The National Football League has voted to fine any team whose players kneel in protest against racial discrimination during the national anthem.
Players who want to protest can stay off the field in the locker room until the national anthem is over. The league will not fine the teams under these circumstances.
The NFL saw TV viewership fall 10% in the wake of the protests in the 2017 season. The league does not want this to continue. But the NFL's public relations press release did not mention falling revenues, only the need to respect the national anthem.
The NFL did not consult the players' union on this matter. There are worries that some black players will refuse to play, a semi-repeat of the NFL players' strike of 1987.
RIPPLE EFFECTS
If black NFL players strike, this could create ripple effects in professional sports. The National Basketball Association is adamant about the requirement to stand at attention during the national anthem. This is from Section H of the NBA Rulebook:
(2) Players, coaches, and trainers are to stand and line up in a dignified posture along the sidelines or on the foul line during the playing of the National Anthem
What if the NFL's black players decide to defy the rule? What if the NBA tries to enforce its rule on recalcitrant players? What if all of the black players then strike? What if the NBA is forced to hire replacements? What if only white players apply? These are ripple effects.
IMITATING THE AABA
This would be a dream come true for sports entrepreneur Don Lewis. You may not recall his name, but his plan is memorable. In 2010, on January 19 (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day), Mr. Lewis made his announcement. He proposed the creation of a new professional basketball league, the All-America Basketball Alliance. Its unique selling proposition was this: it would be all white. Wikipedia's entry reports:
The All-American Basketball Alliance (AABA) was announced on January 19, 2010 by Don "Moose" Lewis as an all-white basketball league, with players reportedly required to be "natural-born United States citizens", and whose parents must both be "of the Caucasian race". The initial roster of the league was intended to include teams from twelve cities in the southern U.S. Lewis, who was interviewed by Scott Michaux of the Augusta Chronicle, said that one of the objectives of the AABA was restoring "court sanity" to the game of basketball.Plans
Lewis claimed that local contacts in each of the twelve targeted cities, including Augusta, Georgia; Albany, Georgia; and Chattanooga, Tennessee, would pay $10,000 to become "licensees" of the league.
Lewis also hinted at a possible reality television show, "Snow Ball vs. Bro Ball," involving the league.
There was immediate opposition from local political figures in the South.
One of the cities intended to be a part of the AABA was Augusta, Georgia. Augusta's mayor, Deke Copenhaver, stated that he did not support the idea: "As a sports enthusiast, I have always supported bringing more sporting activities to Augusta. However, in this instance I could not support in good conscience bringing in a team that did not fit with the spirit of inclusiveness that I, along with many others, have worked so hard to foster in our city." Clint Bryant, athletic director at Augusta State University, described the idea for the league as "absurd", and noted that it "gives you an idea of the sickness of our society." Dip Metress, head men's basketball director at ASU, also opposed the idea, saying "nobody is going to put money behind this. Basketball is an international game." Chattanooga, Tennessee was another city targeted by Lewis' plan; a spokesman for Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield described Lewis' plan as "absolutely ridiculous", but also added that he was unaware of anything the City could do to actually stop it.
Opposition spread beyond the South.
Critics commented on the irony of a whites-only basketball league being announced on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day; former NBA star Charles Barkley called the idea of the AABA "blatantly racist."
A black pastor named White took umbrage.
Reverend R. L. White, president of the Atlanta chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), described the AABA as "ridiculous" and said "it attempts to set back what we've been trying to do for 100 years." White said he was worried that the all-white basketball league might set off racial tensions, and added, "If we can do anything to stop it, we will."
Mr. Lewis defended his plan. He insisted that:
. . . he did not "hate anyone of color" but that he felt that white people should be given their own league to play "fundamental basketball, which they like" instead of the "street ball" he said is played by nonwhites. He claimed that "white basketball players are essentially 'shut out' of conventional professional basketball due to the proliferation of non-organized play on the court" and cited Gilbert Arenas' suspension for bringing guns into the Washington Wizards' locker room as an example of the way basketball was being run, commenting "That's the culture today, and in a free country we should have the right to move ourselves in a better direction." Lewis claimed to have received threats from people opposed to the AABA's whites-only policy. Besides Augusta, several other cities warned Lewis and the AABA to "stay out of town".
This story was picked up by The Daily Show, which reports on important news events. It sent a staff member to interview Mr. Lewis. You can view that interview here. Mr. Lewis was intense in his affirmation of the need for the AABA. You can judge for yourself just how serious he was.
I am wondering: will the NBA bring in Mr. Lewis to help promote the league if black players strike? I can think of no one better prepared to take criticism from the outraged mainstream media.
© 2022 GaryNorth.com, Inc., 2005-2021 All Rights Reserved. Reproduction without permission prohibited.