The Double Standard: The Black Player in the NBA, Violence and the Schematics of Other Sports...

Over the past few years, American sport has been a witness to some great moments and the ugly. Today, we are going to focus on the ugly. Race has been a symbol of vision in American society, and no matter what anyone tries to assert or refute, the specter of race permeates throughout this country.

After a thoughtful post by a softball teammate of mine, DC Based Yankees’ Fan, I thought more about the involvement of race and the perception of African Americans in sport, especially after the latest incident in New York which was beamed across every sports, cable and network news channel on the globe. The hammer needed to be dropped by Stern for such an incident, and more sports need to take after his lead. However, I think the media’s reaction to the fight has been very much tempered by race and the hip-hop culture.

I tend to think outside the box as you have noticed.

In this incident, look at who was in the crowd. Now, take a look who was on the court and seeing the two groups, compare and contrast.

This is what my friend said, “I certainly agree that fist-fights, brawls and related behavior should not be condoned. What happened at MSG was not excusable and should be deplored.

However, I feel like there is a double standard regarding fighting in pro-sports. Why (in my opinion) is fighting condoned in hockey and bench- clearing brawls in baseball "enjoyed" or simply tolerated as something that "just happens in baseball" and seen as traditional.

Whereas, NBA players are portrayed as thugs and are crucified in the media and the public far more the players in the other major sports where just as many, if not more, fights occurs.”

He’s right. In fact, hockey promotes violence, and I think football in essence is legalized violence. All seen as tradition and very much accepted.

Michael Wilbon, writer for the Washington Post makes an interesting point. I second his opinion. He says: “NBA players have endured more scrutiny, pertaining to image, than any other professional athletes in America. This was the case in the 1970s, when the league had to deal openly with the perception that the league was too black and too drug infested.” According to Wilbon, the NBA is 60% black and it very much endears itself to the hip-hop culture, rap music and marketing in the black community.

I agree with Wilbon completely. The way I see it, after Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson left the league, the emergence of Allen Iverson as the spokesperson came about and the same mentality of about the black player in the NBA arose again. Iverson was the poster boy for the new NBA. He was from the streets, spoke his mind, had cornrolls, and conducted himself against the fray of the NBA.

The fight at Madison Square Garden is example of the perception of race in American Society. Even though everyone is responsible for their actions, I think the perception of those who commit such acts does cloud our judgment and our values system.

I played baseball for a long time, and have seen about several thousand games in my life. A few of them included brawls, and I don’t remember the media outrage being this bad. I think it is more or less than same in hockey, football and auto racing – kind of the response, “boys being boys” or “a teammate sticking up for his man”.

Even on ESPN’s Baseball Tonight for example, you’ll often hear some of the commentators and announcers note when a star player gets beaned, “well, if I were the manager, I’d send a message to one of their guys (or some variation).”

That usually means throwing a baseball to a part of someone’s body, leg, shoulder, or buttocks. Imagine a baseball, almost as hard as a rock coming to you at 90, 95, 100 miles per hour?

That’s some pain. In the right spot, the ball can deadly.

Nolan Ryan, much like Roger Clemens is seen as a tough man, almost like a warrior for brushing back guys throwing a projectile, when aimed properly can inflict pain or kill.

They say, “Oh, I am taking back the plate”, or “I am defending my teammate”. Sometimes, a brawl ensues and benches empty. When Pedro Martinez slugged Don Zimmer in the head after he charged Pedro, did anyone call Pedro a thug?

Maybe a hothead, but not a thug.

Now, let’s turn the tables and insert Carmelo Anthony. We have now seen the tape umpteen times, but Carmelo in a sense was defending his teammate. He might have been restrained and held in back in the heat of the battle, but he was not doing the same thing in defending his teammate?

Well, I think a lot of the anger and angst towards the NBA today is partly due to a bunch of young men, primarily black, who go against the grain of mainstream sport. People tend to fear what they don’t understand, or people different from them.

Yes. I said it.

Would the reaction have been this stiff if it were a bunch of college players in a small in Indiana? Or in the NHL. Or baseball.

I think the moves and regulations the NBA commissioner David Stern has put on the league isn’t so much racist, but in a way de-emphasize the urban hip-hop element in the sport and instill a more professional image. I can agree with Stern’s move to make the players appear more professional with a grain of salt, and while I applaud him for being proactive, I think a lot of it is to pacify the ticket buyers, lot of the corporate sponsors and commercial interests.

A lot of the reaction towards the fight can stem from the way black males are viewed in mainstream society, as uncontrollable and prone to crime.

Do I think David Stern believes it? Perhaps, but he’s way too smart of a business man to admit it. However, the ones who spend the money and buy the tickets have a say and I am sure they feel a lot better with players dressed in more casual wear found in GQ, than those with earrings and baggy jeans. From my experiences, most whites equate some black Americans with “street” or the ghetto mentality, which to some are very threatening.

Sadly, as the more things change, the more they stay the same. As much as American and sports has changed (for the better), the image of the NBA as a hip-hop, urban (black) league has hurt it and the suspensions laid down are a way to clean up the league.

Yes, Stern is right. He laid the law down right. However, why doesn't the rest of the media use the same effort in criticizing the NBA and it's players use the same theory to other sports whose main draw is violence and is openly condoned.