The NBA is Becoming a Voice for Social Change
“Republicans buy tennis shoes, too.” — Michael Jordan
That quote has haunted Michael Jordan for 26 years. He said it in regards to a political race that was happening in North Carolina. One candidate was Harvey Gantt, the first black man to attend Clemson and the mayor of Charlotte. His competition, Jesse Helms, was a notorious racist. Jordan, at the peak of his powers, was approached about the race and if he’d support Gantt. That’s when he dropped that infamous line. Since then people, especially his black audience, have chastised Jordan for not speaking up about social issues that plague his community.
On Monday, that all changed.
Jordan released a statement via The Undefeated saying that he can no longer be silent. His essay walked a very thin line in condemning the recent killings of unarmed black men and police officers all while praising the law enforcement that has protected him throughout his career.
Jordan didn’t stop there. He also donated $2 million to two organizations that are taking charge on these issues. The first million went to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the other million went to the International Association of Chiefs of Police’s new Institute for Community-Police Relations.
Mouth, meet money.
Jordan isn’t the only person speaking out, the NBA drew a line in the sand Thursday afternoon.
The league decided to withdraw the 2017 All-Star game from Charlotte due to HB2, a law that hinders transgendered people from using the bathroom which they identify with. The league will give the city another chance and will tentatively schedule the 2019 All-Star game there. A replacement city has not been chosen for the 2017 game. With this decision the league has decided to stand with the LGBT community and fight against a law that is discriminatory.
North Carolina has stood firmly against those who oppose the HB2 law. Many big businesses and public figures have stated their distaste for the bill but the NBA is the first entity to take action. The old saying, “money talks” will be tested as the first domino has fallen. Will North Carolina rescind the law or will other major sports associations like Nascar and the NCAA have to pull out of future events in order for change to occur?
If history has taught us anything it’s that the NBA is on the correct side. Not too long ago similar laws existed that kept black people from using restrooms due to similar fears. Decades later we all look back and see how silly those laws were and how brave those who stood against it were. Decades from now I’m sure we’ll be saying the same thing. My mother always told me that if you don’t know your history then you’re doomed to repeat it and we’ve seen this story before. No matter what religion you practice, what race you are, or where you come from I think we all can agree that treating someone as subhuman only because you don’t understand them isn’t right.
It doesn’t stop there.
Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and LeBron James took the stage at the ESPY’s and demanded a change. A call to action to end gun violence and to stop police brutality. A moment that drew a lot of praise as well as criticism. You have those that were elated that someone with a big platform used their voice on social issues and there are those who want their athletes to stick to sports. The beauty of that moment? All four men were up there to help celebrate the late, great, Muhammed Ali. An athlete who helped lead the charge for equal rights in a time where hostile retaliation was more than probable.
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Whether the NBA likes it or not it’s now in the forefront of American politics. They’ve become an advocate for social change; a position that’s very dangerous, yet inspiring. With that, the NBA has also boxed itself into a corner. What happens when a social issue rises that they don’t want to deal with? Will they speak out? It’s clear that they don’t mind athletes speaking about issues that concern them. A trend that the WNBA is starting to follow, though reluctantly. One can be assured that retaliation will come from the paying customer. People will boycott the NBA and if it gains enough steam may make the league pay attention. The question is how the league will respond if this situation accelerates. Will they fold if the bottom line is affected or will they stand on the belief that their athletes are more than basketball players? The same question can be asked of the superstars. Ali gave up two years of his professional prime in order to stand what he believed. Would LeBron or Melo do the same? Adam Silver has opened a Pandora’s Box, a box that can’t be closed during his entire tenure as NBA Commissioner.
A box that he’ll gladly open if it leads to change.
Feel free to send me your thoughts, @mattgarrett41
As always, thanks for reading.
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