Friday Fire: Why Is USA Basketball Being Asked to Speak Out On Darfur?
AG and I will be up in Coatesville, PA today to get some words from Rip Hamilton. We’ll be back to moderate the comments later on.
Why isn’t anyone else asked to speak out? I feel it is everyone’s responsibility to offer some words on anything that affects us.
Some of the folk who are asking the team to form some sort of protest aren’t doing anything themselves, like Co Co eloquently states here. I’ve been back and forth on this issue because why should we expect athletes to speak out on a global issue when most don’t do it here? Why should this just be a Black issue? Who is the most accountable in all of this? None of these players besides Jason Kidd (he spoke his piece on the Spainish team photo controversy) were around during the era of Public Enemy, X Clan, and Boogie Down Productions were sticking their necks out there, so why should these players know about finding their consciousness? Don’t we have enough going on over here? Genocide is obviously the worst crime known to man and offering an opinion will help shed light on other similar crimes, but is our president addressing this issue?
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August 15th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Two reasons: 1)Kobe has already taken a very public stance in this issue, including a commercial that circulated either this year or last year. 2)Lebron’s journey to understanding Darfur via Ira Newble was made very public, and even Lebron himself said he’d be more vocal during the Olympics, and he hasn’t. Now its not fair to expect the entire team to follow suit and speak, and it damn sure isn’t fair to put this issue squarely on their shoulders, as opposed to the other Olympians. But their current expectations are based on past actions. fair or unfair.
August 15th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
Perhaps a better question is, “Why does racism and bias in sports media matter?”
Help me to understand how we, as a people, invest so much time, love and energy in athletes, entertainers, coons, buffoons and other idiots who have no love, concern, practice or praxis for Black folk? Isn’t that, on some level, about perceived kinship?
How to do we actually raise our voices to defend people from scurrilous attacks when they won’t do the same on their own behalf, nor will they do it for the least of us? In this construct you’ve set up, athletes benefit from perceived kinship, but bear no obligations.
This is the classic case (from Economics) of “The Free Rider.” (Check out the wiki).
Either it all matters or none of it matters. If they get a pass on this, fine…but, none of us bear any obligation to give a flying fuck when ESPN or Vogue or some other entity brandishes them as The Coon Dujour. We cannot have it both ways and retain our sanity.
On the one hand, TSF says we (Black folk) have an obligation to speak up when Black folk in the sports world are unfairly assailed (and we assert this knowing full well that precious few non-Black will join our efforts) — then we FLIP and suggest that maybe USA Basketball has as much right to be silent as the rest of the world. That simply doesn’t work.
I’ve written at length about Darfur and agree with many folks that what the world has been told about this issue is patently false. In many respects, the misinformation to the world is simply absurd. There has never been an instance of genocide in Africa that received this much publicity. The media campaign has been led by American Jews to serve a “poisoning the well” propaganda function for the US in their energy contest with China. That’s precisely why SaveDarfur.org doesn’t have money for Africans, but they have money for advertising. It’s their Modus Operandi - and it’s working — sort of.
There is much more to this than meets the eye — and the issue isn’t whether or not they should speak up about what is going on over there — the issue is whether or not Black athletes and the rest of “we” have an obligation to know more about what is going on in Africa and how it relates to us.
Our best and brightest leaders have ALWAYS positioned our relationship with Africa at the CENTER of their discourse. Garvey did it. Malcolm did it. Even King did it towards the end of his life. WEB DuBois packed his shit and moved to Africa. I’m not suggesting that we need to move there - far from it. I am suggesting that we need to know much more…that we need to actually know how and why we arrived here (most of us have no clue).
At bottom, ignorant people bear no responsibility to speak about anything. The absence of information removes that obligation. A free-thinking person (and there is some question about the extent to which $40M slaves are free-thinking) bears an obligation to seek knowledge if they are to participate meaningfully in their society. And, that’s a choice. Folks can always opt out - but there are consequences because freedom is not free.
August 15th, 2008 at 4:04 pm
The opening question and subsequent questions are good ones. But the question asked depends on one’s baseline stance about obligations to social responsibility. My stance is more:
Why doesn’t Jerry Colagelo and Coach K escape criticism and responsibility about Darfur — or about any issue?
