Basketball

by Dick Mac

I grew-up in Boston, in the 1960s and -70s.

In the Boston sports world there were some names that stood out:

Bill Russell, John Havlicek, Satch Sanders, Red Auerbach, K.C Jones, Dave Cowens, Jo Jo White, Carl Yastrzemski, Tony Conigliaro, Jim Longborg, Reggie Smith, George Scott, Carlton Fisk, Jim Nance, Jim Plunkett, John Hannah, Babe Parilli, Bobby Orr, Derek Sanderson, Phil Esposito, Derek Sanderson, Ted Green, and Gerry Cheevers come to mind as I type.

The NBA players were particularly revered, even if the NBA wasn't exactly embraced like the other three major sports. In my early years, the Celtics won six championships between 1964 and 1974.

The Celtics were a sports dynasty in every sense of the word. In America, only the New York Yankees, could boast a championship culture like the Celtics.

The NBA might not have been very popular, but my hometown team was pretty much the greatest basketball team ever!

As a young adult, I was hypnotized by Larry Bird and his foil, the wonderful Earvin "Magic" Johnson.

Bird and Magic brought the NBA to a level of respectability that had only been forecast, but never realized. These men were class-personified on the court. Their rivalry was the stuff of books and fairy tales. They showed a mutual respect and mutual admiration: Bird in his very quiet, almost meek style, and Magic in his happily boastful and hugely entertaining style. When they looked at each other, you saw the respect, the admiration, the intensity. It was a beautiful thing. They were class personified.

This is the kind of rivalry that makes a sports league. You can't plan it or plot it or manipulate things to make it happen; you can only hope you capitalize on it when it happens.

It happened, and the NBA made all the right moves.

As time passed, newer players were promoted and marketed by the NBA. Most notably, Michael Jordan.

Jordan is not class personified. In fact, he is the antithesis of class.

The NBA changed with Jordan. It has become un-watchable. I sometimes enjoy attending a match, but I never watch it on television anymore. Attending a basketball game at Madison Square Garden is amusing. There are an amazing number of stops in the action. Besides the actual time-outs that are called by the teams, there are the breaks between quarters, and most importantly, the TV time-outs.

At the arena, music blasts at ridiculous decibels, scantily clad girls 'dance' on the court, acrobatic young athletes perform amazing feats of physical prowess, the music blasts some more, then scantily clad girls 'dance' on the court, then acrobatic young athletes perform amazing feats of physical prowess, and then again the music blasts even more, then the scantily clad girls 'dance' on the court some more, then acrobatic young athletes perform amazing feats of physical prowess with members of the audience. Then there is some basketball played.

But it's not the basketball I remember from my youth, it is the NBA, which means the rules are bent a little. The more famous you are, the more steps you can take. The more popular you are, the more often you are allowed to change your pivot foot. The richer you are, the more you are allowed to physically abuse those less famous, popular, or wealthy.

The NBA is a joke. Now, two-plus decades into the post-Bird/Magic era, the influence of the NBA on youth basketball is appallingly obvious.

Professionals influence the way children behave.

Charles Barkley famously whined that he wasn't a role-model, thereby absolving himself of any responsibility as he acted like a total fucking asshole on and off the court. He WAS a role-model and many of his youthful admirers also became total fucking assholes on and off the court as they emulated him.

I know you've changed, Charles, but you blew it back then, and have to do a little more work apologizing and making the world a better place before you will gain my respect. Unlike Michael Jordan, I believe you are becoming an upstanding adult citizen and will one day be considered a positive influence on America's youth.

Not Michael Jordan. This is his legacy:

In Washington state, a high school student decided to record a basketball game to highlight the problem of bad officiating in the league (the high school league).

As the writer points-out in the article linked below:

As it turns out, the clip did more than just spotlight an officiating problem; it also made seniors Cole Vanderbilt and teammate Kennan VanHollebeke look like the dirtiest players on the court.

Here is part of the video, which I think perfectly highlights Jordan-era basketball at its most vulgar:



That is not the basketball played by Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, or any of their predecessors. That is the basketball of Michael Jordan and the rest of the millionaire thugs that make-up the NBA.

