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In the midst of a national movement for progress, individuals take to the streets to protest injustices. Sports leagues, however they may try to shy their eyes away from politics, have been forced to make a stance by their players. With leading examples from the NBA, these American sports leagues must take a stance on the historically deep-rooted prejudices that are corrupting our society today.
Some might say that there is no place for a piece like this on a sports blog. The same people will say there is no place for opinions on the protests that have been raging all over America in a sports league, or a sports broadcast. Well, by the nature of sports, I say that’s wrong.
Sports has had an important place in history. Not just to those who are interested in it, recalling memories about their favorite play or this game they went to. No, it has an important place in history due to the impact it has had to shape society the way it is now.
So let’s start with individuals. Jackie Robinson. Jesse Owens. Jim Brown. Muhammad Ali. Walter Payton. Bill Russell. These individuals are considered some of the greatest athletes to ever live, but their playing days are overshadowed by an even greater legacy – their representation as black individuals in society. Most of these players lived their lives when segregation hadn’t even ended, where racism was an accepted form of discrimination in America. But that didn’t deter them. These individuals had to jump to extra hoops to get to where they were, and still proved to the world their greatness. They had to face tough losses others didn’t have to, just because of the color of their skin. And through it all, they persevered, and set path for their kin to have opportunities they didn’t have back in their day.
Perhaps a sad truth of America is that, some of these great individuals are still alive. We are only a couple decades removed from when racism was legal, and violence against people were accepted because their skin color wasn’t white. Unfortunately, we are still mired in a reality where the lessons these great individuals taught us fall flat to many people. America is divided on a issue such as Black Lives Matter. I’ll repeat that, America is divided on racism. And here I thought, racism was bad. Apparently to a great majority of this country, it isn’t.
So why does that matter in this sense? Why is a blog called Sports History Now discussing Black Lives Matter and the state of society? Well, the simple answer is because sports have been a driving force to make society see the falls of prejudice, and progressive sports leagues such as the NBA still have to make statements on such an argument that perhaps shouldn’t have two sides.
Look at the recent NBA boycott. Started by the Milwaukee Bucks and the Orlando Magic, these teams stopped play on crucial playoff games to protest the shooting of Jakob Blake. The rest of the NBA followed, alongside the WNBA. It’s for a good cause, and yet, people still say “stick to ball.” We’re talking about the livelihood of these players, the culture of where they came from, and all some of us can do is be blinded by their own ignorance.
Look at the first NFL game since the COVID-19 pandemic. The Kansas City Chiefs and the Houston Texans. In solidarity with the BLM movement, players from both teams locked arms to raise awareness of such issue. What is the response? Boos and jeers from the crowd. This is why blogs like this are necessarily, and sports need to step in.
I applaud the NBA. I look upon the historical failures from the NFL to address social issues, but stand impressed with their recent efforts. I respect individuals such as Lebron James and Colin Kaepernick, spreading a peaceful message of equality. And most importantly, I implore everyone reading this, to have a double take. Sports are supposed to unite, not divide, but some of those standing on the wrong side of history seem to be making it harder for the rest of us. It’s not that hard, racism is bad and equality should be celebrated.
Tenny Kim 