You're All Wrong
Originally posted on April 14, 2005.
O'Neal is right in his assessment that the proposed age minimum for NBA players has racial undertones.
He's wrong in his belief that that really matters among the owners. Now the fans and talk radio babblers are a different species altogether. And if he meant them, then I most certainly agree with him.
But the only color I think these owners see is green.
Just because something is racial does not make it racist. Would the minimum impact Black high schoolers moreso than whites? Of course. But do the owners care more about race or money and perception?
Owners care about the fact that the paying fan seems as disconnected from the players they're rooting for as they've ever been. The owners are worried about the perception of their athletes as overpaid, underskilled and ungrateful. If anything has racial undertones, it's the fact that the owners and fans, the ones who make and champion the rules while signing and financing the checks, look nothing like the players expected to abide by those rules.
It's racial, not racist.
To me, a situation is racial when race cannot be avoided. It's racist when there is malicious intent.
A 40 year old white upper-middle class fan probably won't relate to the culture of a 25 year old black man who makes his living above the rim. So you can forget about a 50-70 year old billionaire owner being able to do the same.
Let's be real. If I, a 21 year old black woman, owned team, I'd probably run it a liiiiiiiiiittle differently than say, James Dolan. Heck if I were a 45 year old white guy, I'd run the Knicks differently, but still, just based on the premise of age, gender, class origins, race, etc., my perceptions would be and are different than that of an older white male. There's nothing malicious about that. It's just a matter of understanding and relating.
So, no, I don't believe NBA owners and David Stern care more about Holding The Black Man Down than they do being able to sell their product to disgruntled fans during a collective bargaining period.
What, besides hip-hop and Ron Artest, are NBA fans always complaining about?(Knicks fans not included, of course)
The quality of the game.
At this point I think Stern and his cronies have exhausted every other option. I mean, now I'm forced to watch the zone year round, ticky-tack fouls are being called left and right and don't look now, but I hear they're going to introduce the 4 point shot. Okay not really on that last one, but still, the WNBA is getting more physical than the NBA.
Whether O'Neal and his fellow high school All-Stars care to admit it or not, players have gotten more athletic, but the quality of the game has gone down. And in no way is it the fault of the players who ultimately will bear the burden and blame in the media and among the fans. It's the fault of the owners. And now typically, they want to transfer that blame.
Instead of implementing an age limit, these brainiacs should stop expanding and diluting the talant pool. Then they should be fixing their minor league system and getting the eyesores out of the league.
Face it: There are whole NBA teams, not games; teams that are difficult, sometimes painful to watch. Among them, my Knicks. There are too many players chilling on the bench waiting for their potential to catch up to their bodies and their athleticism. There are too many players that can take off from the free-throw line to dunk, but can't shoot a jump shot from the same distance.
But unlike Stern, I don't blame that on high school players. I blame that on the idiots these owners are hiring to build their rosters. It's like in a relationship. No sane person dates someone based solely on their potential. It's a waste of time. Who wants potential when there are others out there that already have whatever it is you want; give or take a few minor adjustments? And if you're an owner, you mean to tell me not only are you going to donate your time and a roster spot to potential, but you're going to pay to wait? Ha!
Speaking of Jermaine O'Neal, isn't it ironic that the team that held his hand, burped him and bought him ice cream for 3 years, now has to watch as he gets his grown man on in Indiana?
He's Exhibit A.
Yes, it's true that fundamentally, everyone is drafted based on what they might be. But I think I'd have an easier time figuring out what someone might be capable of if they're actually in an environment somewhat similar to what they might face in the future. High school guys are playing against 14 year olds that are 5'6, 140lbs. At least in college, they're playing against dudes with bodies slightly comparable to the 6'3, 190lb. points in the L. I'm really not trying to hear that Lil Davey might be the next Jordan because he dropped 60 on some kid that probably won't even play D-III ball.
But is it his fault if Davey wants to play in the NBA instead of getting pimped by a college whose classes he'll barely attend? Or an NCAA that OWNS him for 4 years? Heck, if I could have done what I want to do for the rest of my life right out of Van Buren High back in '02, I'd have bypassed college too. And I'm not even talking about a guaranteed million dollar a year deal to play a sport. Sure, these last soon to be 3 years have been great, but you can't miss what you never had. College isn't for everyone and I'm sure a few of us that finish will still end up coming home to our framed Bachelor's of Science after a hard day's work at Burger King.
