Hebrews to Negroes - Where Is the Anti Semitism??

 Instead of blindly accepting the labeling of Kyrie Irving as being a person who was pushing anti semitism, I viewed the documentary in question.  My thoughts as I was viewing the documentary?  How is talking about the heritage of black people anti semitism?  Did any of the athletes who jumped on the "anti semitism" banner even watch the documentary before making any comments?  The lesson learned from all this is never take a broad statement unbacked by evidence as being "truth".  Those who have made the anti semitism comment need to back up their comments with specific information from the documentary that proves their comment is accurate.  Of the 3 hours of documentary material, point out the specific moments in the documentary that are anti semitic in nature.  We await your information.

China, Daryl Morey, and the NBA

Daryl Morey.  Thank you for bringing into the light some of the hypocrisy that exist in the government and other institutions in the United States of America.  Instead of engaging in dialogue about the past transgressions and terrorism inflicted on Native Americans and African Americans in this country, Morey chose to point a righteous finger at social issues in China.  How did that work out for you Daryl?

 Why didn't you look within this country first and initiate a discussion about the history of lynching of black people in this country with no one brought to justice; the massacre of black people in Elaine, Arkansas in 1919; the burning down of a prosperous black neighborhood (black Wall Street) near Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1921; the murder of 14 year old Emmit Till in Mississippi in 1955; and the other numerous atrocities committed against African Americans all under the banner of the American institution of racism.  And let's not even get into the American institution of slavery.  What do you think about that period in American history Daryl?  What about that discussion Daryl?

No.  Instead your mouth opens and you talk about social conditions in China??  Now look what you have done with the relationship the NBA had with China.  Your freedom of speech?  Excuse me Adam Silver, but it's more like the ignorance and insensitive nature of those who live a life of wealth and prestige.  Daryl, once you spend some time helping to improve conditions in poor areas and helping those who do not have what you have.....maybe then you can exercise your privileged "free speech".

But for the time being, in areas of social justice please keep your opinions to yourself.

Sports Fiasco - Robert Kraft/Anthony Davis

New England Patriots owner Kraft caught in a human trafficking sting.  NBA player Anthony Davis playing 20 minutes a game as the NBA condones his team pretty much throwing games. 

A player for the Kansas City Chiefs, a running back, lost his job based on a video that showed him pushing around a female.  The violence displayed against a woman and the NFL's no tolerance rule was the reason for his dismissal from the team.  That player recently received an offer from a team to hire him back for one year.

With that in mind, what should happen to Kraft for supporting human trafficking through his actions?  Should he be suspended for a year or more until he does some form of restitution?  He surely can't continue to be the owner of an NFL team?  Is supporting human trafficking not as evil as violently pushing a woman around?  We will see what type of punishment the commissioner of the NFL gives the owner.

Next up.  The New Orleans Pelicans in what they claim is an attempt to protect their "property", Anthony Davis, only play him approximately 20-25 minutes a game, regardless if playing him longer would give them a chance to win a game.  This is telling fans, "yeah, we know you paid $140 for a ticket to a game with the hope of seeing him play the whole game.  But forget about it!"  Anthony is our property, our slave, and we need to ensure he is in prime condition when he goes on the slave market after the season!

I thought about going to see Davis play when his team came to town. But, then I thought, why spend $130 plus to see somebody play a restricted game of 20 minutes or less?  Is the NBA stupid or what?  What is the NBA commissioner thinking?  The NBA just instituted rules to govern the "resting" of players that teams were doing, depriving again fans of seeing star players when they came to town.  Now the NBA condones teams behaving like slave masters and keeping property under control?

Fans!  Be smart and don't just throw your money at the NBA.  If teams hold back players, just watch the game on TV.  Don't spend your money on NBA tickets.  Go out and have a nice dinner.  $130 can buy a family of 3 to 4 a good meal.  Even better, it will buy a nice meal for two people paying $130 a ticket!

Sports often time reflects society.  In the case of Kraft and Davis, it is showing how hypocritical sports can be.  Let your opinion speak with how you spend your money in supporting these sports.  If they don't give you what you expect, give them nothing.

Beneath the Flag and the National Anthem – Symbols, traditions, and human made laws.

What do the national anthem, the flag, and the pledge of allegiance mean to me as a 60 year old black man?  In these United States, they are all symbolic creations aimed at demanding blind loyalty and devotion to the beliefs and values of European Americans. That devotion is demanded regardless of what atrocities have occurred in this country against black people. European American institutions attempt to impose these symbols upon us to define who has authority over us.  The symbols start in the school system at an early age.  These symbols and customs have found their ways into our sports entertainment. The NBA, a league where over 74% of the players are black, created specific rules to dictate how players must behave when the national anthem is played.  The motive for the creation of these rules apparently is to ensure the majority of the fans who actually attend the games, those being European Americans, are not offended by protesting black athletes.

I have no reason to be blindly devoted to a country that supported the kidnapping of my descendants from Africa to perform hard labor for European Americans.  I have no reason to be blindly supportive of a country that still to this day fails to acknowledge how it carried out the annihilation of the Native American people who were originally here.

For dialogue purposes I would like my fellow European Americans out there to answer these questions:

1.     Why should current day black descendants of enslaved people stand to honor a country where a black man can be murdered without cause by the police?

2.     Why should a black person pay respect to a country that allowed the lynching of black people and continues to allow discriminatory practices solely based on the color of a person’s skin?

