, most would say that his addictions humanized him and almost made him more of a hero. Rather than being seen for what they were, addictions, it was seen as a sign of dedication to the team and personal toughness. Randy Moss has never been accused of having any addiction, and has probably not done anything wrong more than take an occassional play off during his Oakland days. Moss wasnt on the "Minnesota Love Boat", he hasn't been charged with assault as a professional athlete, and he hasnt been fined like Terell Owens. Yet, even though Moss and Farve are both game-breakers, Moss has always recieved the negative reputation. But again, it is always about perception and how an athlete comes across to the fans.
Think about it, Brady vs. Manning. Even ESPN hyped up the game as a battle of good vs. evil. Manning is the affable, down home type that fans seem to like. Brady is the smirking type who would rather be taking out models than at home with the family. But again, this is all perception. After throwing a touchdown pass, Manning is the guy running to the sideline avoiding everyone and giving out no credit. Brady high fives his teammates as they run off the field together. Manning blames a lack of depth or an officials call in post game interviews, Brady can get angry but does not make excuses. The point being, some athletes will always be loved and some will always be vilified: irregardless of ethnicity.

I agree with the vast majority of things you have to say, however; I do take exception to one thing, the race card. You are probably right that if any one deserves to be in jail for a long time, it is those who supplied the drugs and HGH. I do not think the reason Barry Bonds is being indicted is because of his race, it is because he is now the all-time homerun leader. Baseball is a sport obsessed with numbers and the "purity" of its records, therefore it probably makes sense (to whom Im not exactly sure) to permanently ruin the reputation of a man who has broken the game's most important record under a lot of suspicion. Then too is the reputation of Bonds, it does not have anything to do with race, it has everything to do with percieved personality. On the flipside, "The Homerun Chase" united the country and allowed baseball to survive the 94' strike. During the chase, both athletes were portrayed as the warm, fuzzy types you'd want to invite to a barbeque. It is simply untrue to assume to white athletes are given a free pass and allowed to say more than any other athelete. Think back to John Rocker, his comments cost him his reputation (rightfully so) and eventually his job.