Because according to Dickie, when Luol Deng left Duke to get drafted by the Bulls, Coach K was the victim baaaybeee.
How dare Sebastian Telfair get a Blazers and Adidas contract instead of pressing for Rick Pitino baaaybeee?
Because Coach K, Dick, Rick and everyone affiliated with college basketball are all in the poor house, not making one cent off of these players.
Those radio shows, camps, appearances and multi year, multi million dollar contracts are all a figment of our imaginations baaaaybeee. Those licensing and television deals that bring the schools money while the kids have to watch how they breathe are all for the love of the game baaaybee.
Everyone, including O'Neal, brings up other sports like golf, tennis, hockey and baseball and questions why no one ever pushes for an age limit in those sports as Michelle Wie will probably soon be getting an extra zero in her account for every year of her life. Well gee, J.O., I dunno.
What I do know, is Major League Baseball, the only team sport mentioned since the NHL doesn't exist, actually has a real minor league system. Therefore, I am not forced to watch guys who don't belong at the pro level the same way I'm forced to watch them in the NBA. Maybe if the MLB didn't have the minors, and we had to watch 1st basemen on every team field like Jason Giambi on a regular basis people would be pushing for an age limit in baseball the same way they do when they watch dudes brick wide open 15 footers in the L.
While I believe that college would help some of these players develop their games before coming to the NBA, I don't believe it is fair to say college is a must, nor is it fair to penalize the ones who are capable, like the Amare's, LeBron's, Kobe's and KG's. But I could have waited a good 2 or 3 years to watch Eddy Curry, Tyson Chandler, JR Smith, Josh Smith, Shaun Livingston, etc.
Imagine if they could have been put in the minors for a while. And no, not that farce, the NBDL.
So to Jermaine O'Neal, please, understand that you are about 400 years late and that institutionalized racism is going nowhere. Should you choose to point it out every now and again, do something more than get on ESPN and complain about it. But I admire the fact that you, unlike so many of your overpaid peers, have a pulse. But you're still no Jim Brown or Muhammad Ali until you sacrifice something for the cause instead of pointing out the obvious.
To NBA players, here's an idea. How about instead of wearing your paycheck around your neck, you save some of that money and buy a team when you retire. Then you can run it your way instead of being like our next group of tumbleweeds; former NBA players.
Former NBA players, to you I ask, WTF? I hear about how some of you not named Magic want to individually own your own team, but are scared off by the $400 million price tags. Ummm, here's an idea. How about you put together your own groups of investors made up of former NBA players and try and buy a team that way? I know, some of you have tried and failed, but as many of you as there are, and as much as some of you complain about The Game These Days, one would think there would be a greater push. It's a sad day when Usher, Nelly and Jay-Z can buy stakes in teams, no matter how miniscule, but the people who actually played the game can't.
To the owners, please, pretty please, spend your money wisely. Geez. Fixing the arena is great.
So are all the half court shots, dance troups, giveaways and smokescreens. But not making the playoffs once again because you spent $100 million this year on 12 of the same player is not great. Neither is blacking out your own team for months in your own city, stupid.
Though, being the cynic I am, I would like to personally thank James Dolan and whoever's beefing with him over at Time Warner Cable for not subjecting Knick fans in Queens and Brooklyn to such a terrible, disheartening, underachieving, repulsive squad. It was great not having to watch the Knicks blow 4th quarter leads that 2 weeks that I was home last month. Dolan's probably saved a few lives by isolating the Knickerbockers to Cablevision. Less people jumping off bridges.
To the fans, I Hate You. You know I do. I just find you all really hard to like. However, please keep in mind that all NBA players are not evil, self-centered, hip-hop loving thugs who play basketball in between impregnating groupies, running up in the stands and dodging rape charges.
To David Stern, just once, I'd like to hear you answer a question. Really. Take the dancing shoes off for at least a day.
To the high school ballers who think they're better than LeBron, if they're dumb enough to offer, be smart enough to sign. Just don't be mad when I write that you suck.
O'Neal is right in his assessment that the proposed age minimum for NBA players has racial undertones.
He's wrong in his belief that that really matters among the owners. Now the fans and talk radio babblers are a different species altogether. And if he meant them, then I most certainly agree with him.
But the only color I think these owners see is green.
Just because something is racial does not make it racist. Would the minimum impact Black high schoolers moreso than whites? Of course. But do the owners care more about race or money and perception?
