Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/Entertainment
EntertainmentSports

White Fan Tells Nigel Hayes He Needs to Cut His ‘Bizarre” Hair If He Wants to be Successful In NBA, Life

By | Published on May 19, 2017
CommentsComments (0) Add ABS as a preferred source on Google i

Nigel Hayes has been outspoken about race issues. (Stacy Revere/Getty Images Sport)

Nigel Hayes recently graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a successful college basketball career as a Badgers forward, but a fan was more focused on his “bizarre” hairstyle.

Hayes, who is the only Badger to have appeared on the college’s top 10 list for points, rebounds and assists, tweeted a letter from Jennie Madden, a self-proclaimed fan of his and UW-Madison. The note began by congratulating him for earning his degree and staying in college. But it took a turn when she slammed his hair, which he wears in locs.

“What the heck crazy odd hairdo are you having on the top of your head??” Madden wrote. “Who wants [to sign] a handsome nice guy like you with such a bizarre hairdo as what you got?

“Get to the barbers,” she wrote, recommending a local Black shop in Madison. “And get all cleaned up with a nice haircut and [side-burn] trim and [professional] appearance — then for sure you will get picked to be on a pro basketball team looking better and more classy for their team and community.”

Madden felt Hayes, who has been racially targeted in the past, could “set [an] example” by “not only getting your nice college diploma — but [getting] a good appearance.”

Hayes’ teammate, guard Zak Showalter, who is white, also received an email from Madden, who praised his haircut and asked to get more information to share with her brother.

As a result of the racist email, many fans supported Hayes.

UW-Madison also shared its support.

The ABS Newsletter — Stories that matter, in your inbox.

Independent journalism still matters.

We hope this story was worth your time. For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed Black-owned and independently run. We didn't get here by waiting on ad budgets that were never built to prioritize us. Our readers did that.

Corporate support for Black media has always been thin. Outlets like ours get roughly 1% of the $170 billion spent on U.S. advertising each year, and that margin is shrinking further as advertisers walk back the DEI-linked commitments they made in 2020. That's the backdrop. It's not why we're asking.

The wider picture isn't any steadier. Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under, it's rarely the ones built to center a Black perspective from the ground up that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Latest from Atlanta Black Star

Back to top