I was thinking about how professional sports can be both a great opportunity for youth and another example of the chattel system that has plagued the poor in America for so long. On one end of the spectrum, a great example is Lebron James. The high school phenom signed a $90 Million dollar contract with Nike before ever taking foot on an NBA court, or even being drafted. Lebron has joined the ranks of America's "new money" Black celebrities who have both enough clout with the youth to influence them, and enough money to affect a small amount of change at the business and political level, provided the right connections. Despite the lack of a college education,
and the lack of proper education for those who do attend, more stars of color have turned their attention to social issues than ever before. Even rap artists have come out in favor of political candidates and have begun investing in companies other than ones for clothing and making records.
I applaud the efforts of athletes and artists who focus on community and place focus on doing more with their cash than flashing it, but in order for minorities, entertainers in particular, to have a meaningful say in this country the next step in the capitalist process must be taken: ownership. For the first time ever, a new basketball team is entering the NBA with a Black owner. The new Charlotte franchise is owned by none other than Bob Johnson, former owner of Black Entertainment Television. Media types and players alike have been clamoring for some minority control in what is considered a "Black" sport. Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Isaiah Thomas have all had positions as minority owners, but never owned enough stock to truly own the team. I have always felt Black ownership is necessary at least in this sport where the hopes of a majority of Black youth are pinned. Though salaries are considered ridiculously high, they still do not equate with the amounts raked in by owners, advertisers, and merchandisers. Basketball hoops on every corner of every hood and roughly 350 roster slots in the league make for poor odds and desperate hopes.
Desperate hopes to sweat and perform on an open stage for the amusement of the masses in a manner akin to Jazz musicians playing in bordellos. You know, "just to get by." Fortunately that's all about to change now that we have a Black owner.
But wait, isn't Bob Johnson the same man who owned BET and sold it off to Viacom, leaving the only Black owned television station to be turned into an MTV for the urban market share? The same Bob Johnson who allowed, and even encouraged Black women to be presented as little more than sex objects while their male counterparts were either pimps or drug dealers who settle disputes with guns and cling to slabs of concrete they don't even own like it was their only child? Even before the sale, BET was never intended to be entertainment for Black people, despite the rare appearance of a show like Teen Summit. The purpose of BET was to be a channel for Blacks to entertain. Whether the entertainment was "shuckin' and jivin'" is a matter of opinion, but it is clear that the interests of the Black community as a whole were never in mind. Now Bob Johnson has been selected by the NBA at large to be the first minority to own a team, to bridge a gap that has existed since professional sports became proliferated by minority players. Seems to me more an effort to squelch the argument of the lack of minority owners than anything else. I don't expect Bob Johnson to make a dent in the way the NBA conducts business any more than I expected BET to contain intriguing and thought provoking programming. Hell, I think it's more likely we'll see fried chickenand watermelon night in Charlotte.
Song I'm promoting this week: Basketball Jones by S. Carson
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and the lack of proper education for those who do attend, more stars of color have turned their attention to social issues than ever before. Even rap artists have come out in favor of political candidates and have begun investing in companies other than ones for clothing and making records.
I applaud the efforts of athletes and artists who focus on community and place focus on doing more with their cash than flashing it, but in order for minorities, entertainers in particular, to have a meaningful say in this country the next step in the capitalist process must be taken: ownership. For the first time ever, a new basketball team is entering the NBA with a Black owner. The new Charlotte franchise is owned by none other than Bob Johnson, former owner of Black Entertainment Television. Media types and players alike have been clamoring for some minority control in what is considered a "Black" sport. Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Isaiah Thomas have all had positions as minority owners, but never owned enough stock to truly own the team. I have always felt Black ownership is necessary at least in this sport where the hopes of a majority of Black youth are pinned. Though salaries are considered ridiculously high, they still do not equate with the amounts raked in by owners, advertisers, and merchandisers. Basketball hoops on every corner of every hood and roughly 350 roster slots in the league make for poor odds and desperate hopes.
Desperate hopes to sweat and perform on an open stage for the amusement of the masses in a manner akin to Jazz musicians playing in bordellos. You know, "just to get by." Fortunately that's all about to change now that we have a Black owner.
But wait, isn't Bob Johnson the same man who owned BET and sold it off to Viacom, leaving the only Black owned television station to be turned into an MTV for the urban market share? The same Bob Johnson who allowed, and even encouraged Black women to be presented as little more than sex objects while their male counterparts were either pimps or drug dealers who settle disputes with guns and cling to slabs of concrete they don't even own like it was their only child? Even before the sale, BET was never intended to be entertainment for Black people, despite the rare appearance of a show like Teen Summit. The purpose of BET was to be a channel for Blacks to entertain. Whether the entertainment was "shuckin' and jivin'" is a matter of opinion, but it is clear that the interests of the Black community as a whole were never in mind. Now Bob Johnson has been selected by the NBA at large to be the first minority to own a team, to bridge a gap that has existed since professional sports became proliferated by minority players. Seems to me more an effort to squelch the argument of the lack of minority owners than anything else. I don't expect Bob Johnson to make a dent in the way the NBA conducts business any more than I expected BET to contain intriguing and thought provoking programming. Hell, I think it's more likely we'll see fried chickenand watermelon night in Charlotte.
Song I'm promoting this week: Basketball Jones by S. Carson
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