Chocolate Snowflake bought me this book and I will give it to anyone who wants to read it. I called bullshit on this book early. It smacks of the privilege that white folks in America enjoy on the daily even when they don’t acknowledge how the game is tilted in their favor.
It’s within those parameters of unacknowledged privilege that mainstream sports reporting tells the story of athletes in America. Why Brett Favre is heroic even tho’ he paralyzed and later crippled a NFL team and while his disclosures of infidelity and general churlishness don’t mete the call of being out of bounds. Let’s not even speak on Michael Vick, or Michael Irvin, or Mike Tyson.
Peep this article to see how deep it gets…
Have you read TBOB yet? I am 600 pages in and to be honest I think it plays a fair judgement to what the historical slant on African American players and the treatment over times. Simmons is a Boston guy who grew up on the Celtics and the bias is there, but he is extremely open to the treatment of black athletes and the such. Read the book and give an honest critique.. Yea there are things that bother me i.e his usage of the term “blacks” his bad hip hop references, but other than that I think it serves the purpose of the book.
TBOB is actually one of the best hoops books I’ve read. Great insight on the game of the NBA, and I think its openly honest about race in the book. I had to tip my hat to Simmons who didn’t skirt the role that race played in the transformation of the NBA as far as the game, players, and fans. Sometimes I think us as black folks get a little too prickly when non-black folk use the term “black”. I mean its who we are, right?
I remember reading about those “Q Scores” months back and was “entertained” by the ethnic make up of that list, and then when I thought about who compiled it I wasn’t amazed at all. Paul O’Neill could beat up 5 water coolers in the Yankee dugout and was being passionate, Albert Belle expresses his anger and is the harbinger of death. With that said, this guy’s article sucks.
What you have to understand is the easiest way to get your article read in sports is to bring up race. I’ve read this retread article in 10 different forms in the last few years and its nothing more than purile journalistic field songs. This guy used all the key search engine words needed for this article to be a hit. Race. LeBron. Brett Favre. Vick. Tiger.
Lets make one thing clear, to even utter the wildly ignorant notion that LeBron’s “Decision” hath even one percent of the racial strife & overtones of the Jackie Robinson, Joe Louis, Jack Johnson, Ernie Davis, Bill Russell, even Mike Tyson, Bonds & Vick component is exponentially asinine. To play the race card about a spoiled child star signing a $100M contract who wouldn’t have been able to even do so with out the true trials & tribulations of some of the aforementioned is downright offensive. It makes you ask the question of who’s perpetuating the racial angle more at this point?
Lets be real specter of race will always bubble under sports journalism. However this article fails to truly address it. If he really wanted to go in, talk about the syntax and adjectives that are used when describing athletes. Talk about “the heady, overachiever, high IQ player, who you can tell puts the hours in the gym” versus “the natural prodigy, manchild, who does everything so effortlessly”. Racially break down who gets praise because “they work hard” vs. “they just show up and do it”, or “he has a real love for the game” vs. “he takes the game for granted.”
Until someone really addresses the way the media plants these words and the psychological impact it has on praising/criticizing players from early ages by race then we can talk. But this cornball trying to get some news hits is just adding on to the problem and not addressing the solution.
@40 I agree with everything you said.. what i meant is Simmons usage of the term “blacks” I hear it in his Boston accent and it irks me.. but today alone i read another 100 pages and just find that he paid such homage to Elgin, Oscar, and others in the role they played not only in basketball but the struggle and the horrific treatment they dealt with.. the article posted seems to miss those points
@MFDash… LOL. Amazing what an accent can do.
Thanks for clarification mfdash, and essays from 40 are always welcome. I’ve not read hoops back in years but it’s good to know this might be a worthy one, DP’s initial reaction aside. I remember buying Walt Frazier’s bio the week it came out, and also enjoyed Terry Pluto’s ABA oral history, “Loose Balls” a lot.
As non-black I was esp. curious about your opinions because when I’m writing history, I am adamant in using the terms appropriate to the era: colored, negro and black are all standard at various times and usually respectful. Numerous other terms used at different times have greater and lesser degrees of intended disrespect and its important to recognize those gradations for what they reveal of contemporary speakers/writers intent, as well the experience of our ancestors.
Example: Jackie Robinson was NOT the first “African-American” anything, and it’s distortion of language to pretend otherwise, although–
the “Afro American,” out of Baltimore, was an important– and fascinating (the roots of, say, Prince’s androgyny are there in early 20th c. colored drag balls– black newspaper.
