Bucks President on Milwaukee: 'The Most Racist, Segregated Place I've Ever Experienced'

Pro-sports executives like to talk up the value of their franchises to the cities in which they are based. Often this comes in the form of broad, sweeping statements about a team bringing communities together, offering a way to bridge those matters which usually divide us. They seldom define these real-world problems they hope to solve for fear of offending some part of their fan base.

And then there's Milwaukee Bucks president Peter Feigin. The city was in the news this summer when the shooting death of Sylville Smith, an African-American, at the hands of the police led to several nights of protests by locals.

It was an embarrassing moment for Milwaukeeans, who have longed struggled with racial tension. And Feigin did not mince words when he spoke to a Madison, Wisconsin, Rotary club last week:

"We know we can't cure the world. But we are very determined to get ourselves involved in programs that we can measure a difference in and put our claws into for a long period of time and show a difference.

"Very bluntly, Milwaukee is the most segregated, racist place I've ever experienced in my life. It just is a place that is antiquated. It is in desperate need of repair and has happened for a long, long time. One of our messages and one of our goals is to lead by example."

Now there's something you don't hear everyday from representatives of your local team. This idea of Milwaukee didn't just come to Feigin out of thin air, however. Research from the Brookings Institute, among others, has empirically concluded that it is the most segregated city in America.

The Bucks are no strangers to dealing with racial tension in their hometown. Last season, forward John Henson publicly called out a local jewelry store for racial profiling after they locked the door and called the police when he and his friends attempted to enter the store to shop during regular business hours.

It will likely be noted that Feigin, a New York native, "ain't even from 'round here." Midwesterners have a long history of railing against accusations from snooty East Coasters that they are behind the times. That doesn't make Feigin wrong, though.

[Madison.com]