3.     Do you acknowledge that your majority status in this country is based on the total obliteration of Native Americans by European Americans via illegal appropriation of their land and resources?

For me that is the starting point of any discussion on race and the protests against the flag and or the national anthem.

Does the national anthem need to be played at sporting events or any public event?  No it does not.  Sports are supposed to be a distraction from our everyday lives.  We go to watch athletes play a game that provides us entertainment.  The introduction of flag waving and national anthem playing is not why people pay to attend events. If you see someone not standing when the national anthem is playing or refusing to face the flag, understand that they have a reason for doing so.  You do not have to accept their reason, only respect it.

If military institutions want to play the anthem at military events, feel free to do so.  But stop using us non soldiers to visually show support for a country by making us stand at any event you feel demands a support of loyalty.  If democracy is about freedom then give us that freedom and do not impose loyalty tests on us at various social/entertainment events.

The issue of people protesting against the playing of the national anthem or protesting the flag of the United States of America is not a new event. In 1916 the President of the United States and then in 1931 the US Congress authorized the “Star Spangled Banner” as the official national anthem of the United States of America.  Only the first verse is traditionally sung. 

In 1892, the pledge of allegiance, which we all may have recited in elementary school, was written. It was modified in 1923, and 1954 to add specific reference to the flag of the United States and reference to God.  Prior to World War II, students in school would salute while reciting the pledge in a manner that was very similar to the German Nazi salute in World War II.  So the “Nazi” salute was replaced with a hand over the heart stance.  Actor Louis Gossett shared the story of how he would recite the pledge in school but instead of reciting the line “…for which it stands..” he would say “.. for Richard Stands…” not knowing what he was really saying!

Protests against the national anthem are documented well back into the 1900s. The reasons were many.  Anti nationalism, anti war, civil rights, even a protest against spending money on building a sports stadium rather than for a drug treatment program.  The protests were by people of various races and beliefs.

As a black man I understand fully why Colin Kaepernick said enough is enough and no longer robotically stood during the playing of the national anthem.  It was a time when month after month a black man was being killed by police. European Americans need to put themselves in our position.  How would you like it if you were systematically stopped for no real reason other than your skin color?  Would you stand for a system where the police are not trained to deal with their biases and not taught how to diffuse a situation to avoid killing someone?

Being “patriotic” always seems appropriate especially after such events as 9/11.   Patriotism that turns into blind loyalty is dangerous.  Blind loyalty fails to see the truth.  As a 60 year old black man, I recall the events of the 1960s and the civil rights era.  I still firmly believe that the protest at the 1968 Olympics by Tommie Smith and John Carlos was a courageous action.  Many people died during and before the civil rights years of the 1960s.  They died in pursuit of having the same rights as European Americans in this “land of the free”.  They spoke up against and protested against racial discrimination.  Unfortunately some of the civil rights struggles that existed in the 1960s continue today.  That is why people like Colin Kaepernick take a stand.  That is why a black man like myself does not feel obliged to stand and place my hand over my heart as the national anthem is played.

No Rest for the Rested - NBA Playoffs With all Playing

I'm watching the first round of the NBA playoffs.  Why?  It's the only time when it's a guarantee that the stars of the teams will be actually playing for the ticket paying fans.  After hearing how a number of teams have rested star players during the season, I was surprised to hear that the NBA had another record breaking attendance season during the past year.  Those fans who value their money being spend wisely should be upset when they pay premium ticket prices to see the stars of opposing team.  This is especially important when many teams have raised ticket prices for those games featuring premium star teams such as Golden State, Cleveland, and San Antonio.  Several times these fans have put out the money, paid the high parking fee, and high concession prices, sat in their seat and then heard the announcement that the opposing team would be resting "so and so" for that game.

In such a situation what is a fan to do?  Go to the box office and ask for a refund?  Stay and watch the game featuring the replacement bench players?  After spending $100 plus you know the fans are not going to just go home empty handed.  So the fans hang around and make the best of the situation.

The NBA commissioner recently came out with some innocuous response to the issue of teams resting star players.  In the last week of the season the Brooklyn Nets who were out of playoff consideration actually rested several of their starters in a game that had some playoff considerations.

With all that resting going on, the NBA still broke an attendance record!  What does that say about the fans?  I guess for those able to afford the price of an NBA ticket, it's only money.  There does seem to be some level of disrespect by the players to the fans paying the high ticket prices.  As Tony Kornheiser of PTI said, "If there was a living, breathing, commissioner in the NBA, something would be done about the situation of resting players."

After attending NBA games for at least the last 10 years, I did not purchase a ticket to any NBA game this year.  So the NBA lost my money for at least 4 games.  But as the attendance figures show, the NBA probably could care less.  They got some other victim who paid full price to attend a Cleveland game where Lebron James rested.

Tips for fans who don't have the extra money to throw at the NBA.  If you want to see the star players, buy tickets for one of the first 10 home games of your team's schedule.  Most teams wouldn't dare to rest a player during the first two months of the season.  Avoid buying tickets at the end of the season, unless your team is actually trying for a playoff spot.  Teams notoriously rest star players once they have solidified a playoff spot.  After the first 10 home games you risk going to a game and finding out that a star player, in his 20's, is resting.

Or do like me.  Invest your money into a nice vacation by a beach.  You know the beaches where your star player goes to rest after the season is over!