Should the NBA Make its Return?
By: Executive Tea Staff
Let’s be real: the coronavirus pandemic just came through and set a pause button on all of our lives - including basketball. Seriously, when the NBA postponed the season, we knew sh**t was real. As the severity of the pandemic lingers and people get back to living their regular lives, the NBA is finally slated to return on July 31st.
We’ve been wanting the NBA to come back, but we didn’t know it would come during the time of another pandemic for Black Americans: racism. The past few weeks, our newsfeeds have been full of stories of injustice, more Black Americans becoming a hashtag, Karen’s gone wild, and Trump’s attempts to sway the media.
“Playing basketball is going to do one thing: take all the attention off the task at hand right now and what we fighting for...Nobody’s going to be talking about getting justice for all these senseless murders by the police. And, nobody’s going to be focusing on the task at hand, bro.”
The NBA is undoubtedly one of the most progressive sports league when it comes to players speaking out on injustice. Players like Lebron James, Stephen Curry, Dwayne Wade, and many more have consistently used their platforms to advocate for justice. Lebron James has reportedly stated that he believes NBA players can advocate for social justice reform and play basketball at the same time.
As a huge King James fan myself, I want to trust that NBA players can walk and chew gum at the same time. After all, Lebron has used his off-time to launch a voting rights group and serve as one of the first NBA players to call for justice for George Floyd. But, we have to get real y’all. Basketball season is a distraction. A billion dollar distraction at that. While white team owners who have done little to advocate for justice or make a public stance of what’s going in the country around us, they will make millions from the Black bodies on the court. NBA players like Kyrie Irving and Lou Williams have acknowledged this.
“I don’t support going to Orlando. I’m not with the systemic racism and bullsh*t...I’m willing to give up everything I have for social justice reform.”
“We are fighting for a radical change. Sports has been a healing factor, there we agree. In this climate...it’s a distraction. I mean look at your position. You’re dying to get back in the house and drink a beer and watch us hoop opposed to being outside fighting for your equality. That’s just one aspect to look at.”
In a video released Tuesday, NBA commissioner Adam Silver struck a confident tone that the league will be able to resolve issues players have about returning over the next few weeks. He also asserted that being a part of the NBA’s comeback is actually “the best way” to fight social injustice. What Silver didn’t mention though, is that the return of the NBA leaves billions of dollars on the line for everyone involved. Who wouldn’t be eager to restart the season when there’s billions on the line?
Yes, we could all appreciate some entertainment right now. Yes, NBA players will most likely not stop talking about social justice when they get back on the court. But, their Black bodies are not for the consumption of white owners who have largely chosen to remain silent during these times of injustice. Radical change does not come about by conducting business as usual.
Aside from these reasons, let’s also get into the safety issue. The coronavirus pandemic is far from over. With over 116,00 deaths and a projected 200,000 deaths by September, can we really trust that the NBA is ready to return? Let’s not forget that by the time the NBA figured out a player on the court had tested positive for COVID-19, four players had already tested positive for the virus. Adam Silver has suggested that if players test positive during the return, it should not be a reason to shut the operation down.
This issue of whether or whether not the NBA should come back has left a lot of folks, including me, torn. While I trust and respect LeBron James commitment to activism, I still worry that a return of the season will get people off track from the severity of the movement. People started cutting down on their Black Lives Matter content only a week after protests started - can you imagine how silent folks will be come the return of the NBA in July?
I applaud all of the NBA players who have took part in this important discourse. The fact that we’re having this conversation shows how uniquely progressive the NBA is, but we still have so far to go. I look forward to seeing how the likes of Lebron James and Kyrie Irving will hopefully come together to figure out a plan that works best for them, and the rest of Black America.
