NBA continues support of Black Lives Matter
The NBA has unveiled a new court in Orlando’s “bubble” with Black Lives Matter displayed prominently on the floor. This seemingly small act highlights why this league maintains better relationships with players and fans than any other in American professional sports.
It’s the little things that matter. In a time where our nation is dominated by a pandemic and prevailing feelings of inequity, major professional sports leagues have been tested. The NBA, time and time again, steps up to the plate and proves that it is a players’ league.
In response to COVID-19 shutting down its operations, the NBA has developed a strong plan for finishing its 2019-2020 season. They followed this plan by standing besides players after the Black Lives Matter protests ensued in early June.
With every new challenge, the league, albeit not free of faults, has stepped up in some fashion. When compared to the MLB or NFL, there is no competition. Rob Manfred has done an excellent job of ruining his opportunity to let baseball take center stage this summer. Roger Goodell is so distant from the issues affecting his players and the apathy demonstrated by the NFL is arguably more concerning than Manfred’s follies.
The NBA benefits from having fewer players than MLB or NFL. However, this is not the main reason for why it manages better relationships. Adam Silver understands his players. He understands that they are the product his league sells. More importantly, he grasps that teams employ humans, that humans have legitimate concerns, and that these concerns must be addressed.
Adding some ink on an arena floor in Orlando may not do much to push the Black Lives Matter agenda. But, it does much more than the inaction of other leagues. Keep it up, NBA.
