Race and Basketball (or How Steve Nash Solved The Race Problem)

If you're not into the NBA since Jordan left, you may be missing out on one of the most important events in racial politics. Let me give you a rundown.

Dan Le Batard wrote an article recently in the Miami Herald
saying that race might have been involved in Steve Nash winning NBA MVP.

No one who looks or plays like Steve Nash has ever been basketball's MVP. Ever. In the history of the award, a tiny, one-dimensional point guard who plays no defense and averages fewer than 16 points a game never has won it. But Nash just stole Shaquille O'Neal's trophy, even though O'Neal had much better numbers than Nash in just about every individual statistical measurement except assists, so it begs the question:

Is this as black and white as the box-scores that usually decide these things?

Well guess what. He pissed people off. Not white people. Black people.

John Thompson, who is black, criticized Le Batard during the TNT broadcast, claiming it does a disservice to Nash's fine season to bring race into the debate.

Monday night, governor-wanna-be, republican Charles Barkley ripped Le Batard on TNT's postgame show, calling the column "asinine." At that point columnists across the country were ridiculing Le Batard in print.

One of the few people to come to Le Batard's defense was Rex Chapman.

"I know [Le Batard]. I played in Miami for a year," said Chapman, a 12-year NBA vet and an All-American at Kentucky. "He's in Miami covering the Heat. They'll throw the 'homer' tag on him. Other journalists might say he just wants the shock value. I don't know Dan well enough to know what his motives are. But when I heard it, the first thing that went through my mind was, 'Damn right.'

 

"What mainly lends it credence, gives it some merit, is the MVP voting was close. You know, I grew up in a place (Owensboro, Ky.) where racism is an epidemic. I'm not talking about 20 years ago. I'm talking to this day. Drive through the South. But it's not just the South. [It's] other parts of this country, rural areas – hell, in the cities. It doesn't take but just a handful [to swing the vote].

 

It was silly to dismiss Le Batard's article as nonsense. Of course, race could have been a motivating factor in some people's vote."

"Look, our game is dominated by black players. But the last two guys on the roster, half of them are white," Chapman explained. "Those are business decisions for the white customer to come to the game."

But the race factor goes both ways, as Jason Withlock of ESPN.com noted:

Sports journalists – black and white – are not immune to carrying their racial biases and preferences into the voting booth. In fact, I believe we're more prone to do it than people in other professions. Our industry seethes with racial tension.... but many white sports writers feel like they're being passed over for jobs by unqualified, minority candidates, or they have a friend who was passed over by a less qualified minority or woman.

Still Withlock supports Le Batard.

Race may have been a factor. How could it not be. But these black sports stars continue to embarrass themselves and their race by not just stating the truth.

My second ex-wife (the smart one) used to always say Speak truth to power." I didn't get it. But I do now. This age is so graceless and folks are so self absorbed that they don't care about the truth.

Remember Shag's comments "I'm tired of hearing about money, money, money, money, money.I just want to play the game, drink Pepsi, wear Reebok."


And, of course, for pure capitalism, it's hard to top His Airness Michael Jordan who, despite being arguably the most powerful and influential figure in sports at his peak, refused to support black senatorial candidate Harvey Gantt in his campaign against the rancid Jesse Helms, explaining, "Republicans buy shoes, too."

And now our own sports heroes want to ignore the elephant in the room.

Can't anybody speak truth to power?

 

 

Comments

[Vex]

A few things about last years MVP. If you know basketball, you'll know the real value of stats... So stop referring to the numbers. In the votting list, there was two Miami players, Shaq and Dwyane... It's hard to have two MOST valuable guys in the same team isn't? And Shaq had a really bad year compared to others non-MVP season he had in LA (and it's worst this year...) Nash really deserved that, he really was the key to PHX succes. I think that he was the V of PHX and the MVP of the league. Le Batard (Batard is french for bastard, litteraly) sure wanted the Heat player to win. There's no such thing as MO20PP (Most over 20 points player) It's all about Value!
Sure there are race problems in America, but I think that (for at least a decade or two) basketball is where there are the least racism problems, I don't know any players (that I played with) who cares about the color of his teammates', opponents' or coach's skin. This is up here in Quebec, tell me if I'm wrong!

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