Andrew Cotto and Damon Young want to have an ongoing, very frank conversation about race. Here is part one.
Andrew: I’m excited about our conversation. The idea came to me when considering many of the articles submitted to the Good Men Project’s feature on race this past August. There are a lot of stories and insights and ideas out there on this important subject from a variety of media sources (and those who comment on said work of such media); my hope was to channel a couple of writers from different racial backgrounds into a ongoing dialog that creates something worthwhile through the virtue of honest conversation.
I was interested in you as the other voice in this dialog after reading your columns in the Good Men Project and then exploring the blog, which you co-author. I come to this conversation with a longstanding interest in race as an individual, a student of literature and sociology, an active citizen of the United States, and an urban resident and college professor. Also, as an author, I’ve written about race for this magazine, while both of my novels feature race as a dominant theme.
I don’t think we’ll be short of topics for discussion. Race seems to find its way into our nation’s narrative on a regular basis. With that in mind, I like your idea of starting with basketball. The NBA is a good metaphor for race in the U.S. And your suggestion coincides with my personal interest in re-engaging the league after a decade of absence. I finally have time and energy to follow professional sports again. Plus, the Nets are coming to Brooklyn next year, and I’m eager for the collective narrative it can bring to our diverse community. Basketball works for me, it’s a game I know and once loved, though I have a few admissions to make about the modern NBA.
I lost interest in the league after Michael Jordan retired. This was a mix of life circumstances (kids, career, aging gracelessly) and a commitment to Jordan that bordered on the pathological (I’ll spare you the details of my former Jordan-worship—it’s a little embarrassing). My rather tangential impression of the post-Jordan NBA is not an altogether positive one. I’m familiar with the success of Kobe, the Celtics, and last year’s Mavs. I know there are some really amazing young players, like the guard from NO, the guy on the Bulls, and that dude out in LA who has about ten ridiculous dunks a game (notice the lack of name recognition). I’m aware that Shaq has been on approximately eight teams in the past ten years, though he may, finally, be retired. I also, sadly, recognize the popular compliant of the league having been overrun by players associated with the term “Thug.” I have no solid case to defend or refute this claim, though if a therapist had me on their couch and played name-association, using the “NBA” and “thug,” the images that would come to mind are that of Allen Iverson, the Ron Artest fight with fans, the national team that crapped out in an international tournament (was Stephon Marbury involved?), tattoos, corn rows, balloon shorts, no defense, no respect, and did someone have a gun in the locker room? Are any of these guys still in the league?
This last paragraph reads like the perfect recipe for ignorance: a specific opinion formulated on a general lack of knowledge. That said, this is how the world works, at least, in part. So, how off is this impression of the modern NBA? What role, in your opinion, does race play in this impression?
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Damon: I’ve spent the last 15 minutes staring at my monitor, debating if I should begin my reply with a couple of genuinely heartfelt but totally uninteresting paragraphs expressing my excitement and thanking you for reaching out or if I should forgo the perfunctory niceties and just jump right into the deep end of this racial morass we’ve agreed to create. I guess this paragraph is me bitching up and doing neither. (I am a black man, though—read: I don’t know how to swim—so toeing the waters is somewhat apropos.)
You know what? Fuck it. Let’s get in the pool.
My closest friend (a professional basketball coach in Europe) staunchly believes that a basketball fan that prefers non-NBA basketball—and “non-NBA basketball” can be anything from the WNBA to the Western Pennsylvanian Interscholastic Athletic League—to NBA basketball is secretly racist. While I wouldn’t go that far, I do agree that it’s a bit of a racial Rorschach test.
Maybe where one stands about the NBA—and why they stand there—doesn’t tell me everything I need to know about their feelings towards race, racism, racialism, post-race, racial profiling, racialicious, and Gloria Cain, but I can’t think of another single question that gives a better answer. It’s almost as if the league was intentionally created to serve as a microcosm for every single thing that contributes to and complicates any discussion about race in America:
- An entity decidedly more resonate in major cities and inherently connected to city culture (with “city culture” serving as a euphemism for “black culture,” “liberal culture,” and any other red state buzzword boogieman)? Check!
- A multi-billion dollar industry without any relevant white American talent? Check!
