5 Things: Black Lives Matter

I was not 100% on board the reboot. I got more excited as it got closer, as the protests around the nation and across the planet grew more peaceful, especially after the Federal Militia was removed from Portland. I support, and continue to support any and all athletes of any race, creed or color who feel their duty lies elsewhere than in their chosen profession. But since it would appear that police in any state across this country can’t figure out how to detain one person without opening fire, often discharging multiple rounds in the doing, the question of “when will enough truly be enough” seems further away than ever.

1. I stand with the boycott today and any future boycotts the athletes, coaches and members of the NBA brotherhood and WNBA sisterhood and all the various sporting entities that seem to finally be coming to their senses on this issue choose to take, It’s their talent, it’s their skill, it’s their choice to become a professional athlete in this modern world. It’s likely that players like George Hill, Avery Bradley and the many players who questioned whether going into the Bubble would take away the focus on the largely peaceful protests (more on that topic later) were right. In short, we don’t get to demand or choose what these men and women do. They are adults, they get to make this decision, not anyone else.
2. I think shutting down the Bubble is a smart move but one that is unlikely to happen. There’s a litany of reasons why they should: to simply be with their families to help explain to their kids what is going on and why it’s important and needed. To be in their communities where they live to show their support, to show their solidarity in the face of ever-escalating, often unpunished police brutality. Let’s be honest, this as important a moment in America as anything else in recent history. To not try, to shrink from this moment, would be an injustice in and of itself. In my opinion, pro sport can survive this. Shut it down. Great execution, innovative idea but this is more important.
3. There’s a huge issue in America that has been lurking beneath the surface, growing in scope and urgency while never really being addressed and that is the marginalization of the poor, needy and particularly people of color. I won’t get into the litany of stats showing this to be true. Oddly enough I just started watching United Shades of America on CNN and that show has got it right. The white supremacy movement is often portrayed as rural yokels yukking it up about people they don’t like and why. It’s far more insidious and pervasive than that: it’s built into our education systems, our banking systems, how our political lines are drawn through gerrymandering, it manifests in entertainment when white people are chosen to portray characters of non-Caucasian ethnic backgrounds and that’s just the tip. Besides being a musical entertainer, generally through the ostracized genre of hip hop, or an athlete there aren’t a lot of ways for children of color to pull themselves out of poverty. That’s not by accident, that is by design.
4. If all of the above rankles you or you don’t understand why this is happening, here’s one piece of advice: try harder. If Drew Brees can go from “I support BLM but I don’t support kneeling for the anthem” to “I was wrong, my friends, family,teammates and colleagues explained it to me and now I get that it’s not about the flag” than so can you. Drew ain’t a genius but he obviously is possessed of compassion and understanding. It’s not about dissing the flag, or God or whatever you think it’s about. Because chances are that if you do think it’s about one or more of those things you’re white. So here’s my shot at reaching you: fellow white folk, the best thing you can do right now is listen, support your friends of color or different nationality, because this has stopped being a discussion of it’s bad but rather one about how bad we will allow it to become. You don’t have to make a sign, you don’t have to march and protest (although it would be cooler if you did). Start with the simplest first step: stop your opinionating and blathering and listen to the members of the community that you are disconnected from. Start there. Make a new friend, fuck it, make two. Allow them the chance to explain it you. Don’t use the acts of violence which are not exclusively being perpetrated by the protestors as a truly shitty excuse to willfully not understand.
5. But will the NBA, WNBA, MLB, and other sporting leagues not playing make everything better? In a word: nope. But it will help and here’s how. First and foremost it will bring a focus and unity to the call for justice. Every voice counts and while it was both admirable and unprecedented as to how the NBA showed it’s support for the Black Lives Matter movement they were, at best, well-intentioned gestures of solidarity. At worst it could be construed as corporate lip service to a huge issue that effects the majority of it’s employees. No single person, group of people or sporting league is going to fix this. But the more voices behind the movement the louder it can be. So, to all that, I hope all professional sports go dark, that the owners stand with their players and the fans can come to a level of basic understanding as to why it’s important.
   
   I get it. For a lot of people this must be so tiring; having to watch people demand something you’ve enjoyed since birth, not really having to ever had to work for your privilege. You were born with it, it won’t ever go away and, boy isn’t too bad that everyone can’t just get along like you seem to be able to do… My advice? Stop talking, don’t try to find a quick fix because there isn’t one: listen, make a new friend outside your personal bubble, heck, give a BLM march a spin and tell your fellow marchers you don’t get it. Let their passion convince you. Because we’re not going anywhere at all if we don’t go together.
   
   Like phred used to say: it’s all about the love.