As a 6′ 10″ freak of nature, I think I’m in a place to say that society discriminates against tall people in ways that most people don’t even realize. There are obvious things like flying (I am of the firm belief that it should be illegal to recline your seat on an airplane) but there are plenty of others issues tall people have to deal with on a daily basis, whether it’s avoiding ceiling fans, finding shirts that don’t look like a maternity dress, or dealing with the general public’s inability to stop themselves from informing tall people that they are tall as if no one had ever pointed that out before.
When you reach a certain height, you’re essentially expected to play basketball, which I did until my knees and ankles decided they didn’t feel like dealing with that noise anymore. I’ve come to accept the fact that someone will ask me if I’m an NBA player whenever I leave my apartment (and be visibly disappointed when I tell them I’m not) when the closest I’ll ever come to making the league was when I posed as a player and sneaking onto the floor of the draft a few years ago.
With all of that being said, I refuse to ignore the blatant show of intolerance recently perpetrated by the Korean Basketball League. According to The Korea Times, the KBL has instituted a ban on foreign-born players taller than 6′ 6″ in what they claim is an attempt to “encourage teams to recruit players with better speed and skills.” As a result, at least a couple of Americans who have played in the league are being ostracized because of their genetics, a strategy that has never backfired in the history of history.
Fans have started a petition to get the league to reverse the rule, and on behalf of all tall people, I’d like to issue an official statement:
Thank you for your time.
