Why So Many Race Conversations About the NBA?

[This Scribe has been sick, otherwise, this would have been published over the weekend. Hey, black history, as that of everyone in this world, is written every day, not just February.]

Recently, yours truly participated in a panel about the perception of African-Americans in the media at the CUNY School of Law which was put together by the school’s Black Law School Association chapter. It was a privilege to be a part of this for three reasons.

One, those who attended already had a long day of classes and they stuck around to listen to my drivel instead of going home right away. Two, the fellow panelists are far more distinguished than I am, yet, I felt like I was on that level, if only for an evening. Finally, for my perspectives to be considered in what is always a lightning rod for controversy said a lot about where I’ve been, where I’m hoping to go and how much more I have to learn.

From the diverse angles of media, law, finance, legislation, politics and academia, all of us were asked about how the images of blacks have an effect on daily life.

The moderator and longtime friend, Jamaal Bailey, directed several questions unique to the expertise of each panelist. He asked me that of all the sports I follow and have covered, in which sports organization does the topic of race come up with the most.

It was interesting because no matter what level of play, race does come up in every sport. It’s not just about how someone will espouse ignorance, but it’s also about what each observer brings to the table. Our experiences can cloud or clarify what we see on the field, can enhance or debase what we talk about and can inspire or belittle those with an investment in these contests.

However, considering that this was focused towards a predominantly black audience, I explained that I found race come up most often in two sports; boxing and basketball, specifically the NBA brand. And although boxing has always found a way to use prejudice to its promotional advantage, that’s certainly not the case for the NBA.

Courtesy of technovore

So why are there more race discussions about the NBA than everywhere else in our sports landscape? Well, it would be too easy to give this Scribe’s take, though you can always ask. However, I asked this question recently through social media and received a few interesting responses. What you’ll read might speak to a common thread, but each brings something else to consider. It’s easy to agree or disagree, but one thing’s certain, we don’t talk about any other league like this.

Jessica Bader (Colleague with The Perpetual Post): It's the one major sport where the athletes never wear a helmet (making them individuals rather than part of the faceless masses of the team) and the one in which the uniforms expose the most skin (disastrous short-lived Chicago White Sox experiments notwithstanding).


Merv Matthew (Assistant Professor at DePauw University, Indiana): It's the only league of the top four where a single minority group has all the best players. Football has a lot of top black players, but they also have the Mannings, Brady, etc. Hockey has a bunch of foreign dudes, and baseball has a pretty big mix. When was the last time anyone other than a black guy was in consideration for being the best player in the NBA?

I'm not sure how much the skin exposure counts, but Jessica has a point with the faces being exposed. People get to see the NBA athletes more than any other athletes on their playing fields. Throw in the fact that the smaller rosters make anonymity even harder to achieve in the NBA and it becomes easier to understand.


Pedro Cruz (Previously contributed to piece for Norman Einstein’s): It could be that the mainstream consciousness still sees predominantly white as the norm, the baseline upon which everything else can be added, like a junior partner in a firm, to compose a minority, but never really to take majority control. It may be what fuels the "fear" of the United States becoming predominantly Latino by 2050, the lionizing of segregation-era baseball, the continued worship of a ballplayer from that era still being hailed as the greatest player of all time even though he never played a regulation game against a player not from his own race.

It could also be what fuels many folks to speak of hockey's "old-school" mentality, of how NHL players are of a unique quality...even though they fight far more often than any other American athlete and routinely take cheap shots at each other. Why was Donald Brashear considered such a dirty player when he was no more dirty that Marty McSorley or any other NHL tough, and was the victim in his most infamous on-ice incident? Why is Peyton Manning, or more comparably Brian Urlacher, always hailed for his intelligence and leadership while Ray Lewis is praised for his physicality and brute strength? As a baseball guy, I hear some similar things about Latino athletes, especially black Latino athletes. Maybe the discussion will mirror that of the NBA if black Latino players become a large majority…

Mainstream consciousness just sees white as normal, along with it this protestant work ethic which seems to be freely assumed of white players more easily than those of color, leadership roles naturally belonging to them too, and anything outside of that as a "problem" in need of solving. The NBA is predominantly black. This may well be the reason. Infuriating, I know.


Shirley Huang, Esq. (Attorney in Ft. Myers, FL): I think the NFL and NBA both have a lot of discussion about race but it's slightly different. In the NFL, it's a white-black thing mostly when it comes to quarterbacks and everyone else... There's the whole "quarterbacks (i.e. predominantly White players) are the intelligent ones" and everyone else (Black players) just has athleticism" debate. The thing with the NBA might be that the highest paid players are (probably--I'm just guessing because I don't pay attention to salary reports) all Black. You have fans that are of all races who might "love" Kobe Bryant or LeBron James but hate Black people.

I think part of it is also due to the "thug mentality" that some might believe dominates the league. You have very few white American players in the league so I'm sure there has to be some resentment there. I mean look at that one guy who tried to create an all-white basketball league that was going to be all about "fundamentals."[Ed. Note: ah, yes, can't ever forget this]. There's already a league that's all about fundamentals; it's called the WNBA!


David Lee (Also contributed to piece for Norman Einstein’s): NHL gets a lot of conversations about race as well, seeing how it’s predominantly white. In fact you could say it’s more drastic in the NHL than the NBA. In the NBA there are several All Stars (or former ones) who were not black (Nash, Nowitzki, Yao etc). In the NHL, there aren’t many. The only current player I can think of is (Jarome) Iginla.