Owners care about the fact that the paying fan seems as disconnected from the players they're rooting for as they've ever been. The owners are worried about the perception of their athletes as overpaid, underskilled and ungrateful. If anything has racial undertones, it's the fact that the owners and fans, the ones who make and champion the rules while signing and financing the checks, look nothing like the players expected to abide by those rules.
It's racial, not racist.
To me, a situation is racial when race cannot be avoided. It's racist when there is malicious intent.
A 40 year old white upper-middle class fan probably won't relate to the culture of a 25 year old black man who makes his living above the rim. So you can forget about a 50-70 year old billionaire owner being able to do the same.
Let's be real. If I, a 21 year old black woman, owned team, I'd probably run it a liiiiiiiiiittle differently than say, James Dolan. Heck if I were a 45 year old white guy, I'd run the Knicks differently, but still, just based on the premise of age, gender, class origins, race, etc., my perceptions would be and are different than that of an older white male. There's nothing malicious about that. It's just a matter of understanding and relating.
So, no, I don't believe NBA owners and David Stern care more about Holding The Black Man Down than they do being able to sell their product to disgruntled fans during a collective bargaining period.
What, besides hip-hop and Ron Artest, are NBA fans always complaining about?(Knicks fans not included, of course)
The quality of the game.
At this point I think Stern and his cronies have exhausted every other option. I mean, now I'm forced to watch the zone year round, ticky-tack fouls are being called left and right and don't look now, but I hear they're going to introduce the 4 point shot. Okay not really on that last one, but still, the WNBA is getting more physical than the NBA.
Whether O'Neal and his fellow high school All-Stars care to admit it or not, players have gotten more athletic, but the quality of the game has gone down. And in no way is it the fault of the players who ultimately will bear the burden and blame in the media and among the fans. It's the fault of the owners. And now typically, they want to transfer that blame.
Instead of implementing an age limit, these brainiacs should stop expanding and diluting the talant pool. Then they should be fixing their minor league system and getting the eyesores out of the league.
Face it: There are whole NBA teams, not games; teams that are difficult, sometimes painful to watch. Among them, my Knicks. There are too many players chilling on the bench waiting for their potential to catch up to their bodies and their athleticism. There are too many players that can take off from the free-throw line to dunk, but can't shoot a jump shot from the same distance.
But unlike Stern, I don't blame that on high school players. I blame that on the idiots these owners are hiring to build their rosters. It's like in a relationship. No sane person dates someone based solely on their potential. It's a waste of time. Who wants potential when there are others out there that already have whatever it is you want; give or take a few minor adjustments? And if you're an owner, you mean to tell me not only are you going to donate your time and a roster spot to potential, but you're going to pay to wait? Ha!
Speaking of Jermaine O'Neal, isn't it ironic that the team that held his hand, burped him and bought him ice cream for 3 years, now has to watch as he gets his grown man on in Indiana?
He's Exhibit A.
Yes, it's true that fundamentally, everyone is drafted based on what they might be. But I think I'd have an easier time figuring out what someone might be capable of if they're actually in an environment somewhat similar to what they might face in the future. High school guys are playing against 14 year olds that are 5'6, 140lbs. At least in college, they're playing against dudes with bodies slightly comparable to the 6'3, 190lb. points in the L. I'm really not trying to hear that Lil Davey might be the next Jordan because he dropped 60 on some kid that probably won't even play D-III ball.
But is it his fault if Davey wants to play in the NBA instead of getting pimped by a college whose classes he'll barely attend? Or an NCAA that OWNS him for 4 years? Heck, if I could have done what I want to do for the rest of my life right out of Van Buren High back in '02, I'd have bypassed college too. And I'm not even talking about a guaranteed million dollar a year deal to play a sport. Sure, these last soon to be 3 years have been great, but you can't miss what you never had. College isn't for everyone and I'm sure a few of us that finish will still end up coming home to our framed Bachelor's of Science after a hard day's work at Burger King.
Education isn't the issue here. Colleges want their money making marquee names back and NBA owners are tired of babysitting. Dickie V would love to get the future LeBron's and KG's in the NCAA so he can get an upgrade from Hooters baaaybeee.Dear sportswriters and columnists,
This whole idea that these kids should go
to college because you care about their futures is ridiculous. Call a spade a
spade. You don't care. You don't give two ticks about whether or not dude gets
injured and ends up homeless because he skipped college, or any other sob story
you conjure up. As if 18 is the only point of entry into higher learning.This isn't about education or having something to fall back on. Stop making
it seem as though somehow the percentage of black men attending 4 year
universities is going to skyrocket and the entire race is going to be better off
because everyone's going to school all of a sudden instead of playing ball
because you know, there are oh so many high schoolers being drafted into the NBA
in relation to the general population of black men. Right.
