I was going to write a post on the comments made by Larry Bird (the greatest love of my sports life), but Paul Katcher beat me to it, so I'm just going to blatently steal from him and hope he doesn't mind.
2. Basketball is a black man's game.
3. More white, high-profile NBA stars would be "good for a fan base because as we all know, the majority of the fans are white America."
4. The NBA lacks "enough" white superstars.
Points Nos. 1 and 2 are almost indisputable. The fastest, strongest and most agile athletes in not only basketball but football and baseball are black. The percentage of blacks in pro sports who excel at point guard, running back, wide receiver, center fielder and cornerback not only supersede the percentage of whites in the American population, but surpass the percentage of whites who play those positions for high school and college teams. It's clear to me that whites, for the most part, have a ceiling at those positions. Last year I asked, "Why Are All the Best Running Backs and Wide Receivers Black?"
Points Nos. 3 and 4 are a matter of taste. Would more white superstars be "good" for the NBA? Depends on your definition of good. Would the league benefit financially? Probably. Would that money be good for the NBA or American society? Probably not.
As a whole, Americans value a free market and deserved rewards for exceptional talents. Black, white, yellow or brown, most of us celebrate fair compensation for performance, regardless of race. Today I'm no less a fan of the Yankees (with Alex Rodriguez, Gary Sheffield and Hideki Matsui) than I was when the team featured Scott Brosius, Paul O'Neill and Shane Spencer at the same positions. Don Mattingly, a humble star, used to be my favorite player. Now I sport a jersey bearing the name of Bernie Williams, another humble star. They're of different skin tones, of course.
But even if, as I believe, 90% of Americans don't care about skin color (appreciative of winners of any race), there are still 10% whose allegiances do make a difference, whether they know it or not. And that's why Larry Bird was right about it being a financial boon if the NBA fell into a few more American white superstars. But it wouldn't be a boon for society. It would be sad.
I also believe that in sports, people are fans of those who have talent, no matter what color, creed, height, weight.. doesn't matter. I loved Larry Bird to within an inch of my life. I love Carmelo Anthony almost as much ('almost' only because I've had a much longer relationhip with Larry Joe). It wouldn't matter to me if they were red, green, purple, had horns on their heads - they are a joy to watch and that is what matters. That said, I do also believe it's human nature to want to see people "like" yourself succeed. I also love Gerry McNamara, first and foremost because he's good, but I would be lying to you if I said there wasn't a part of me that is happy to see a shorter, pasty white, Irish person doing well in basketball because I'm a shorter, pasty white, Irish person. Would I route for him more than Hakim? No. Do I care if there are more white people in the NBA? No. I care that the best players get to play and that I get to see it. Would I watch more games if there were more white people? No. Do I want the white people who are in the NBA to be successful? Absolutely.
**Note** Obviously any quotes about being a Yankees fan belong to Paul. I tolerate them here only to allow him to illustrate his point, which I agree with.-----
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Comments (4)
URL: http://weblogs.livingreflections.com
I literally can't believe the Yankees won that game yesterday!! Totally unfair! The Red Sox should only be 2.5 games out...
On the plus side, only about 5.5 more months til Syracuse hoops!
Posted by amy | October 26, 2006 8:15 PM
Posted on October 26, 2006 20:15
URL: http://PaulKatcher.com
Hey, my posts on strippers and booze cruises ARE interesting things. Go Yanks! Go 'Cuse!
Posted by Paul Katcher | October 26, 2006 8:15 PM
Posted on October 26, 2006 20:15
URL: http://weblogs.livingreflections.com
but of course! that and in between posts about strippers and booze cruises, he comes up with some intelligent things. ;)
Posted by amy | October 26, 2006 8:15 PM
Posted on October 26, 2006 20:15
URL: http://www.upforanything.net
And you tolerate him because he's a fellow Syracuse alum :-)
Posted by CJ | October 26, 2006 8:15 PM
Posted on October 26, 2006 20:15