(Jewish Group) Meet the fans who wore 'fight antisemitism' shirts to protest Kyrie Irving

[Behind the Aegis]

Kyrie Irving wasn’t getting the message about antisemitism — so a group of Orthodox Jews sat courtside at his game to reinforce it.

In a plan that came together in less than 24 hours, eight Jewish fans went to the Brooklyn Nets’ home game Monday night in matching blue shirts with the phrase “fight antisemitism” emblazoned across it. Their appearance during the broadcast alongside Irving, the star Nets guard who posted a link to an antisemitic movie Thursday, instantly went viral on Twitter.


Realizing that their two families had eight consecutive seats in the front row on the side of the court facing TV cameras, the two account holders, Aaron Jungreis and Bryan Haimm, hatched the idea at a wedding Sunday night.

“They wanted to give a sign to the Nets that they’re season ticket holders and they don’t approve of what Kyrie is doing,” said Andrew Pearl, Jungreis’ son-in-law, who was in the group that went. “And they wanted to show Kyrie.”


Lindsay Haimm, second from left, got the shirts made Monday afternoon. Andrew Pearl, far right, said the idea to go together was hatched by his father-in-law Sunday night. Photo by YES/via screenshot

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1. Good move. I hope they keep pressing the issue...

as Irving needs to be at least suspended.

The Nets organization and the league have not handled this PR disaster properly at all. When the Clippers' owner's racist statements and views surface a few years back there was a tremendous uproar and he was forced to sell the team. Commissioner Adam Silver was hailed as the best sports commissioner in the land for how he handled it.

Early this year when similar revelations came out on the Phoenix Suns' owner, an uproar also erupted but that case of racism was handled decidedly differently as it was a comparative slap on the wrist as he was only banned from the game for a year and is allowed to keep his team.

Now with Irving and his antisemitism, which I consider an equivalent to racism, he gets no punishment, nothing...allowed to keep playing, not suspension, must less being waived. He keeps getting paid and is even shielded from the press by the Nets team.

The fallout is still happening but so far the Nets, the league and the commissioner have bungled their handling of this.