Read more here: Video of flagrant foul no-calls at basketball game goes viral

March Madness

For most of the sports fans I know, March Madness refers to the NCAA men's basketball tournament. For those of you who might not know what this is, I will attempt a judgmental and cynical description. (Why pretend that I find the condition college sports programs acceptable?):

Most universities and many colleges in the United States are home to professional basketball teams, called amateur teams, that are managed by a team of athletic, public relations, and logistics professionals, paid millions of dollars to ensure that the school secures as much money as possible from the billion dollars pool of funds generated by television contracts. The men who run this professional league (white men) lord over the men who actually earn the money for the schools (black men) and there has never been such a disparate economic arrangement in the United States since the abolition of slavery.

The orgasmic climax, this race for piles of cash, culminates each March with the tournament in which sixty-four teams are selected to play for the 'national championship' and the biggest chunk of money. You see, this is an amateur event, so we aren't supposed to talk about the money, but the men involved all do it for the money. The administrators will earn millions and a tiny percentage of the players will get contracts to play basketball in the National Basketball Association (the other professional basketball league in America designed for slightly older men).

Most of the players will be dismissed from school with no degree, no education, no prospects for future employment, and in some cases a pile of student loans coming due. We're not supposed to talk about those (black) men, though, because they are only supposed to go to college to learn, not play sports, and it's their own fault that they have nothing to fall back on. Besides, the money earned by the colleges has to be spent on paying the million-dollar salaries of the (white) men maintaining the leagues. Colleges are, after all, money-making institutions designed for profiteering, not charitable organizations focused on furthering human knowledge.

I have discussed this issue in articles titled Amateur Athletics and The NCAA and The Student Athlete. I think poorly of the NCAA and the billion dollar business that is college athletics.

For most sports fans in America, March Madness is that tournament. I have selected North Carolina to win it all, and I have enjoyed watching David-sized Davidson College upset Goliath after Goliath: Gonzaga, Georgetown, and Wisconsin, before losing a squeaker to Kansas in the last seconds. So, I think the industry is crooked, but I am entertained.

Besides the Davidson fairy tale run, my fave story of the NCAA tournament was Derrick Rose of Memphis, refusing to have stitches to close a cut because he is afraid of needles. This guy is tough as feathers, and I can only imagine how his prima donna behavior will shine when he leaves college and tries to work int he NBA.

Rose Refused Stitches Due To Needle Phobia

HOUSTON — Derrick Rose was not getting stitches.

No way. No how.

The weekend saw four NCAA tournament games played, but it also marked the opening night of Major League Soccer, the professional soccer league in the United States, and even though my Red Bull New York team was not scheduled to play, I was thrilled to watch.

The entire world is now playing professional soccer! Most leagues are Winter leagues, playing their season from September through May; but, because of our climate, the United States is a Summer league, playing its season from March through October.

March is the month when all nations' professional soccer leagues overlap, so I get to watch a maddening number of matches each weekend.

This past weekend I saw the following broadcasts:

From England: Derby v. Fulham, Manchester United v. Aston Villa, Liverpool v. Everton, and Tottenham v. Newcastle

From Italy: Lazio v. Inter Milan, Juventus v. Parma, AC Milan v. Atalanta

From Spain: Real Betis v. Barcelona

From the USA: New England v. Houston Dynamo, and Colorado v. Los Angeles.

From Scotland: Rangers FC v. Celtic FC

From Argentina: River Plate v. Arsenal

Many other matches from Spain, Germany, and Columbia were also broadcast in my television market, but I saw none of them. I get my fix of South American soccer during the week when Copa Libertadores matches are broadcast live, late at night.

Both MLS matches were a disappointment to me. Reigning champs Houston Dynamo played very poorly against the always-hateful New England Revolution, and the Colorado Rapids made mince-meat of the David Beckham-led Los Angeles Galaxy, in a poorly-officiated match with two red cards, violent tackles, too much blood, and anger verging on rage (even from Lady Landycakes himself).