Because according to Dickie, when Luol Deng left Duke to get drafted by the Bulls, Coach K was the victim baaaybeee.
How dare Sebastian Telfair get a Blazers and Adidas contract instead of pressing for Rick Pitino baaaybeee?
Because Coach K, Dick, Rick and everyone affiliated with college basketball are all in the poor house, not making one cent off of these players.
Those radio shows, camps, appearances and multi year, multi million dollar contracts are all a figment of our imaginations baaaaybeee. Those licensing and television deals that bring the schools money while the kids have to watch how they breathe are all for the love of the game baaaybee.
Everyone, including O'Neal, brings up other sports like golf, tennis, hockey and baseball and questions why no one ever pushes for an age limit in those sports as Michelle Wie will probably soon be getting an extra zero in her account for every year of her life. Well gee, J.O., I dunno.
What I do know, is Major League Baseball, the only team sport mentioned since the NHL doesn't exist, actually has a real minor league system. Therefore, I am not forced to watch guys who don't belong at the pro level the same way I'm forced to watch them in the NBA. Maybe if the MLB didn't have the minors, and we had to watch 1st basemen on every team field like Jason Giambi on a regular basis people would be pushing for an age limit in baseball the same way they do when they watch dudes brick wide open 15 footers in the L.
While I believe that college would help some of these players develop their games before coming to the NBA, I don't believe it is fair to say college is a must, nor is it fair to penalize the ones who are capable, like the Amare's, LeBron's, Kobe's and KG's. But I could have waited a good 2 or 3 years to watch Eddy Curry, Tyson Chandler, JR Smith, Josh Smith, Shaun Livingston, etc.
Imagine if they could have been put in the minors for a while. And no, not that farce, the NBDL.
So to Jermaine O'Neal, please, understand that you are about 400 years late and that institutionalized racism is going nowhere. Should you choose to point it out every now and again, do something more than get on ESPN and complain about it. But I admire the fact that you, unlike so many of your overpaid peers, have a pulse. But you're still no Jim Brown or Muhammad Ali until you sacrifice something for the cause instead of pointing out the obvious.
To NBA players, here's an idea. How about instead of wearing your paycheck around your neck, you save some of that money and buy a team when you retire. Then you can run it your way instead of being like our next group of tumbleweeds; former NBA players.
Former NBA players, to you I ask, WTF? I hear about how some of you not named Magic want to individually own your own team, but are scared off by the $400 million price tags. Ummm, here's an idea. How about you put together your own groups of investors made up of former NBA players and try and buy a team that way? I know, some of you have tried and failed, but as many of you as there are, and as much as some of you complain about The Game These Days, one would think there would be a greater push. It's a sad day when Usher, Nelly and Jay-Z can buy stakes in teams, no matter how miniscule, but the people who actually played the game can't.
To the owners, please, pretty please, spend your money wisely. Geez. Fixing the arena is great.
So are all the half court shots, dance troups, giveaways and smokescreens. But not making the playoffs once again because you spent $100 million this year on 12 of the same player is not great. Neither is blacking out your own team for months in your own city, stupid.
Though, being the cynic I am, I would like to personally thank James Dolan and whoever's beefing with him over at Time Warner Cable for not subjecting Knick fans in Queens and Brooklyn to such a terrible, disheartening, underachieving, repulsive squad. It was great not having to watch the Knicks blow 4th quarter leads that 2 weeks that I was home last month. Dolan's probably saved a few lives by isolating the Knickerbockers to Cablevision. Less people jumping off bridges.
To the fans, I Hate You. You know I do. I just find you all really hard to like. However, please keep in mind that all NBA players are not evil, self-centered, hip-hop loving thugs who play basketball in between impregnating groupies, running up in the stands and dodging rape charges.
To David Stern, just once, I'd like to hear you answer a question. Really. Take the dancing shoes off for at least a day.
To the high school ballers who think they're better than LeBron, if they're dumb enough to offer, be smart enough to sign. Just don't be mad when I write that you suck.
posted by universalh8r | 1:06 PM
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