Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom is not exactly the most popular person with the fanbase.
Quite simply, Bloom has not lived up to expectations. He was expected to lead the Red Sox to the postseason every year, the Boy Genius who would modernize the organization as he turned them into the Rays with money. While the Red Sox did reach the ALCS in 2021, they finished dead last in the division in 2020 and 2022. It should not be a surprise that Bloom has had vocal detractors due to the Red Sox performance.
But there is a line. And quite simply, a section of the fanbase has gone so far beyond that point that it is unbelievable. In what is essentially a fluff piece by the Boston Globe, it was revealed that Bloom has received death threats and been the target of anti-Semitic slurs due to the team’s performance.
This should not be a surprise. There is a very clear history of racism in Boston, especially as it comes to sports. The Red Sox were infamously the last team in Major League Baseball to integrate, finally doing so more than a dozen years after Jackie Robinson shattered the colour barrier. Even then, Pumpsie Green may have only been allowed to be a part of the organization because the Red Sox had fallen far behind the rest of the league due to their refusal to integrate.
These issues are not ancient history either. The likes of Torii Hunter, LeBron James, and Adam Jones detailed their own battles with racism from the fanbase. SNL alum Michael Che said Boston was the “most racist city he’s ever been to.” Even Celtics’ great Bill Russell called Boston a “flea market of racism” and he is a legend amongst fans.
Nothing has changed. Racists and bigots have become even more emboldened given the current political climate. There is the belief that anyone can say anything they want and not suffer the consequences. While Bloom’s tenure may have been a disappointment thus far, he does not deserve this type of abuse. No one does. But no one should be surprised that this is happening in Boston either.
Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom has received death threats and been targeted with anti-Semitic slurs due to the team’s struggles. No one should be surprised.
I’m a longtime Sox fan and fan of sports as well, and I am not happy about how the team looks, but that is never cool to threaten or make racial epithets against someone. Its just a game played by men for lots of money. Don’t take it so seriousily. I know its Boston, but you don’t want Papi to return to kick your butt. But maybe while he’s here he could DH for home games?