Actually, I must admit that Landon Donovan showed remarkable leadership on the field and should be reinstated as the LA team captain. When bad calls were made by the ref, Landycakes was right there to negotiate on behalf of the player accused of unfair play, and when Ciaran O'Brien levelled a vicious late-game tackle on Carlos Ruiz, Landycakes bolted right at the perpetrator and shoved him back, leading to a purse-swinging festival that ended with O'Brien red-carded and dismissed from the game. Donovan's intensity, negotiating, and leadership did nothing, however, to prevent an embarrassing drubbing by Colorado. David Beckham should relinquish the captain's armband to Donovan, because he showed absolutely no leadership in a match that required strong guidance from a smart and determined leader. Bonnets off to Landycakes, ladies!

Referee Abiodun Okulaja was atrocious. I often sympathize with soccer referees because one official is expected to cover a field larger than an NFL field, so it is common for an official to miss a call or two throughout a match. This match was allowed to spiral out-of-control by the official and his poor performance jeopardized the safety of the players.

Okulaja's unforgivable sin was making a call against Abel Xavier in the box that was not a foul. Xavier did come from behind, but he kicked the ball and the attacking player's stumble to the ground should not have been called a foul. When Xavier protested, he was yellow-carded for dissent. Later in the match, Xavier was called for a foul and bumped the ref during his vehement and dramatic protest. The ref had no choice but to book him a second time (this time for abusive language) which led to Xavier's dismissal. This took place in the 89th minute, and the match was long-lost, but it had also been long out-of-control.

I don't like Abel Xavier because he is a show-off and a hot-head and I think he is bad for the sport, but the calls by the referee would frustrate the most level-headed player and I hope that this ref is sent to officiating classes soon so that he can stop losing control of matches.

By midnight Saturday, I was soccered-out! Sunday allowed fewer opportunities for viewing, but I ended the weekend sated and a little maddened by so much soccer.

I am a lucky man, and March Madness for me is this weekend when I can watch soccer from all over the world, including the United States.

Next weekend, I make my way to Giants Stadium for the Red Bulls home opener. This will be the last opening day at Giants Stadium, as Red Bull Park should be ready for next season.


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Imus Fired

"There has been much discussion of the effect language like this has on our young people, particularly young women of color trying to make their way in this society," CBS President and Chief Executive Officer Leslie Moonves said in announcing the decision. "That consideration has weighed most heavily on our minds as we made our decision." - AP Thursday, April 12, 2007, 7:49 PM ET

Don Imus referred to the Rutgers' women's basketball team as "nappy-headed hos" after they lost the national basketball championship final. I assume that the term "nappy-headed" refers to their hair texture, and not the British term for diapers (but I am uncertain) and I assume he uses the term "hos" to refer to the women as prostitutes.

In reality, as well as being superb athletes, one of the women is a class valedictorian, another a future lawyer, and another is a musical prodigy. See, "Remember that the victims here are 10 young women, not Don Imus," by AP columnist, Tim Dahlberg.

I never liked "shock jocks." I didn't like the Imus show, I didn't like the Howard Stern show. I think both of these men are horrible people. I don't find them entertaining.

In the past I have defended Howard Stern's First Amendment rights to say what he says. Generally he picks on stars and gazillionaires and government agencies and corporations. I think of them as fair game. I loathe his tit jokes and obsession with homosexuality, but you get the bad with the worse. I also think that people and organizations making a lot of money by being in the public eye or doing business with the public are fair game.

I don't think referring to the women on the Rutgers basketball team as nappy-headed hos is fair, and what Imus has done goes beyond the pale. He should not have been fired, if he had an ounce of decency he would have resigned before they had a chance to fire him. But, Imus has no decency. He said what he said because he's made millions saying shit like this for decades.

I am glad Imus was fired. If I used that language at work I would be fired. Same for pretty much everyone I know. It's just wrong.

Sadly, Imus will be back. Probably on satellite radio. Someone will want the ten or fifteen million dollars a year he can generate in ad revenues. But at least CBS and NBC have taken stands.

Some links:

Here's an article that asks why we are not upset about the way Imus has referred to Arabs and Muslims over the years. This is an odd article I think is worth reading.

The standard Fox/News Corporation apologist approach.

CNN coverage of the Rutgers' players' graceful reaction to Imus' words.

An earlier article from The Guardian, in England.

A call to hold black rappers accountable for their demeaning references to black women.


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