I try not to look at the NBA through the prism of race, but every time I see a hater column about why the college game is so much purer, or why no one gives a damn, I smell the "thug" comments underneath.
You can look at the YouTube comments of some NBA videos and the ugly side of people comes out. The racial issue is probably not the main reason for the NBA's decline in mainstream popularity, but it's at least a contributing factor.
Larry Bird himself admitted that the NBA would be better off if it had more white superstars, but even he admits that African Americans are the best athletes. While LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony seem to think it's not that big a deal, there's no doubt that mainstream American sports fans don't accept basketball the way they accept football or baseball.
And, certainly the idea that big, black men are the stars in the spotlight couldn't have hurt right?
If you look back at the last decade of champions, here are the white American players who have played on the winning teams: Brent Barry, Mark Madsen, Steve Kerr, Jason Williams. Let's just say that the NBA wasn't exactly chomping at the bit to get these guys on national TV.
The league hasn't had a great white American star since John Stockton, and his style of play made Tim Duncan look like Dr. J. You'd have to go back to Chris Mullin to find a white star that people identified with.
The '80s and early '90s had plenty of white players who mixed their mark with the best of black players—it was the perfect American sport at that time. Now, white players seem to be reduced to role playing, like Kyle Korver or Luke Walton.
Why did people get so excited about Steve Nash when the league handed him two MVP awards? It isn't to say he didn't deserve them--in each year you could make a solid case the trophy was his, but the fact that a white athlete was again making his mark on the league was a big deal.
Ditto Dirk Nowitzki's run, although his delightful German sneer made him perfectly hateable to everyone.
I don't think the problem is race, but the simmering resentment towards the massive contracts black players get up top, an amplification of professional affirmative action.
When these athletes proceed to underperform, the scorn is much larger than it would be on a white athlete, because he's worked hard to get where he is at without any help outside of your family, friends, and mentors. When a black athlete underperforms, he's not doing enough, despite all he's been given financially. It's a lose-lose situation.
How do we get away from race? Michael Jordan maintained his mainstream popularity by abhorring the race card early on and playing just like everyone else. His work ethic, not his race, defined who he was. It made him be the greatest he could be. Not genetics, not raw talent, but work!
It's something that only a few athletes seem to be capable of for 82 games plus playoffs now, an ethic that is severely lacking in the generation we're seeing now. Only a few players play with that drive right now, and that drive made us watch the games more than anything.
There's way too much ref-whining and horrible 1-on-5 offensive possessions that provides for some ugly basketball! That sense of entitlement needs to go away in order for America to truly appreciate basketball again.
We tuned in when Dwayne Wade took Miami to a title by putting the team on his back from Game Three of the Finals onward. We saw Detroit, a team full of black players and a No. 2 pick who couldn't pierce his ears, come together and stun the Lakers nation.
So, we're not neutral spectators, as long as the work shows and the game is played right.
If the NBA really wants to make this Final a success one (as well as future ones), they need to stop marketing just the stars of any race, and start marketing games and teams.
Individuals are only part of the puzzle. Like Boston says, Ubuuntu is what the key is. Let the game be the centerpiece and the stars be the background.
Hopefully, the teams can play the way they've played the past few months, and it'll be just like the old Celtics-Lakers duels.
Do you think the NBA has a race problem?
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4 months ago
I can't agree more in many ways. I don't know, but maybe ever since Michael Jordan, the individual player has been overemphasized to the detriment of the sport itself.
NBA executives imagined that marketing stars would get them more ratings but that was not the case. This all started with Jordan it has been a mistake ever since.
The team game and its facets need to be advertised because they have more long term staying power than just a single star.
As for race, it should not be an issue. It has nothing to do with greatness. When you saw Argentina and a Eastern European team destroy the mostly African American All Star team, it sent a strong message that hard work and skill would dominate. That is why Larry Bird and Chris Mullin were such fantastic talents. They had a higher degree of skill than most players in the league.
I would also encourage the NBA to make rules so that excellent skills are recognized beyond dunking ability. The Slam dunk used to be very exciting. It doesn't have the same affect now because it is overused.
Basketball should not become a leaping contest yet leaping ability should have its place in the game. I don't know how this can be established but it would help.