- The major sport where, from a physical perspective, its average participant has the least in common with the average American (you probably personally know a few non-famous people who could pass as doppelgangers for Drew Brees or Hines Ward or even Tom Brady. You do not know any non-famous people who favor Shaquille O’Neal or Lebron James)? Check!
- A game played relatively equipment free (no hats, helmets, shoulder pads, etc.,) in front of a relatively intimate audience (it’s the only major sport where a fan could literally reach out and touch a player), a quirk allowing the audience a certain intimacy/closeness that occasionally forces them to see and think about things they’d just rather not? Check!
Anywho, to (finally) answer your first question, before the lockout came and took a drunk trucker at Waffle House-sized shit on everything, the NBA was experiencing a renaissance. Not since the late 80’s has there been such a bevy of legitimately skilled (and marketable) talent, and this fact was reflected in both the quality of play and the (drastically increased) ratings. I’ve been a die-hard NBA basketball fan for 25 years (Yes, this means I was a die-hard fan when I was seven years old), and I can’t remember a season with as many exciting games, compelling players, and complex story lines. This wasn’t just a “let’s all watch the South Beach freak show” boon either. The league has been on an upward swing for half a decade now (until, of course, the lockout came and took a drunk trucker at Waffle House-sized shit on everything).
Yet, despite the fact that some truly great basketball was being played by some truly great basketball players, you have a large segment of the sports populace whose only feelings towards the NBA are disgust, disdain, and anger that some people actually aren’t disgusted and disdained by it. I know it’s probably not the best idea to use the comments attached to ESPN articles to make a point, but the NBA is the only sport where people enter conversations about it just to talk about how much they hate it.
I realize this is much more complicated than just branding everyone who feels this way as racist. Sports fans are obsessed with nostalgia, and it’s not a leap to suggest that some people just don’t think that the stars of today hold a candle to the Magics and Birds and Barkleys they grew up idolizing. Also, for the first few years after Jordan’s last retirement (that stint with the Wizards never happened), NBA basketball, well, sucked. Teams were over-coached; there was a talent void, and defenses had become more sophisticated than the offenses, all resulting in unwatchable games with scores like 66 to 62 and 72 to 59.
Most importantly, many of the star players—Iverson, Sprewell, Rasheed Wallace, etc.—carried themselves on and off the court with an attitude reminding people of the worst aspects of black America. This image—of Iverson holding press conferences rocking bling weighing more than he does, of an influx of unskilled 18-year-olds (Darius Miles, Kwame Brown, etc.,) commanding multi-million dollar salaries, of giant black men charging the stands and fighting the audience (an event that remains the single most memorable thing I’ve ever seen live)—is what much of America still thinks of when thinking of the NBA. Joe Sports Fan turns on a game today, sees 10 black men with tattoos, and automatically assumes that nothing has changed.
What does race of to do with this false perception? For factors I mentioned earlier, the NBA has always been a racial petri dish. And the level of animus many still hold toward the league and its players is an example of certain segments of white America’s refusing to give the NBA athlete the benefit of the doubt. Instead of being assessed on their own merit, they’re being judged by people still rocking 1999 goggles—“fans” who think “black guy” + “tattoo” + “basketball” = “uneducated and unskilled thug.”
This is where I’m supposed to end this response with an assignment, asking you to watch an NBA game tonight with an open mind. The lockout is now over, but the lingering stench from the drunk trucker at Waffle House-sized shit means that there won’t be any games until Christmas day. I’ve decided to drown my “no NBA until December fucking 25th” sorrows in alcohol, and I’d like for you to join me. What are you drinking?
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Andrew: That’s terrific insight and the first metaphor I’ve come across of the drunk trucker-Waffle House-shit variety. I may need to work that into my next novel. Your points are well-taken about the perception of the NBA, its origins and realities; though I don’t see much hope in expecting people, from any segment of any populace, giving other people the “benefit of the doubt.” I believe minds are changed through observing consistent behavior, and that makes the resurrected NBA season so welcome. I’ll look forward to following the upcoming NBA season from the perspective we’ve established here. In the meantime, per your request, I’ll be drowning my “no NBA until December fucking 25th” sorrows in some Johnny Walker Red leftover from Thanksgiving (thanks, Uncle Steve). By the way, I agree that the Jordan-Wizards-thing never happened, and who the hell should I root for until the Nets arrive in Brooklyn next season? Anybody but the Knicks, please.
