Overview Essay
The Black Lives Matter movement has changed the way many Americas see racism in this country. By bringing the issue of systematic racism to the forefront of the news, we are beginning to generate discussion on how to dismantle racism as a structure in America. The National Basketball Association (NBA) has made an effort in becoming one of the most prominent supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement in which many famous players and coaches use the institution to spread awareness of systematic racism and advocate for change. This media project aims to explore, understand, and display the racial dynamics that exist within the NBA as it relates to the Black Lives Matter movement.
Making up roughly 80% of the league's players, The NBA is predominately black and should concern itself with black issues, every institution should, but the NBA especially. This is important because the NBA has the potential to reach millions of people and educate them on the Black Lives Matter movement. The NBA has shown its support for the Black Lives Matter movement in multiple ways. From kneeling for the national anthem, wearing Black Lives Matter jerseys, or players and coaches speaking out against police brutality, the NBA has made lots of effort in promoting equality across the nation. Despite the NBA’s support for the Black Lives Matter movement, some members do not agree with the involvement of the NBA in the Black Lives Matter movement. These people argue that the NBA should solely focus on basketball and not become involved with policy for fear of losing viewership. This argument falls flat because there is no evidence showing that financial benefit and social justice are mutually exclusive of one another. Most companies that support social justice causes are likely to benefit financially as a result. This debate highlights the debate that exists within the NBA between social justice and financial gain. Some argue that the NBA’s support for Black Lives Matter is a good thing, others are skeptical that the league's motives to support social justice movements and how it may affect their bottom line.
The racial dynamics within the National Basketball Association regarding the Black Lives Matter movement are very controversial and invoke interesting discussions on not just how industries should support the fight for social justice, but whether an industry should support the fight for social justice. My partner and I believe that the NBA’s support for social justice, equality, and support of our black brothers and sisters is impactful, valuable, and the morally correct thing to do. By actively supporting the movements that bring great systematic change and equality to a divided nation, our African American community can benefit socially, and financially, and bring justice and change for all of those who have innocently and tragically lost their lives to police brutality.
Through the creation of this project, we have pointed out many key concepts. One of these key concepts that throughout our research, people seem to be forgetting is that these basketball players are real people with real lives, beliefs, families, and aspirations. In the reading ‘The Central Frames of color-blind Racism’ black folk have historically been seen and treated as ‘subhuman’ and are objectified in many cases. In one of our examples (items), we point out how African Americans were told that they couldn’t join the National Basketball Association because they had to play separately from white folk. Only in nineteen fifty was the NBA desegregated. Another example of subhuman treatment we’ve seen towards our African American brothers is the rhetoric coming from coaches across the country. Many coaches have stated that they do not want black folk present in the league. It is preposterous that not only a coach could believe that within the NBA, but it is also sickening that there are no repercussions that these coaches face regarding their actions. This not only shows how black lives are not as valued as white lives within the NBA but also shows that white coaches have privilege over black folk within the NBA to say something so racist and not gain any penalties as a result. This also ties into our reading “white privilege” and how these white coaches benefit from inequality.
Another key point seen throughout our research in conjunction with our reading is how NBA players continued to kneel for the national anthem even after backlash from fans, other teams, and their managers persisted. In the book ‘From Savage to Negro’, we see a consistent persistence within the African American community. Even when faced with the degradation and oppression of white supremacy, African Americans did not stop and persisted no matter what. This is because they believed in themselves to be above what they were claimed to be by white folk. This action is extremely powerful because it directly combats the foundation of white supremacy on a social level and sends a clear message that black folk will not partake in such an oppressive system.
Finally, a third key concept relates to the reading ‘white privilege’ in that we are seeing favoritism in the NBA towards white coaches and managers. While some are saying that they do not want Black people in their league, there appear to be no consequences to these actions. Concerning these themes in both our readings and our research, we added an article about NBA agents arguing that the NBA promoting the Black Lives Matter movement would be a mistake that would cost the company in lost revenue and ticket sales. They also claim that the players ‘don’t know what they’re getting themselves into’ and that they would be used for a message. This idea also ties into our reading ‘The Central Frames of color-blind Racism’ because we see how little our white leadership in the NBA cares about black issues and also sees black folk not as people who can make their own decisions but as ‘subhuman’ beings.
These three key items are vital to our research because they affect how the NBA functions, the way players are seen and treated, and the future of the NBA itself. While the effort of promoting Black Lives Matter in the NBA is undoubtedly a noble cause, they have a long way to go in combating the corporations upholding white supremacy. From the persistence of black folk as outlined in ‘Savage to Negro’, to the subhuman and objectification of the black players of the NBA as mentioned in ‘The Central Frames of color-blind Racism’, and the favoritism shown to the white leadership of the NBA and disregard for the African American players as mentioned in ‘white privilege’, we can see a deep connection to the readings and material we have discussed in class and very real racial dynamics that exist in a nation founded on white supremacy.
Through this media project, we have learned a lot about not only the NBA, its players, and its value, but also how white supremacy as a structure Is even directly tied to the NBA itself. By finding these sources regarding systematic struggles within the NBA, we are beginning to paint a picture of the racial dynamics that exist within the NBA and even within the world itself. Our readings directly correlated to many parts of our articles, videos, and photos and provided us with important lessons about the construction of race on an institutional level. With these items, we are not just able to write an essay, but we can give context and illustrate a story. A story of injustice, a story of determination, and a story of combating and overcoming the systems in place that attempt to silence and hold power over us. This benefits us tremendously as anthropologists.
We have learned in class and understand the systematic structures in place that cause inequality, how they are formed in a nation, and why they are formed globally. Our research has demonstrated how the NBA has approached systematic racism and acts as a mouthpiece for many predominant members of the black community to speak about this very specific issue. Both our project and our reading tie in seamlessly with one another and complement each other perfectly. However, throughout the course, we have studied how nationalism interacts with race, and for our project, we chose to study an institution. While a nation and a company are very different, they act similarly in that there are demographics within the company of folk of all kinds, there is an overarching system, and the systematic elements of social interaction trickle down into everyday life and even the NBA.
While this research project has benefited us all as anthropologists, I think it has also benefitted us as people as well. By acknowledging, understanding, and spreading the message of Black Lives Matter and combating systems of racial injustice and white supremacy, we can begin to make America a better place for all people. To us, we see this as the most important result of our research. By understanding the struggles people go through daily, confronting the systematic injustice that occurs, and spreading awareness, we can not only hope to get a good grade on our project but change the world as a whole.