My take on the NBA boycott, and why players were wise to not go dark the rest of the season
Updated 8/28/2020 4:00 PM
I’m glad NBA players decided Thursday not to boycott for the rest of the season.
Not because something like $1 billion in national television rights is riding on the playoffs, though that’s certainly a consideration, too.
I believe the players’ collective voice is louder with participation than while sitting out.
I’m old enough to remember the boycott by some Black athletes of the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City in protest of civil rights in this country. Activist Harry Edwards convinced many to compete, arguing that the voice of those in competition would be greater than those who stayed home.
The enduring memory of those games is black gloves on the raised fists of sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos on the victory stand in a human rights salute.
Perhaps today’s NBA athletes are underestimating the impact the series of police shootings over the past year has had on the general public in America — white, Black and those of all colors and races.
I don’t think the boycott of games scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday was necessary to convey to the country that we need to take a look at the way those in law enforcement deal with Black citizens.
It may be time, too, for some education with those being interrogated. If you’re stopped by police in any kind of criminal investigation, comply with instructions — even if you deem the cop’s delivery to be rude, condescending or even racist. Do not get in a physical altercation or attempt to run. That’s for people of any race or nationality.
It doesn’t excuse the actions of cops in cases such as George Floyd or Breonna Taylor. The video of this week’s incident in Kenosha, Wisconsin, was hard to watch— seven gun shots in the back of Jacob Blake, who had broken away from police and was trying to get into his car, with his three young boys waiting. That said, we don’t know what role race had, if any, in the officer’s actions.
In its wake, there was some sentiment among players that the rest of a season already flummoxed by the coronavirus ought to be canceled. According to reports, the Lakers and Clippers players were polled and the majority voted to go dark until next season.
It’s an emotional time and one of high anxiety over race relations in the U.S., a time when
LeBron James “demands” change on Twitter.
But what kind of change? What kind of actions are the players looking for as a result?
If the desire is for the officers involved in the Blake case to be charged and prosecuted, that will come only after an investigation that won’t happen overnight. If the officers are found to be guilty of wrongdoing, I believe they’ll pay their penance.
Players say they want actions from the team’s owners, who have been supportive of the Black Lives Matter movement, allowing, even endorsing, means of protest through kneel-downs and other gestures during the national anthem, through slogans on the back of jerseys. Earlier this month, owners pledged to donate $300 million over the next decade to establish the first NBA Foundation “dedicated to creating greater economic empowerment in the Black community” in partnership with the NBA Players Association.
Is defunding of police departments throughout the country a goal? I don’t see that as beneficial to the pursuit of law and order.
A neighbor and I talked this week. He recently left the Portland Police Bureau after 22 years in law enforcement because he’d grown tired of the way his profession is now viewed by the public.
“We’re being judged by the actions of a few bad cops,” he told me. “The vast majority are good people doing their best to provide protection and safety for everybody.”
Police officers — human beings all — will continue to make errors of judgement in the course of apprehension of people of all races and genders. A boycott of NBA games will not effect change there.
“Don’t listen to these people telling you, ‘Don’t do anything,’ because it’s not gonna end right away,” Chris Webber said to the players on TNT. “You are starting something for the next generation, and for the next generation to take over.”
The next generation gets it. It is welcoming of diversity and inclusion like no generation before. In recent months, the Black Lives Matter movement has held the attention of a nation. I think the message is getting across. If you don’t believe it, check out walls on fences around schools and parks in the Portland area. Signs of support for racial equality abound. Support for the movement is already rampant, especially in young people but also in adults of all ages.
As an admirer of Doc Rivers, I was disappointed when I heard him say, “It’s amazing why we keep loving this country, and this country does not love us back.”
To Doc, I say this: Do not let the actions of a few wipe away the actions of the vast majority of whites, who feel the same way you do about bigotry.
In reference to the “Bubble” in Orlando this week, Bucks guard George Hill said, “We shouldn’t even have come to this damn place.”
Really? The league and its players worked hard to create a safe environment and protection from COVID-19 and have made it a success story.
I’m glad the NBA players didn’t blow it up with a rash decision over a troubling incident.
There are greater opportunities today in this country than there have ever been for people of color, for citizens of different races and sexual preferences. It’s not a perfect world, or even close to it, but we’re moving in the right direction.
NBA players have every right to make their voices heard. They’ll continue to do it, and good for them. I’m of the mind that it’s better to do it while playing than while sitting it out.
Readers: what are your thoughts about the NBA boycott? Share your comments below.
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