If you look at the game of Basketball in the time of Magic-Bird, that is what will strike us. That is the fact that skills were much higher where physical attributes were stressed to a lesser degree.
Anyhow, this is a difficult discussion but the NBA needs to have it to improve their long term prospect in a world where new sports like MMA are beginning to dominate the culture.
from 4 months ago
The NBA smartly went global two decades ago because of this. Why? It's an economical sport, only behind soccer in terms of equipment, and because the world would embrace it in a way mainstream America wouldn't.
The NBA won't be a mainstream sport in America again. Only football holds that throne. Basketball and baseball will soon be niche sports in this country, and that's not a terrible thing--we just have to see the bigger picture.
from 4 months ago
Actually the NFL will become a niche sport and MLB will once again rise to the top of the "Skill Set" sports.
Thanks to iTunes I can watch an entire football game in 25 or so minutes !
4 months ago
I agree that race will continue to be an issue in the NBA as long as most of the superstar and all star players are African Americans but I find it difficult to separate the thrill of NBA basketball from the concept of individual brilliance.
You say that the NBA should place the emphasis on the teams instead of the star players but the superstars are the main attraction for the millions of viewers worldwide. As much as I enjoy watching a team score from a well executed offensive play, it doesn't compare to the thrill of witnessing LeBron James or Kobe Bryant breaking down his defender and finishing the play with a thunderous dunk or seemingly impossible fade away jumper.
In your piece you don't state how you plan to judge the success of the upcoming NBA Finals but I would expect it to be one of the most watched finals for the past few seasons based on the current buzz through cyberspace.
If you look at the 2005 Finals between the Pistons and the Spurs it was deemed by many to be one of the most boring in recent memory. This is despite the fact that it was the first Finals series to last seven games since the Rockets battled the Knicks in ’94, it ended up being largely forgettable because of the lack of star quality on display (no disrespect to Tim Duncan who is arguably the greatest power forward of all time).
I disagree that the skill levels of players have diminished significantly since the 80's but after the success of Kevin Garnett’s venture straight to the pro's from high school there was an increase in the number of players who then followed which peaked in 2004 when 8 high school seniors were drafted in the 1st round.
By entering into the highest echelon of basketball without at least one year of college basketball we were bound to see players who had not yet mastered the finer points of the game or had inferior mechanics but were incredibly gifted athletes.
As a result we have all witnessed the growth of the likes of Tracy McGrady, LeBron James, Josh Smith, Dwight Howard and current league MVP Kobe Bryant who are all play a major role in making the NBA the hotbed of exhilaration that we see today.
So I think as much as I agree that it is important to watch players who are passionate and committed to the cause I think the key to the NBA’s success is its ability to draw in crowds who expect to see players who are capable of putting on a show. We need to remember that sport is a form of entertainment and I expect the 2008 Finals to be a dazzling spectacle.
from 4 months ago
What I'm saying is the NBA always markets stars (Chris Paul, LeBron James) rather than franchises (New Orleans Hornets, Cleveland Cavs). Teams are remembered by their fans for the whole cast of characters, not just the main men. This started with Michael Jordan, to the point at which Scottie Pippen's contributions have been largely cast aside by the casual NBA fan, and exemplified by the Kobe-Shaq duo, in which we forgot everyone else's face. We keep the main faces and make it difficult for us to identify with other players.
The league has TOO many stars now. We need to be marketing teamwork rather than dunks and alleyoop. Entertainment is fine, but the game should be at its center. I'm actually looking forward to this year's finals.
from 4 months ago
I think that has nothing to do with race..
4 months ago
The NBA, like every other league, has superstars, players who are out of the ordinary and have a combination of talent, skills, strong work ethic etc... It's not the NBA's fault that almost all the star players are african american.
It's like complaining the MLS is full of hispanic players, that's just because latin america has a tradition of treating soccer almost like a religion.
from 4 months ago
Diego, I hate to break it to you, but MLS is like the NBDL of soccer. There's a reason no one watches it. Soccer is Europe's sport, and will only have its niches here.
from 4 months ago
Sorry, the world's sport.
from 4 months ago
I disagree....
Argentina and Brazil ranked at the top 2 spots by FIFA.
