Of all the professional sports, NBA basketball is probably the one I care about the least. I'm sure that spending most of my life in a city without an NBA team has something to do with that. Now that I live in an NBA town, I still don't like pro basketball, but I find that a lot of the off court story lines can be interesting.
As we've watched the preparations for the return of the NBA in this present climate, a couple of things have struck me. First the notion of putting "black lives matter" on the courts, second that replacing of names with slogans on jerseys.
To be clear, I don't have a problem with either of these actions. The NBA is a private organization, and can exercise it's right to free expression as much as it wants.
Of course, if this free expression costs them in ratings or revenue, that's a consequence they need to be prepared to accept.
But, what I find interesting is that as we see more attention drawn to the role of fatherlessness in the black community and it's negative effects, it seems strange to see athletes with multiple illegitimate children pushing the "black lives matter" narrative.
I know it's not just an NBA problem, but the NBA is the most "woke" of the leagues, so the lack of attention to this issue is the most noticeable.
http://www.nbamixes.com/10-nba-players-with-the-most-illegitimate-children
https://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/finally_a_list_of_athletes_and_their_illegitimate_children/s1__25043?
https://www.thesportster.com/basketball/15-nba-players-with-more-baba-mamas-than-rings/
https://www.ranker.com/list/nba-players-with-the-most-kids/celebrity-lists
Maybe, just maybe, this is an area where the NBA (really all pro leagues) could provide genuine leadership on one of the issues harming the "black community".
3 comments:
“Absent fathers and broken family units are the root cause of virtually all social problems in the modern world.
It's obvious too... But nobody wants to admit it because it upsets people.”
Zuby
This year, there are aspects of each of the three major sports that I find compelling, specifically from a sports fan perspective. I'm going to have a hard time rejecting them completely...at least initially. For example...
The White Sox have a very interesting team that seems on the brink of greatness, either this year or next (barring the usual problems with injuries). But with it's truncated season, I'm quite put off. I haven't seen too much of the BLM crap in baseball as yet, but their reaction to COVID really turns me off. The empty stands won't be as problematic personally as will the shortened season. I think they should not play at all until next year when they can act normal.
The Bulls suck and likely will again this year, but their management is totally changed and likely so will their head coach. I felt there was enough talent to pull themselves out of the gutter, even if they couldn't rise higher than middle of the pack in the East, if only they had a better coach. I feel bad for Boylen, as he had no public support from the start, but at this point, it's clear he ain't the man.
The Bears have Nick Foles and a few changes in the coaching staff. Their offense was a disaster last year, and mostly, in my view, because of their head coach, who I initially felt was a breath of fresh air and someone who was on to something. His sophomore season suggested he was simply too different the first year for teams to handle, but they figured him out last year. I think both he and his predecessor totally mishandled Mitch Trubisky's development, and as such I feel the reality is that we have no idea regarding just who he is. All the "brilliant" pundits on the local sports talk radio show talk out both sides of their mouth with regard to what's wrong with the offense. They'll list a host of issues, but yet will more than imply that all would have been different if we had Aaron Rodgers, or Patrick Mahomes. Bullshit.
Again, I haven't heard any pro-BLM crap from baseball, but the NFL and NBA are wallowing in a steaming pile of it. They deserve nothing but derision for allowing it to spill over and soil everything it touches. What am I supposed to do now? Soccer? JEEZ!
I’ve got absolutely no problem with the Bears passing on QB1, he’ll be in KC for a long time.
Clearly the Chiefs are well set up for a nice run going forward, and it’ll be fun to watch.
I think the Royals are within a year or 2 of another possible 2014/15 run if some things go their way.
The Wolves suck and will likely continue to, I’ve never been an NBA fan, but have enjoyed the drama off the court.
I guess we’ll see if it’s possible to balance sports with everyone else.
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