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Sports & Politics Intersect: NBA united against racial divide
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Sports & Politics Intersect: NBA united against racial divide

"I think it's pretty obvious. Our league is made up of a lot of black guys. To honor that and understand it is pretty simplistic. How would you ignore that?" - Gregg Popovich, San Antonio Spurs 

It's All-Star Weekend for the NBA, but much of the media focus this week has been on Black History Month and the league's relationship to the monthlong celebration. 

It all started on Monday, when Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was asked why it was important for the NBA to participate. In typical Pop form, he responded by pointing out the obvious, that much of the players were black, before speaking on the greater purpose of the national remembrance. 

"But more importantly, we live in a racist country that hasn't figured it out yet. And it's always important to bring attention to it, even if it angers some people," he added. "The point is that you have to keep it in front of everybody's nose so that they understand it, that it still hasn't been taken care of, and we have a lot of work to do."

That latter point, that the issue of race in America hasn't been resolved, was made apparent earlier that same day when the Boston Police Department decided to honor legendary Celtics coach Red Auerbach for Black History Month because he was the first in the NBA to draft a black player, field an all-black team and hire the first black coach (Bill Russell). That Boston PD chose to honor a white man was not well-received, prompting a massive backlash that resulted in Boston PD deleting the offending tweet and eventually issuing a "we didn't mean to offend anyone" apology. Afterward, Boston PD posted another Black History Month tribute, this time focusing on Bill Russell.

And then there's LeBron James, who in a branded content video for the Undefeated criticized President Trump for not caring about the American people. 

"The number one job in America, the ... person is someone who doesn't understand the people, and really don't give a f--- about the people,” the global icon mused. 

As The Hill reports, the video was filmed shortly after Trump made his “shithole” comments, meaning when LeBron said "people," he was likely referring to people of color. That's certainly how conservative commentator and staunch Trump supporter Laura Ingraham took his comments, saying on her show that LeBron James should just "shut up and dribble." 

Unfortunately for Ingraham, it's highly unlikely that LeBron will keep his mouth shut. He is, after all, one of the team captains for the All-Star Game, which means he'll be front and center.

Of note: 

  • Sports world grieves for Florida high school - Cubs star and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School alumnus Anthony Rizzo went back home to  console family and friends after the mass shooting while American athletes over at the Winter Olympics competed with heavy hearts . Speaking on the behalf of the “entire football community,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell mourned for Aaron Feis, the assistant coach  who lost his life while protecting students.

  • Rippon trying to move on from Pence feud - American figure skater Adam Rippon said that he didn’t want his Olympic experience to be about his issues with Vice President Mike Pence, which elicited a response from the president’s son , Donald Trump Jr. Of course, free skier Gus Kenworthy  joked about his reason why he wouldn’t shake Pence’s hand.

  • LGBTQ presence at PyeongChang shows progress - Compared to the 2014 Sochi Games where Russian legislation minimized any mention of the LGBTQ community, this year’s games has greater LGBTQ visibility.

  • Is Korean unity at Winter Games real or a stunt? -divide has emerged in South Korea over the unified Olympic team and the perceived slights against athletes of the home country in favor of politics. It hasn’t helped that the South is paying for the North’s presence at the Olympics.

  • Kap’s lawyers seeking depositions Lawyers for Colin Kaepernick are looking for depositions from former Papa John’s CEO John Schnatter and Jane Skinner Goodell, the wife of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, as potential evidence of collusion to keep their client out of the NFL.

  • Tennis benefactor also funds Devin Nunes - Could it be of concern to the tennis world that Oracle founder Larry Ellison also supports Congressman Devin Nunes (R- Calif.), a staunch defender of the White House and President Donald Trump?

  • FBI probe into college basketball corruption grows - Five months after the FBI arrested 10 men from the college hoops world for corruption, three ongoing criminal cases could lead to some of the biggest names in the game — including Hall of Fame coaches — being implicated.

  • Arizona may join group of states forbidding taxpayer-funded stadiums - Two bills in the state legislature are asking officials to consider joining a multi-state compact that bans the use of public dollars for building new sports venues or renovating existing ones.

  • Trump signs sexual assault bill - President Trump quietly signed the Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse Act, which strengthens requirements to report sexual abuse, a response in the aftermath of the Larry Nassar case. 

  • Saudi Arabia’s sports investments are distractions - The recent interest in sports by Saudi authorities appears to be part of a larger attempt to divert attention away from their abuses of power.

  • Expansion and relocation news - Seattle officially submitted its application for an NHL expansion team while Louisville renews hopes to bring an NBA team to the city.

  • Attendance for college football sharply drops - Even with an “apolitical” College Football Playoff, last season’s attendance for FBS/Division 1 football had the largest declines since 1983

For the record books: This week in sports politics history


Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

“To this day, I have never seen a team play better team basketball.” - Former UCLA head coach John Wooden on the New York Renaissance 

The world of professional basketball changed forever in 1923 when amateur manager Bob Douglas approached Harlem businessman William Roach with a proposal to turn the ballroom of the latter’s Renaissance Casino into the home court of a professional basketball team. The squad would be called the Renaissance, allowing Roach to promote his gambling venture wherever the team played.

What was in it for Douglas? The ability to pay his athletes, the best of whom kept taking their talents to other professional sports.

Roach signed on, and the New York Renaissance, aka The Rens, became the first black-owned, all-black professional basketball team in the history of the United States. And they were good.

Given that the major professional basketball leagues were all-white during the Rens' heyday, Douglas had prime access to some of the top talent in the country. From its 1923 founding to its 1949 folding, the Rens featured future Hall-of-Famers like John Isaacs, Zack Clayton, William “Pop” Gates, Charles “Tarzan” Cooper and Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton. The Rens often logged over 100 games a year, taking on all comers at home or on the road. They won more than they lost to the original Celtics and, in 1939, won the first World Championship of Professional Basketball.

They also battled with the Harlem Globetrotters, though, according to Isaacs, there wasn’t much of a rivalry due to the contrast in “entertainment” and “straight basketball” styles.

The Rens’ was a brief 16-year existence, but they earned the enduring respect of all who played against them. A year after they folded, former Celtics star Joe Lapchick signed Sweetwater Clifton to the New York Knicks, making him the first African-American player in NBA history. In 1972, Douglas became the first African-American enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame.

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