Soccer is not only important in Europe, it's equally important in Latin America. And although I agree that the MLS it's not a great league, I see the interest people have for soccer here in the US. Maybe not in professional soccer but in youth leagues and amateur leagues.
from 4 months ago
Yes, and then they get destroyed by their European competition. Youth soccer might be well-organized in America, but it's a family-oriented game that doesn't appeal to the masses. Do they sell the way high school football games do?
4 months ago
Nicely done. Your best point was the accent not being on "team," but rather "individual." The Celtics-Lakers series of old was all about team. There wasn't an obvious race problem back then because the agents weren't getting in the way. They played for the love of the game.
Now, we have players making tens of millions (see Kwame Brown) for doing absolutely nothing but take up space, but I don't see it as affirmative action in the pros. Just some really good agents. In any case, I am hoping this current Finals highlights the many positives of the game.
4 months ago
There are a lot of NBA haters out there and they use veiled racism as part of their critique of the league. The ideas that "no one plays defense", "everyone travels", and "there's no teamwork" are all code for too many black players, not enough heady white guys. All of these issues are patently foolish, just watch some NBA games and see for yourself.
African American players have always been at the forefront of the league since they were allowed to play in it. From Russell, to Chamberlin, from Kareem, to Magic the leagues history is full of great teams led by African American players. And that continues today in a league that top to bottom is better than its ever been. How in gods name could one team win what, 9 out of 11 years and people think that the league was at its most competitive, in its golden era then?
The idea that guys of yesterday played with more love for the game doesn't wash either. The great players have and always will exhibit love of the game, it's one of the things that makes them great. To suggest that todays guys don't have that leaves me wondering if the people who think it even watch guys like Paul, Parker, Duncan, Garnett, Nash, Roy, Howard, Bosh and Kobe play. The list could go on a lot longer but you get the point.
The NBA has many problems but too many black athletes is not among them. Lack of coaches able to develop talent? Check. Owners too egotistical and foolish to understand when and when not to meddle? Check. A marketing plan centered around individual stars that ignores teams and teammates? Check. And worst of all for me a season thats at least 25 games too long? Checkmate.
Think the NBA has too many black players? I guess if you liked the game better during the era of the two-handed set shot maybe.
2 months ago
Only in American can the color of one's skin mean sooo much.
Those poor people have suffered enough in that country.
You Americans are the pathetic laughing stock of the entire world.
from 2 months ago
only in american? What poor people?, The rich black athlete or the rich crack dealer? That's what America was built on....Freedom of choice. Watch NBA or don't. Owners, Players and crack dealers will still be rich. As will the Oil barons (aka G W) and there cronies. Just one more, for the dumb Jack Asses that think anyone really cares. Keep on Blogging DuGfIsH 22.
from 2 months ago
I don't know what the hell that means. Europe suffers from far worse race issues than America does. We bring them front and center while Europeans just dust them under the mat. Tell me what the better approach is.
2 months ago
Well said Avinash.
Id be pleased to learn the origin of this "dropstep"
2 months ago
It's simple. I don't think factor #1 is race. It's the fact that many of the big time players over the last 10 years in the NBA have been complete dirtbags as human beings. It's framed by journalists as racism as that's a hot button and gives them something to write about to cause controversy. But, the sad fact is Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, Rasheed Wallace, Ron Artest, etc. just are not good people. Not liking someone b/c he is constantly in trouble with the law or constantly having trouble with his employer is just natural. Being generally uneducated and unable to have an intelligent conversation w/ a reporter doesn't help either....although Bryant is an exception here.
The reason why Jordan, Malone and Barkley were embraced is b/c they were generally good folks (even w/ Barkley's temper). Hopefully this will change w/ an infusion of better people such as Chris Paul, Dewayne Wade and Dwight Howard.
from 2 months ago
Oh you've got to be kidding with this thug crap. None of the people you mentioned are terrible human beings (Kobe maybe, but even that's debatable). But Iverson, Wallace and Artest? Sheed's one of the most passionate guys in the league and Artest probably the most. I love watching these guys on the court, they're easily the most compelling players out there. They're endearingly human.
I actually have been pondering this issue a little bit more. I'll have to revise it in a future column.
about 1 month ago
Yeah it's an intriguing point. I disagree with the idea that African Americans are the best athletes. Basketball is connected tightly with African American culture, and we see stars coming out of that community. The world is getting more passionate about basketball, and the international teams, comprised of white guys are getting more and more competitive.
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