Article from 1/2001, before some of the more recent, and more egregious and offensive, incidents:

[link|http://www.citypaper.com/2001-01-03/feature.html|http://www.citypaper...1-03/feature.html]

Without mincing words, there is a subset of black athletes who are frankly irritating to whites (and many blacks) for deep reasons that are without doubt at least partially racist in nature. When one sees something like the Joe Horn cell-phone call, it's not possible to ingore it as harmless fun - it's deeply offensive to our sensibility and love of teamwork - and sometimes it is impossible not to lash out at the entire group. Thus we get an interesting study in the origins of racism, and see that race is only a secondary component (many, perhaps most, blacks are as offended as whites by these displays), and that the primary component is cultural. Are there cases where racism as cultural rejection is justified? I'm tempted to say, yes, but I won't.

The facts are, one does not see this behavior from whites in football and baseball, with extremely rare exceptions (e.g. Jeremy Shockey). Such demonstrations are completely absent in hockey - does this mean there is no celebrating? Of course not! I've seen hockey victory dances that brought a tear of joy to the eye. What one doesn't see in hockey is gloating and showboating.

Oddly, one also does not see this behavior in basketball, which, by common consensus, is a "black" sport. Whatever circumstance elicits these displays from blacks, they seem to be absent in their own proper game. Conclusion - the display is not aimed at the other team, nor is it a celebration - it is an act (perhaps unconscious) of intimidation and disrespect aimed at whites in general, and whites KNOW this, and they don't like it.

There is no doubt that this behavior is inimical to teamwork and sportsmanship. One can draw his own conclusions from there about how it should be handled.