Is it Possible for Sports to Offer the Wrong Kind of Distraction?

There was a time, just a few weeks ago, when sports returning would offer everyone a much needed respite from the world we were all inhabiting. The pandemic’s strange-hold on our country, and the world, would be loosened by the return of sports. The light at the end of this tunnel would feel just a tad brighter. The empty seats and piped-in crowd noise would feel strange and uncomfortable, but in the end, it would be a step in the right direction. A step towards normalcy or the new-normal or whatever else we want to call it.

Then George Floyd was killed and 2020 shifted on its axis again.

The last few weeks have been historic, but gone are the hoped for images of George Bush throwing out the first pitch following 9/11. Many were wondering what enduring sports moment would exist following the coronavirus. Suddenly, the protests have brought about a schism in our country again: anti-racist vs. racist. It shouldn’t be a schism, but it is, which sucks. It’s a schism so deep that the anticipation of sports healing our wounds has been eradicated. This wound might be too deep to heal with a basketball game. That sounds trite, but a month ago we thought sports would be the distraction that we all need.

Now the discussion is should sports be a distraction at all in this pivotal time in our history.

The NBA, which seemed primed for a late July re-start in an Orlando bubble, is now at odds with itself. Players like LA Laker Dwight Howard and Brooklyn Net Kyrie Irving are pumping the brakes and wondering aloud what the optics might look like if they return to play amidst this social strife. Would it be more powerful for the players to pass up the opportunity to play out the season and defy the owners. Could this be the NBA’s chance to stamp itself as a THE socially aware league. Would the message from predominantly black players be loud and clear to their predominantly white ownership (read: nearly every single one)? Would the short term blowback (which would likely exist) be worth the possible long-term gains. Are the players voices amplified if they go out and play and use that platform to speak about racial injustice in this country?

Just like any large workforce, NBA players have various opinions and thoughts on returning to play. These questions are not taken lightly, nor should they be. It’s a big deal right now for any sort to return to action.

The fact that we’re not sure if our country can handle the mental load of watching live sports while also thinking critically about systemic racism might be the most concerning part of all of this. There has to be a world where sports can offer some form of distraction while also understanding the horrible systems we have in our country that hold hold black people in this country.

I have to wonder what might have happened if there was not coronavirus, but the still happened (I think the virus fueled a lot of the frustration we saw in the protests, but they still could have occurred). Would the NBA have played? There would have been four teams left in the playoff in late May. However, there are other times when the NBA was offered the same challenge. In 1968 when Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, the NBA was in the Conference Finals. Players considered not playing, but they did. Bill Simmons covered this in the June 15 podcast. In the first 10 minutes he talks about Bill Russell and the Celtics decision to play the day following the assassination. Also, in 2014 Donald Sterlings’s girlfriend released tapes to TMZ of his racist rants. He was horrible and there were some people that thought the Clippers might actually sit out a playoff game against the Golden State Warriors. Ultimately, they played.

In this specific case, the story is a little different because the players have time to make the right choices. It’s not a matter of hours or even days. They have weeks, and the league is already open to players sitting out if they don’t want to enter the Orlando bubble for any reason.

Obviously, there are other moving parts to the NBA’s return. We’re in the middle of a pandemic and the players are leaving their families for six weeks before they can also enter the bubble. I wrote about the fact that these players are also people a few weeks ago, and I think it continues to ring true the closer we get to the restart of some of these leagues. And I think that’s okay.

Finally, a well-known issue in the country is our attention span. Who knows where Black Lives Matter stands at the end of the July. We’ll be three months away from an election, possibly wading through national conventions and presidential debates. It’s really possible that Black Lives Matter might be on the back burner, how powerful would it be if the NBA returned and utilized their influence with an organized, cohesive message around social injustice and racial discrimination. It might not be a distraction from the struggle, but instead a bullhorn exactly when the movement needs it.

An Open Thank You Letter to Al Horford

Dear Al,

Two years ago I was sitting in row 14 in the TDGarden. Sitting behind me were four dudes, it was a Friday night, and they were letting loose after a week at work. To further paint the picture, they were each wearing an authentic Tune Squad jersey including the names of the actual Looney Tunes on the back. They had the physiques to pull this off; they each rounded out their look with a Red Sox hat and a thick Southie accent.

As the game wore on they became louder, but they were a positive, fun bunch. At one point in the game you made a few big plays in a row and these guys went nuts.

One of them screamed, “Hey, Al. Yah home, kid! Yah loved.”

My wife and I looked at each other and knew that the phrase was gold, and we adopted it as our own. You were indeed home, and you were loved.

In the spring of 2016 when the Celtics were lined up to play your Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the playoffs, I bought a playoff package in order to get season tickets the following year. A big part of why I wanted season tickets was because you were a free agent the upcoming summer and were considering the Celtics.

Then July 2016 rolled around and you picked us over the Washington Wizards (a GREAT choice) and the next three years were a blast. You are a huge reason why the Celtics landed Gordon Hayward, Kyrie Irving, and Kemba Walker in three consecutive summers. You took a chance on Boston as a free agency destination, a city many ignored in the past. The Celtics teams of the past were built through trades and draft picks. In the summer of 2016 you sped-up the Celtics’ timeline and led the Celtics to two straight Eastern Conference Finals.

You patiently played with roughly 1,325 different players as Danny Ainge searched for the right chemistry.

You never missed a beat. Never complained.

You were called “Average Al” by the media.

You never missed a beat. Never complained.

Your knees bothered you as the team was slipping down the Eastern standings.

You never missed a beat. Never complained.

Thank you, Al for running a Pick and Pop with IT, Kyrie, Rozier, Gordon, Marcus, Shane Larkin, and Avery Bradley.

Thank you for teaching Jaylen and Jayson Tatum what it looks like to be a pro.

Thanks for doing the little things on both ends of the court.

Thanks for making Boston a free agency destination.

Thanks for playing great defense.

Thanks for playing hurt.

You’ll always have a home in Boston. And you’ll always be loved, kid.

Sincerely,

Sean