40’s passion will make me open Simmon’s book back up.
The article by Rogers is wholly valid to me. LeBron James free agent signing to Miami isn’t equated with Jackie Robinson’s signing to the Dodgers.
40’s bluster aside, read the article and understand that the author is saying you can’t see an accurate picture of the modern athlete because those documenting them have their unacknowledged bias.
I personally feel there is a negative feel to the term “blacks” in the way it is used during the book, this is also minor and like @willis says its something that may have been acceptable historically or commonly in Simmons upbringing, but his usage in passages such as “the introduction of blacks completely changed the game of basketball” seems suspect, but i think simmons book doesnt match with the article though, the closest thing Ive read in similarity and done with more detail is William Rhoden’s 40 million dollar slaves, which is more about the treatment and coverage of athletes and the false perception that money gives these guys more power even though they do wield more power than the players that paved the way.. with that said Simmons goes out of his way to play up the significance and importance of the ABA and early black athletes to pro basketball without demeaning the newer genertion nearly as much.. he takes his shots but it is based on generational issues that are obvious and i.m.o he even does current athletes justice with the pointing out of the way they are used from such an early age..
Thanks Willis…
Dallas – I think your last statement puts a better understanding on what dude is saying better than the whole article. In that sense I agree with that statement.
I guess I view sports differently when talking about it being a former athlete. I see where these journalistic bogeymen like to inject race into conversations when its not even a factor to the guys actually playing the sport. I think what happens is there is SPORT and THE POLITICS OF SPORTS. The interesting thing in my collegiate athletic days was when the freshmen came in and it was the first time black & white dudes did anything together. As the bonds are formed in practice & games you judge people on their talent and whoever the best 5, 9, or 11 you can put out there to win its all that matters to the combatants. That’s SPORT. You can see that in any sports documentary of any great team. These guys talk amongst themselves as equals and as men and as players.
In this media world THE POLITICS OF SPORT is what dominates the chatter and what also sells the media outlet. Far too often this is written and dictated by people who never even laced them up and are looking for a story. At times this was done benevolently to open up scandal or injustice, and try and right/write some wrongs. Other times its the power of the pen that seeks to destroy those that they do not understand for no other reason than they just don’t like the guy.
The bigger problem is that athletes do not control they methods of production when it comes to sports. So you’re never going to get an accurate documentation. You’re either gonna get a puff piece from some jock sniffer who wants to curry favor with the athlete, or you gonna get the jock sniffer scorned who will do what ever they can with their pen to get their retribution on that athlete and any other athlete in the future that reminds them of that person.
Very interesting (and true) article. Fucked up thing is we might be reading a similar article about hip hop in 20, 30, 50 years? (now?)
That said, Simmons does his best to balance it out. Though years of conditioned conditioning, he still does have his cringe-worthy moments, but at the end of the day he acknowledges and accounts for the FuckedUpedness of Race in Sports in America as well as any other white sportswriter I read…for what that’s worth.
TBOB is a really great read, regardless, if you love the NBA. Skim it once before you give it away.
I just copped Free Darko’s “The Undisputed Guide to Pro Basketball History.” More knowledgeable basketball scholars, and better writers, in my opinion.
Thanks 40 for your perspective and your time to talk with us. I wasn’t even trying to dismiss your totally valid viewpoint. Sports is the last stage for Americans to be heroic and I do get prickly when I feel my heroes are under attack.
I’ll give the Simmons book a full read even tho’ I think he is a supremacist apologist, but then again I feel that way for every white I don’t know personally. just because I’m the one with issues doesn’t mean that privilege doesn’t exist.
Dallas – I didn’t think you were being dismissive. This site has always been a great community to exchange ideas. I enjoy kicking the Willie Bobo here. I find myself again agreeing with you. Especially in regards one of the last places to be heroic in America, and one of the last places you can really “achieve the American Dream”. I always appreciate you giving me the forum to give my opinion about sports & society whether it be in commentary or a guest drop. Thanks for encouraging me to spit a couple hundreds words or better my dude.
PS – I’m still looking for those 40 sized 1/2 Cents for $40.
Diesel,
I got a spot in your new nabe (well, Sunnyside) I been wanted to take you since I know you fux with the AF-1s. They got several joints in 40 size for $40 yucks.
Hit me on the cell my G, let’s politic an SFU
Done & Done.