cheering the loudest for Bill Wennington
I've heard some talk lately about racism in basketball. Not too long ago, Larry Bird made some comments about how the addition of more white players in the NBA would help the sport.
I don't disagree. Even though I, personally, am a huge NBA fan, I realize that the league has lost many white fans over the past decade. The reasons for the departure should definitely include race. However, I don't believe that they should include racism. I do believe that an influx of Caucasian players would probably increase the fan base of NBA basketball, however. Why is this?
I like (and am fascinated by) Tiger Woods. I also like (and am fascinated by) Eminem. I don't like Tiger Woods solely because he is black (and Asian and whatever else) necessarily, but because he stands out in his sport. Yeah, he's a great golfer, but he also is different than the rest of the golfers on the course. He stands out. Eminem is one of the few white rappers who have made it big in music. He stands out. He's interesting to watch because he's so different. I think it's awesome that Sevendust has a black front man. I love (or maybe used to love) Hootie & The Blowfish.
But then there is Jason Williams, a guard for the Memphis Grizzlies. He is white, but he plays like he grew up on the playground in Chicago. I like him because he's white. Let me rephrase that. I like him because he plays like he's a member of the "And 1 Mix Tape Tour"; He isn't afraid to pass the ball behind his back or between his legs or to feed himself a reverse lay-up off of the backboard. Oh, and because he's white. I like the fact that he proves that not all white boys in the NBA have to move like robots and be seven feet tall. He's got tattoos and he dresses Hip-hop. He wears "White Men Can't Jump" T-shirts. He's got an attitude. He's a little different than John Stockton. I can appreciate that.
People are attracted to celebrities whom they can relate to and those who mirror in some way their backgrounds and/or beliefs. The NBA is not losing white fans because there are so many black players in it. It's losing white fans because there aren't many white players in it. They are losing players like Bird and Stockton and even John Paxson. These were players whom the fans could really relate to; Players whom the fans could look at and say, for example, "He's just like me. He grew up in a small, white town in Middle America. I'm gonna root for him."
Keep in mind that I am not speaking for all the white fans of the NBA. My two favorite players are Kevin Garnett and Allen Iverson, both black. The former went from having absolutely nothing to becoming one of the greatest players in the game. When he's on the court, he plays like nothing else matters. The latter is a guy who I respect solely because of his size. He's my height and he thrives in a league of giants. I don't care what he does off the court. He's got pure skill.
And don't believe for a second that any of the true, hardcore white fans in the NBA look badly on the black players. Remember when the Bulls were winning all of those championships? They weren't cheering the loudest for Bill Wennington, that's for sure. Also, don't believe that those same fans in the NBA will root for a player solely for the fact that he is white. Take Kirk Hinrich, for example. By the end of last season, he was getting the loudest cheers in the United Center. This was not due to the fact that he is white. It was due to the fact that real Chicago Bulls fans are not stupid, and they realized that by the end of his rookie season, Kirk Hinrich had quietly become the best player in red and white on the floor. They realized that he had become a leader straight out of college, and that he had just kept his mouth shut and played basketball with everything he had. It's not because he's white. It's because we know that right now, he is in the weight room or running laps or shooting free throws and jump shots in the lamp lit Berto Center. We cheer for him because he just wants to win.
I've heard some talk lately about racism in basketball. Not too long ago, Larry Bird made some comments about how the addition of more white players in the NBA would help the sport.
I don't disagree. Even though I, personally, am a huge NBA fan, I realize that the league has lost many white fans over the past decade. The reasons for the departure should definitely include race. However, I don't believe that they should include racism. I do believe that an influx of Caucasian players would probably increase the fan base of NBA basketball, however. Why is this?
I like (and am fascinated by) Tiger Woods. I also like (and am fascinated by) Eminem. I don't like Tiger Woods solely because he is black (and Asian and whatever else) necessarily, but because he stands out in his sport. Yeah, he's a great golfer, but he also is different than the rest of the golfers on the course. He stands out. Eminem is one of the few white rappers who have made it big in music. He stands out. He's interesting to watch because he's so different. I think it's awesome that Sevendust has a black front man. I love (or maybe used to love) Hootie & The Blowfish.
