Fans directing attacks at NBA players to play and not speak out against discrimination
There are approximately 450 players in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and an overwhelming majority of them are black. Richard Lapchick, an American human rights activist and writer, recorded in 2015 that just over 74 per cent of NBA players were black. ESPN writer Peter Keating reported in 2011 that of those black players, 34 per cent grew up under the poverty line, which is approximately $22,000 for a household in America.
With many organized sports, money plays a large role in being able to participate. Fees for facilities, equipment, transportation, and more factor into one’s ability to climb the ranks and make it as a pro. Throughout the 1960s and ’70s, it was common for players to come from low-income backgrounds and succeed with hard work, but now it is more likely to see players come from middle-income households.
Today, there are countless articles about many of those players growing up poor, but why?
The answer is disconcerting. There is an underlying assumption that black NBA players came from nothing and used basketball as a crutch to make it through post-secondary schooling, since they are also assumed to not be as intelligent as their white peers. This is just not true.
The memorable movie, Coach Carter explicitly touches on this topic. Based on a true story, Coach Carter follows a high school basketball team in California that was suspended in 1999 by their own coach, played by Samuel L. Jackson, for low academic grades.
Although Coach Carter is well-known by basketball fans, there is seemingly a disconnect between that movie (again, based on a true story) and society today.
A recent example of this came last February when Laura Ingraham commented on LeBron James and Kevin Durant’s political opinions of President Donald Trump. During her Fox News show, The Ingraham Angle, she told the players to “shut up and dribble” and that “no one voted for [James and Durant]…Millions elected Trump to be their coach, so keep the political commentary to yourself.”
Many professional athletes are faced with the conflicting idea that their presence in the sport itself is important, but their opinions as people outside of sports, especially for people of colour, are not. Because they are being paid to play, sometimes the public sees athletes as less-than, but their opinions, political affiliations, and feelings are still valid.
The NBA is a powerhouse for black talent and influence; players should continue to challenge stigma and stereotypes against them and their opinions.