We live in a world that is constantly in-touch with one another. In an instant, you can find out what is happening on the complete opposite side of the earth. You can then mine that data, be it video, audio, or someone’s blog, and digest it and get a feel for what life is like far away from where you are.
We live in an instant gratification age, where everything is sped up and moving at the speed of light. Sometimes, at the speed of thought – and that is what got Tim Hardaway in trouble.
Let me give you an example – you can watch Michael Richard’s blowup as a stand-up comic.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgmCBKPHnSY]
His mind-blowing tirade attacking a few jerks in the audience wouldn’t be news in of itself save for the fact that he chose to attack them based on the color of their skin. Kramer was angry, and he was letting it be known – and everyone passed judgement on him.
Yet, here we are in another compromising situation – and strangely, it was just a matter of time. John Amaechi came out last week, stating that the former NBA forward himself was gay. This isn’t even a marquee player, mind you, but it generated so much buzz over the story, that Amaechi is almost on celebrity status, doing the talk show circuit thing.
That should be a story in of itself – not the fact that Amaechi is gay, but the fact that the American public is so shocked and awed by it. In the year 2007.
What is more stunning is Hardaway’s response to the question about playing on a team with gay players. Listen HERE.
Perhaps because we are so quickly inter-connected these days, we just caught Tim Hardaway at a bad moment. Maybe he wasn’t thinking clearly about the possibly ramifications of his statement – that surely a media frenzy would be on the horizon. Or maybe that is precisely the point – Hardaway, an old dog loved for his telling-it-straight personality all of a sudden felt the need to use that old reflex, not realizing that times have changed.
The culture of the NBA, moreover that of the professional athlete, is intolerant of homosexuality, as it paints a femine and almost negative picture in the minds of the alpha male, ultra competitive individual whose sole ambition is dominance and performance. If we need a reminder, at least where homosexuality is concerned, we need only to turn to John Rocker, whose comments as a Brave had the entire city of New York in an uproar.
Appropriately, the NBA has served as a barometer for social change, for obvious reasons. This time, however, the color barrier seems to be pushed to the background and the new class up for equality, sexual preference, comes to the front for observation. To pass judgement on Hardaway is to pass rash judgement on ourselves. For in our midst, there are many that feel exactly the same way as Tim Hardaway does. That should not be a shock.
What should be a shock is the medium on which that statement was made, and strangely there is something refreshing about hearing someone speak their mind freely, even if we don’t (or shouldn’t) agree with it. In this time of political correctness, it is stunning that Tim Hardaway would venture such an attempt. Yet he has. And we are left to see what comes of it.
Strange it just happened to fall on Valentine’s Day.
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NBA Officiating Taking Some Heat
There’s some hub-bub about NBA officiating these days, huh? Seems it offers so much intrigue that Ralph Nader is getting involved. Guess this is, at its heart, a consumer advocacy issue and not a presidential issue.
Six years ago, to the month, Nader called for changes of the officiating process in a letter to David Stern. In the letter, Nader addressed several issues about the officiating of Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals that resulted in a controversial Lakers victory over then-rival Sacramento. The Kings seemed to have a strong case for taking that game, but tons of calls flooded in against the Kings and the Lakers stole the game in what ended up being a run to the Finals for the Lakers back in 2002. Among the concerns addressed by Nader was Stern’s total control and absolute authority which called for a gag order of NBA players, coaches and other officials.
The real problem is the enforced silence by Stern. According to Nader, this is a sign of a “corporate dictatorship” and with players facing heavy fines for speaking out, there is little incentive to take a stand. Yet, doesn’t this just all confirm that there is in fact some kind of conspiracy?
In light of the Tim Donaghy scandal, this all becomes a pertinent issue for the NBA – although I am not so sure it is as important an issue to build a presidential ticket with. Donaghy has claimed – and testified – that referees have influenced games in 2002 and in 2005. This is something that every NBA fan proclaims from time to time – that the NBA is just trying to increase revenue by making some calls to create an extra game or two. Sure, the revenue from a 7 game series is higher than a 5 game series, but would the NBA truly risk every shred of credibility simply to make some extra money?
You bet they would. And Donaghy is a microcosm of that venture.
Sure, Donaghy had some issues. Gambling, etc. But that doesn’t excuse them. Can the NBA, as a corporation, be as dysfunctional? We may not want to believe it, but our NBA “heroes” have their flaws. Just ask Charles Barkley or even Michael Jordan himself. So you can bet (ah…love a pun) on it that the NBA, somewhere deep in its belly, has some flawed individuals pulling the strings.
What Nader proposes – and I am sure he is not the first to come to this conclusion so don’t go run out and vote for him – is sane. It is almost like another corporation we may all be familiar with: the United States Constitution. It wasn’t set in place because there was corruption, it was set in place because the founding fathers understood human nature which is suspect to corruption, no matter how lofty one’s character may be.
To not face reproach is to only exacerbate the situation. To shut down criticism is to allow corruption to fester, not push it away. Stern’s inability to allow his league to be open to public opinion is what is creating this mess. Stern is a control freak, and the NBA officials and owners allow it because it has made them money. The question now is, was it always the policy of the NBA to increase its coffers at the expense of its own rules? The treasury swells with tainted money and the product itself will become less and less esteemed. This mess should be cleaned up and could be cleaned up if Stern only heeded the words of Nader and other well-intentioned voices.
And if you think this is over and just relegated to one bad seed, then you are blind. If you read Donaghy’s testimony you will see validated what many fans have been saying for years. You will also see that this is not one man’s fall, but rather a group effort that has become too lax in enforcing its own laws.
My, how strong the lessons could be for us all if we simply observe this process.