Rushing

This is one of many comments that have given Rush Limbaugh a not-so-favorable perception despite his status as a media icon. Some liberals, especially those who make a living from needling conservatives, may consider him the cancerous throat in the right wing movement in the United States. Some conservatives, especially those who enjoy philosophical banter with their counterparts, see him as a flawed, but passionate champion of the cause to bring America back to an idyllic time that may have never truly existed. Moderates may view him as a blowhard who would likely find an enemy in every corner of a gentrified Harlem or a friend in a certain Congressman that defied proper House decorum recently.

The story surrounding Limbaugh as a potential bidder for ownership of the St. Louis Rams has exploded to the point that there is little else to add to the conversation except the above audio clip and an overlooked consideration if majority owner Chip Rosenbloom truly takes a look in his direction.

If the team owners consider a potential sale to this group, it would show that the Limbaugh/Dave Checketts union is more about Limbaugh’s cash and Checketts’ resume than it is about Limbaugh’s views. For those who don't know, Checketts was pretty much born into the sports business. From becoming the youngest General Manager in NBA history for the Utah Jazz at 28 years old to evenutally becoming president of the New York Knicks in 1991 to the head of all Madison Square Garden properties to his current ownership of Real Salt Lake (MLS) and the NHL Blues, Checketts has faced nearly every challenge the sports business has.

With a tenuous stadium situation for the Edward Jones Dome and a painfully quick fall back to the bottom rung of the NFL after Super Bowl success about a decade ago, the Rams are in need of a steady hand at the table. Yes, money can provide everything a fan base desires, but an absurd amount of riches can be a curse if not managed properly (see Oakland, Dallas and Washington).

I do believe that Jason Cole at Yahoo! Sports says it best in regards to how the other owners (even Oakland's much-maligned Al Davis) are going to monitor the Limbaugh bid:

For all the hard-hitting and violence of the NFL, the reality is that the league likes the benign a lot more. It’s like when singer Glenn Campbell had his show in the 1970s and was going against the likes of the Smothers Brothers. When Campbell’s producers urged him to take on political topics, he refused. He wanted his show to be an escape, not an agitator. As a result, he had much higher ratings.

And folks, the NFL is all about ratings (duh). This isn’t even about how the players or the NFL Players Association or anybody really feels about Limbaugh. It’s about providing an escape from the likes of Limbaugh. Keep the people happy as they watch and, most importantly, spend. The NFL is the Disney World of sports and just as Disney makes sure that none of the paying customers wear anything out of line, the NFL restricts folks from saying anything out of line (just ask Jerry Jones).

In the sports business, we have seen time and time again how individuals will leverage their fame, access and resources to become players in the boardroom. Look across the major league landscape and you’ll find people from various backgrounds who, while having some passionate interest in the games, probably have no reason to be involved (Jay-Z, Usher, pretty much everyone who has a piece of the Miami Dolphins outside of principal owner Stephen Ross). Unless Rush agrees to let Checketts handle the minutae of the Rams' business without having to concern himself about his partner's provocative politics, there's little chance that the owners will bring him into the fold.

Stereotypes (II)

In today's edition of the New York Times, Harvey Araton discussed the turnaround of perceptions of New York Knicks' stars Nate Robinson and David Lee. Being that the Stephon Marbury era officially ended last night with the buyout of the final months of his contract, it seems that the Knicks' press corp wanted to throw a party as the most infamous signing of the Isiah Thomas era has officialy departed. Yet, with all the moves made in the NBA over the past week, Araton chose to reflect on the moves not made (and wisely not made considering their individual skills).

A few paragraphs about Lee, the fourth-year forward out of Florida, were interesting to read:

When (head coach Mike) D’Antoni was hired, it was often said Lee would not be around long because he wasn’t a classic D’Antoni player, a seven-seconds-or-less-style jump shooter. He has debunked that theory, in small part by improving his jumper but in large part by demonstrating that he is an excellent transition player, ambidextrous and dangerous.

“The first thing I realized about him that I didn’t know was that he’s got great talent with both hands around the basket,” (team president Donnie) Walsh said. “He goes in against shot-blockers, gets around them because they don’t know which hand he’s going to use. Plus his rebounding ability, his instincts — now, those are all talents I don’t think the guy gets credit for a lot.”

That’s because adroit hands and good court instincts have typically been underplayed as natural assets in a sport too often obsessed with hang time. Moreover, it has been too convenient for mythmakers throughout the decades to extol white players for their hard work, while the inverse has been the case for blacks, celebrated mainly for natural ability.

Normally as anything racial or seemingly racial in sports media is littered with trolls, extreme reactions and tasteless references to someone well-known in the public eye (here's looking at you, President Obama). And so there's a concerted effort to not dip too much in that well unless I personally feel it's warranted.

However, Araton's last paragraph brings up the most persistent stereotype in sports. It's more common in contact sports such as (American) football and basketball, though this can certainly rear its ugly head in other games. It's what made Jack Johnson one of the least-recognized technicians in boxing history, what made Jimmy the Greek and Paul Hornung synonymous with "foot in mouth" disease and Brett Favre somehow tougher than Steve McNair for so many years. It's an ideal that finds itself popping up online, on the air (more often than we care to admit) and at some obnoxiously loud bar on a Friday night.

Yet, I ask you all: considering how much more aware we are of the perceptions of athletes over the years, even before in the 'good ol' days' before our lives began, do you think that this stereotype will ever go away?