As far as next topic goes, allow me to suggest an assignment, with its possibly caustic phrasing, that is relevant to what we’ve discussed already with regard to an image that represents the worst of black America:
What is the inspiration and meaning (if any) of “Thug Couture?”
Andrew Cotto is a teacher & writer who lives in Brooklyn, NY. His coming-of-age novel, THE DOMINO EFFECT, is now available on Amazon.com. Outerborough Blues: A Brooklyn Mystery will be released in 2012 by Ig Publishing. Learn more about Andrew at his website, and follow him on Facebook and Twitter @andrewcotto.
Pittsburgh native Damon Young (aka “The Champ”) is the co-founder ofVerySmartBrothas.com. Their first book Your Degrees Won’t Keep You Warm At Night: The Very Smart Brothas Guide To Dating, Mating and Fighting Crime is available at Amazon.com.
—Photo AP
Forgive me Eli Kaplan, I’m not a huge sports fan like you may be, but I know enough about the NBA to know that Magic, Bird, and Isaiah made their career decisions in really different world than LeBron James. The rules of the business changed a lot in the years between them. I don’t understand why one would even try to compare them. You admit that the team owners are not loyal to the players, yet you indicate in closing that you expect some loyalty to their teams from the players. That’s just not the world we live in today,… Read more »
Hey Damon, Thanks for your reply. I definitely agree that management is no more loyal (and sometimes less so) than the athletes. Having said that, I don’t begrudge the athletes for putting their personal interests first. I begrudge society for harvesting such a culture of selfish, egomaniacs (permeating all professions and walks of life) these days. As a result, true loyalty is a gradually evaporating idea/actuality. Loyalty (to a cause, a job, a career, a team) isn’t a whim, and it isn’t (necessarily) a suckers bet. It is believing and fighting for something through good times and bad. As a… Read more »
Great article! I really enjoyed it, and there’s some very important issues/topics on the table. Plus, this article is about two of my favorite subjects – sports and race. I think it’s a really good point Damon makes, that the NBA is such an intimate sport (equipment free, exposed faces, fans in close proximity to the players, etc…). Though race is a major part of the issue here (well addressed by both of you), and not to be avoided or ignored, another important factor here is how our culture (in general) has changed, and how our values as a society… Read more »
Eli, Thanks for responding. The fact that two people can look at the exact same thing and get two completely different takes is never not fascinating to me. While you’re seeing a culture of selfishness permeating all major sports, I see athletes (finally) realizing they’re precious and valuable commodities, and acting accordingly. They’re people in a very unique position — able to earn outrageous amounts of money, but only for a 7 to 12 year window — and I don’t begrudge them for putting their personal interests first. You could also make the argument that today’s athlete is just being… Read more »
I’m struggling to understand why “the NBA is a good metaphor for race in the U.S.”–first of all, it implies that Andrew’s exposure to black people is very limited. Secondly, since when does race=black? The U.S. has many, many different races. This implied equation is a very dangerous “othering” of black people, a first cousin to racism.
I think sports is a good place to talk about because for a lot of people it is where they are exposed to race without actively visiting such neighborhoods. NBA and blacks is the side they chose probably because of the “thug” association. You are right though there are other sports convos such as why most black baseball players speak Spanish (Dominicans), or why is boxing the sport of the oppressed ethnoc minority
First, I have to disagree with your notion that there are many, many different races in the U.S. Truth be told race is only a social construct that contains four categories: black, white, Asian, and Hispanic. Of course, then you break it down into nationality, ethnicity, etc. But there are not many races. Secondly, the NBA or sports in general is a great place to start with race because in observing how athletes are treated is a great way to see how people really feel about race. It’s easy to call Kobe or Shaq a great guy when they are… Read more »
Also, guys, nice work on this. I’ve been thinking similar thoughts for a while myself. I know we’re talking about the NBA, and it is hard to compare the NBA with NHL because of the different natures of defense (and offense) inherent in these games. It may be better to compare the NFL with the NHL if we’re talking about the violence levels and then examine the way the players are seen regarding race. Whenever I think about Americans’ relationships with violence in sport and men of color, I always think of Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man … It’s been a… Read more »
This talk about the “thuggish” appearence of b-ball players makes me wonder if black men decided to do a thug walk. Wear big or tight jeans, have tats, cornrows and fros, and sag your pants below your butt and demand they dont get profiled as being thugs like the movement of slutwalk
I like this idea, though I’m aware as a white chick I can’t effectively speak to it? Meaning I don’t want to speak to things I don’t know much about, but I like the idea of confronting systems with things like images. I do suspect it would get a great deal of attention, much of it negative and purposely misconstrued.