Why doesn’t Brett Favre get pressure to speak out on Darfur… or any issue?
Why doesn’t Josh Hamiltion get pressure to speak out about crack vs. cocaine sentencing disparities… or any issue?
In 2002, when it wasn’t popular why were the only American athletes speaking out against the Iraq war black?
Why does the only real consistent white athletic voice and role model for progressive social and political change a Canadian (Steve Nash)?
I look at the question from the flip side, there are no political, social, or even civic demands or expectations put on the white athlete. And for me that is what has to really change. It doesn’t have to be Darfur, it doesn’t have to be Iraq, it doesn’t have to be anything — but it should be SOMETHING. Even if something is merely civic uplift and not political. And if something is expected from one athlete it should be expected from all.
I do understand and respect the inherent unfairness of it all to the athlete. And I do respect those who believe that athletes should have no obligation for reasons already laid out. There should be one standard whatever your individual position. However, my personal position is the “Spiderman theory” — but should be consistently applied…
August 15th, 2008 at 4:24 pm
Wow! Temple3 and Modi said it all. Everyone needs to care. Black, white, asian etc. My problem is athletes are make huge amounts of money so they have resouces that the average person doesn’t. They also have a stage in which to get a positive message out. Athletes are blessed with wealth. It’s time to give something back. However, too many of them don’t care or are too concerned about how speaking out about such issues will affect their pocket. I find that sad. Money isn’t everything.
August 15th, 2008 at 5:17 pm
Honestly, this is one instance where black and white entertainers have equality: no one asks them to speak out on anything. If they CHOOSE to do so, great. But nobody forces them to do it, whether they be Denzel, Wesley (when he was hot), 50 Cent, Halle Berry, Mary J. Blige, Jay-Z, Omar Epps, Beyonce, Shemar Moore, etc. But Michael Jordan, Kobe, AI, T.O., LeBron, etc. have to be the role models. Why are black athletes singled out? Why do black actors/singers get a role model pass (as well as white athletes), but black athletes have to speak out? If we call on black athletes to have a voice for social change, then we must pressure black entertainers in general to do the same. To do otherwise is unfair and unjust.
August 15th, 2008 at 6:25 pm
Matthew Fudge,
I also agree with you. Black athletes are probably asked to speak out more due to the fact that many of the issues we speak of are problems that affect black people. Black entertainers should also chime in since like the atheletes ,they have unlimited resources and have a grand stage to reach the masses. But, again everyone should care about the suffering of a fellow human being.
August 16th, 2008 at 10:25 pm
Well also….why is this even being requested? I thought politics was an unacceptable topic at the Olympics, according to the IOC’s dictate of a couple weeks ago. I fully agree though. What is wrong to one of us is wrong to all of us and it’s disgraceful the men’s hoops team should be singled out to speak on the injustice in Darfur. Why not white swimmers? Is it not bad for them? Why not Asian gymnasts? We’re all one. Black folks in this country (the US) are ill-treated and yet the US hoops team…no white people, no Woody Harrelson stand-in? it’s OK, I’m white, I’m cool with it….is expected to stick its neck out? Honestly……
August 17th, 2008 at 4:42 am
You ever hear about black American athletes being concerned about starving Romanian children back in the 90s? Or direct their benevolence to today’s impoverished people of El Salvador or Guatemala? No? That’s because all of their generosity is directed toward Africa (or in rare cases black Americans, such as Katrina victims). Couple that with the fact that most of these professional basketball players are black, and you’ve got one big DUH in response to your rhetorical question.
August 22nd, 2008 at 6:22 pm
They shouldn’t speak out in fear of losing everything they have… which is what exactly? Money and fame. How much is enough. An athlete that speaks his mind for peace and human justice should never fear of any backlash. If anyone, Kobe understands how doing the wrong thing effects you financially.
So why not be a true Redeem team and speak up about the host country’s treatment of Tibet and the carnage in Sudan. The world is watching and is applauding the play of these great athletes. Why not take a bow on the outside and stand up for fans all over the world.
August 22nd, 2008 at 7:47 pm
Kawaku,
Your kidding me right? Take that BS out of here. Katrina victims? Oh they were taken care of real well. Racist ass!