But then there is Jason Williams, a guard for the Memphis Grizzlies. He is white, but he plays like he grew up on the playground in Chicago. I like him because he's white. Let me rephrase that. I like him because he plays like he's a member of the "And 1 Mix Tape Tour"; He isn't afraid to pass the ball behind his back or between his legs or to feed himself a reverse lay-up off of the backboard. Oh, and because he's white. I like the fact that he proves that not all white boys in the NBA have to move like robots and be seven feet tall. He's got tattoos and he dresses Hip-hop. He wears "White Men Can't Jump" T-shirts. He's got an attitude. He's a little different than John Stockton. I can appreciate that.
People are attracted to celebrities whom they can relate to and those who mirror in some way their backgrounds and/or beliefs. The NBA is not losing white fans because there are so many black players in it. It's losing white fans because there aren't many white players in it. They are losing players like Bird and Stockton and even John Paxson. These were players whom the fans could really relate to; Players whom the fans could look at and say, for example, "He's just like me. He grew up in a small, white town in Middle America. I'm gonna root for him."
Keep in mind that I am not speaking for all the white fans of the NBA. My two favorite players are Kevin Garnett and Allen Iverson, both black. The former went from having absolutely nothing to becoming one of the greatest players in the game. When he's on the court, he plays like nothing else matters. The latter is a guy who I respect solely because of his size. He's my height and he thrives in a league of giants. I don't care what he does off the court. He's got pure skill.
And don't believe for a second that any of the true, hardcore white fans in the NBA look badly on the black players. Remember when the Bulls were winning all of those championships? They weren't cheering the loudest for Bill Wennington, that's for sure. Also, don't believe that those same fans in the NBA will root for a player solely for the fact that he is white. Take Kirk Hinrich, for example. By the end of last season, he was getting the loudest cheers in the United Center. This was not due to the fact that he is white. It was due to the fact that real Chicago Bulls fans are not stupid, and they realized that by the end of his rookie season, Kirk Hinrich had quietly become the best player in red and white on the floor. They realized that he had become a leader straight out of college, and that he had just kept his mouth shut and played basketball with everything he had. It's not because he's white. It's because we know that right now, he is in the weight room or running laps or shooting free throws and jump shots in the lamp lit Berto Center. We cheer for him because he just wants to win.
1 Comments:
Obviously, you and other true NBA fans do not have issues with racism in appreciating your sport. However, I agree that the general waning interest in the NBA, is in fact due to racism. It’s very hard to separate race and racism. The complaint is not simply that there is a lack of light-skinned people on the court. It’s that there is a lack of people on the court acting in ways that light-skinned people are comfortable with. Allen Iverson doesn’t bother white people because he’s black; he bothers them because he ACTS black. White people are upset that there aren’t any more John Stocktons, John Paxsons, or for that matter, Michael Jordans in the NBA. Michael appealed to both races because he had black skin but acted very “white”. White people, and black people, could relate to him. The same goes for Tiger Woods, and the logic flips for Eminem. White people are able to relate to Eminem because he is white, even though he “acts black.” You can appreciate Jason Williams for the same reason. People loved the Chicago Bulls of the 90s because they were a team that with determination and polite hard work dominated the game. While the Detroit Pistons also won the championship, they were a little louder, a little rougher, and a little less “polite”. You have to ask yourself why the Bulls may have appealed to white people, while the Pistons (a reflection of the NBA today) scared them off. Does it have anything to do with white people agreeing more with the values and work ethics of those Bulls? And if so, is it inherently racist to think that all people, regardless of their race, should share the same values, work ethics, and lifestyles? I believe it is, and I believe this issue far exceeds the realm of basketball, spilling over into our schools, our workplaces, and our neighborhoods.
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