Protesting usually works best when it’s a part-time occupation
After the player reps of the NBA voted unanimously to restart the season, some dissenting voices emerged. Dwight Howard, Los Angeles Lakers center, and Kyrie Irving, injured point guard of the Brooklyn Nets, advocated not playing as part of their Black Lives Matter protest. Portland forward Carmelo Anthony and dozens of others support the contrarian position.
Howard, a key rebounder/rim defender for the team favored to win the West, said, “Basketball is not needed at this moment and will only be a distraction. I would love nothing more than to win my very first NBA Championship. But the unity of my people would be an even bigger Championship. Our unity starts at home with our families.”
National media reacted with mostly dissenting opinions of the dissenters. Hall of Famer Charles Barkley, speaking on ESPN’s Get Up, said, “I have no idea what Kyrie and Dwight are talking about, but it’d be a catastrophic mistake not to play. . . . Out of sight, out of mind.”
Shannon Sharpe, former football star, said on FoxSports1’s Undisputed: “With the money these guys can make for playing, they can donate to worthy causes. I’m not sure there will ever be another time when we have the world’s attention.”
So how to make the most of the moment? Easy for Kyrie to say “Don’t play” because he has no choice, recovering from shoulder surgery. Kendrick Perkins, on ESPN: “What is Kyrie’s plan after he sits out? He didn’t have one. He’s nothing but a distraction.”
Another African American, Mike Wilbon, said on Pardon the Interruption: “For Kyrie Irving and Dwight Howard to say we don’t want to work because we want to pay attention, you would be giving up your platform, gentlemen. If you don’t use it, that would be shameful. Pick up the microphone every day and open your mouths.”
Sarah Spain proposed on Around the Horn: “Players should have contracts with the media that for each five minutes they talk about the game, five minutes goes to a voice they think should be amplified.”
But wouldn’t they have more time to talk if they gave up basketball?
Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady (The Jump) said, “I would vote not to play. I realize you can play and still have awareness. But let’s not forget, people are still dying from coronavirus. We need to have a plan of action. We can do the tweeting and Instagram, but now we have to talk to our local leaders, our state leaders.”
Mina Kimes on Around the Horn said, “There’s a lot of validity to what Kyrie Irving is saying. If we’d had basketball over the past few weeks, we’d have spent a lot more time on this network talking about basketball and less time talking about player activism.”
If you want white America to understand how black lives matter, wouldn’t it make sense for our greatest athletes to stop performing? Perhaps we will fully appreciate them when they’re absent.
Some of the most offensive racists I hear cheer avidly for black athletes on their favorite teams. It’s true that many stopped watching NFL games when players started kneeling for the anthem, but most couldn’t keep from watching.
It’s impossible to know what effect a boycott would have, as opposed to athletes combining protest with performance.
In October 1968, Tommie Smith and John Carlos stepped onto the Olympic podium in Mexico City to receive medals. They shocked the world by wearing black socks—no shoes —and badges that read “Olympic Project for Human Rights.” Carlos had unzipped his jacket — against Olympic rules — to reveal a string of beads around his neck. They raised a fist, which became an enduring symbol of black power.
White America was outraged, but paid attention.
Then consider 1980, when President Jimmy Carter had the U.S. boycott the Games in Moscow. He protested the Soviet Union’s refusal to withdraw troops from Afghanistan. He wanted the Russians to respect “human rights.”
Carter’s boycott had little impact. Afghanistan remained in turmoil, as it does 40 years later. Perestroika forgotten, Russia today is no more a bastion of human rights than it was then.
America’s would-be Olympians were invited to Carter’s White House, but they would never enjoy the fame and influence they’d have had after competing on the international stage.
Contrast 1980 to the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. Some Americans wanted no part of Adolf Hitler’s propaganda fest. But most of the chosen athletes chose to attend. Germany dominated and, in the eyes of many, validated Hitler’s fake science of Aryan superiority. Yet, these same Olympics made Jesse Owens one of the most famous athletes in history. His medal sweep was a triumph for black people everywhere. White America loved him for his athleticism and fortitude.
Media voices will continue debate about the many ways and venues to advance the cause of racial justice and thwart the rampage of police brutality. Hopefully, most NBA players will know what works best for them.