That’s an interesting idea. I think we all get a chance to do this every day, when we walk around wearing whatever we wear on any given day, and don’t act like thugs. I’ve heard people connected with the Slutwalks mention the possibility of a need for a men’s parallel movement to publicize the fact that we men are in control of ourselves and our drives, and that we can and do treat women with respect.
I think Damon pretty much nailed the answer to that question here:
“And the level of animus many still hold toward the league and its players is an example of certain segments of white America’s refusing to give the NBA athlete the benefit of the doubt. Instead of being assessed on their own merit, they’re being judged by people still rocking 1999 goggles—“fans” who think “black guy” + “tattoo” + “basketball” = “uneducated and unskilled thug.””
It is ok, i think a movement like this would be important for basketball and maybe American football. Moreso for b-ball because i dont think Lebron James is a thug and a few of my friends dont either. I will even give James Harrison a pass too despite the fact his mens journal cover wants to prove me wrong since football is violent anyway
I think the difference is that with hockey fights there is a code and a respect for your opposition. There is an audio clip from last years’ 24/7 fight between Dubinsky and Ovechkin and you hear Dubi says “Good job buddy” and Ovie replies “Yea, good job.” Fighting in hockey has a known end to it, the players involved sometimes will say to each other, “I’m done” and the fights over. Whereas in basketball a fight between 2 players will almost always turn into a fight with all players involved and that becomes a situation that is out of control… Read more »
How do you know there isn’t a code in bball? It may look like a melee, but for all I know there’s a code to that. How much of any fight like that on tv is posturing? I mean, I don’t know if there is a “code” to any sport fight, but seems to me if there was one in hockey there should be one in any other sport.
I’m sure there is a player code for basketball for the nuances of the game but I doubt there is any code surrounding actually fighting. Fighting isn’t a part of basketball and shouldn’t really ever happen so there wouldn’t be any code surrounding it just the code an individual lives by in any altercation. With hockey, fighting is so embedded in the game and culture that an unwritten code can be set up surrounding it, players will not punch a guy on the ice etc. Ultimately, it’s allowed in hockey and that means it can be nuanced whereas in basketball… Read more »
There seems to be a search here for a double standard that just doesn’t pertain to the original point nor have much merit on its own. Fighting is not condoned in the NBA because it’s not part of basketbal ; it’s accepted in hockey for the opposite reason.
Society is more than happy to let large men, mostly of color, barely dressed, pummel each other – it’s called boxing.
Andrew
“You [can’t] allow men that big and that strong to go around throwing punches at each other.” – David Stern, NBA’s chief counsel, later commissioner. This was said after Kermit Washington threw a single punch at Rudy Tomjanovich–in self defense–in 1977. I think what is pertinent here is how we define “thug.” The dictionary defines thug as “a violent person.” When Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, he went home and dedicated himself to becoming a better player. When Derek Boogaard was cut from his hockey team, he went out and got boxing lessons. Hockey–predominantly white–and… Read more »
The dictionary defines thug as “a violent person” but society hears the word thug and envisions something more specific. It’s unfortunate but that is how the term has evolved over time and that is why people use it to describe players in basketball in certain situations, whereas in hockey the term goon would be used.
Not sure what you’re hoping to get out of the Jordan/Boogaard comparison, apples and oranges man.
The dictionary also defines society as “The aggregate of people living together in a more or less ordered community.” As a member of society, I don’t envision “black men” as thugs, by default. Any instance where race, gender or sexual preference precedes judgements based on knowledge of the individual says far more about the individual making the judgement than the person being judged.
The whole point of having an “ongoing, frank discussion about race” is to be willing to challenge “society’s” preconceptions. Everything else is just dogma.
JFB
Jackie, With all due respect, but did you see what Kermit Washington’s “single” punch did to Rudy T’s face (and brain, and life)? And it was not “self-defense.” It was, at best, a mistake in perception of self-defense. Or anger. Or something all together not explorable in our purview 30 years removed. But it does explain why the NBA, the home of enormous human beings of all races, does not allow fighting. It has nothing to do with black men being judged as thugs or anything else. It is about grown people acting humanely toward each other in a civilized… Read more »
Andrew I did see what the infamous punch did. I also watched with great sadness how–lacking real talent–Derek Boogaard was encouraged to fight. He struggled through a litany of fighting-related injuries, and an addiction to pain killers, which led to his premature death. Maybe if violence in hockey were considered “thuggish” despite the fact that its players don’t wear “tattoos, corn rows, or balloon shorts” he might still be alive. I absolutely agree that the NBA has a perception problem. If the question is: “What role does race play in this impression?” I’d argue that the cultural subtext can’t be… Read more »
Hey, Jackie.
I’m still having a hard time connecting the dots from Derek Boogaard’s tragic fate to race, but I’ll trust that there’s something relevant in the point about hockey’s idiotic tolerance of violence. As to your latter point, I think race plays a huge role in the negative impression of the NBA. Note the closing of the conversation: We’re going to the impression of young black men (who are not NBA players) next…it should be interesting, and I’ll look forward to your thoughts.
In the meantime, give me a shout if you want to grab some coffee.
Best,
Andrew
I think race definitely plays a role in how the violence is perceived — a fight occurring in a sport/league filled with giant black men (men already assumed to possess violent and hyper-aggressive tendencies) just seems to have more of a visceral impact than a skirmish between more “normal looking” athletes — but I also think basketball’s relatively intimate setting matters as well. There are no real barriers separating the players from the fans, so a fight in basketball just seems a little more dangerous than a hockey or football fight.
I do not agree at all, what’s important is how the violence plays out, that is what’s being judged and leads to it being described as thuggish or dirty or anything else.
Andrew thank you for a thoughtful response. I guess what I’m asking is: is difference in perception in what constitutes thuggish behavior, racial? It’s culturally accepted–in fact encouraged–that hockey players fight. This is ingrained in them from the time they are in the pee-wees. If you as much as leave the bench if a fight breaks out in the NBA, it’s an automatic suspension. Just to play devil’s advocate, would the perception be the same if every NBA team had a Shaquille O’Neal sized guy, who’s only function was to be an enforcer? I’m not excusing anyone’s behavior in their… Read more »
“is difference in perception in what constitutes thuggish behavior racial” Define “thuggish behavior” for me first – what exactly do you mean? A dirty player during the game or excessive showboating or excessive trash talking… The thing is, thuggish behavior wouldn’t be use to describe any actions in a hockey game whereas it may be used to describe actions in a basketball game, why is that? Because people associate thug with black male, so your question is leading. White players in hockey can behave like jackasses but you wouldn’t describe it as thuggish behavior, so perception of what may be… Read more »
I agree with this statement 100%. If your perception of thugs is innately associated with black men, then their behavior is irrelevant when it comes to perception. Preconceived notions simultaneously accuse the actions of one and excuse the exact actions of another.
JFB
Hey, Jackie. I had a feeling you might want to get involved. Good question. My guess is that the difference between NBA players and NHL players is perceptual; i.e. how they comport themselves on the court/ice and away from the game, as well. Violence is not the issue. Violence is a rarity in the NBA and not the point of distinction between the leagues, especially since it happens to be allowed in hockey (at least, for now – your point being well-taken about the effects of this on the player’s coming to attention). That’s my take. Talk to you soon,… Read more »
I want in on this conversation. At the risk of being entirely tangential, my question is: why is violence in the NHL not only universally accepted but defended–despite the recent suicide of one of its most notorious enforcers–while the perception persists, despite the low incidence of violence, that the NBA is populated by “thugs?”
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/04/sports/hockey/derek-boogaard-a-boy-learns-to-brawl.html?pagewanted=all
JFB