https://www.basketballnetwork.net/off-th...Phil finally speaks and while I don’t agree with his view, I do respect it. To some extent he brings up a good point. By that, he is not alone and its not just a racist view.
I’ll go the other way and say I cannot stand the over patriotic tone in and around veterans day by the NFL as they seem to be pandering to fans for commercial purpose. I want to watch football, not patriotic propaganda! Glorifying War and selling it with beer and pick uptrucks seems to be the NFL purpose in November.
Lets go back to the bubble and the lock down. It was awful and the country was in pain from the over exuberant police shooting black americans. It hurt and the leagues players were hurt. People were protesting and rioting. They did not want to play and the NBA allowed players to express their outrage. Nothing could reduce the pain and divisiveness. Stand with the outrage you “don’t stand with the Blue”. Don’t stand with the players one was labeled “racist”. Most police are not racist killers, but scared under trained public employees who just want to go home every night. Fact is the NBA and others by protesting did assist in enacting better accountability rules and wearable technology (I bought axom stock at $84 and its over $220 now!!) We are still far from perfect but a little better.
So does Nalod stand with Phil? lets just say things are never just black or white and the context of the moment matters. Phil was not alone as many people tuned out sport viewership. So yeah, he was not alone.
But, shut the fuck up about it? Does every opinion about everything need be broadcasted because your a public figure?
He’ll came off as racist. The media will twist it and make you him bad. Why make such statements unless you can give full clarity?
Seems petty that phil uses this as his reason he has moved on from pro basketball. I feel bad the game quickly moved on from him and his last gig tarnished his legend. I respected the hell out of him as a player and a coach and always hoped he would have coached a knick team. Things did not work for him as president and we all shared the disappointment. He was seduced by Dolans millions. He was hesitant to take the gig and dolan kept offering more and more. Knicks were desperate.
Want to take politics and protest out of sports? Might have first stop with the National Anthems. I get that its a tradition but if an ticket paying american Muslim or black citizen does not feel like the laws and society fully guarantees their rights then its their right to not participate. Does this offend the “patriot”? of course it does.
Stop playing it will offend them too. I suspect in time nobody really will care. We don’t go to ball games to stand and salute our flag. We go to be entertained. WE don’t do this at movies, concerts, broadway shows, etc.
Imagine the hypocrisy of Baseball Negro leagues all having to stand be subject to this inequity? Even after segregation the bathrooms and water fountains were not.
While we strive for equality we are a country of diversity and perhaps rather than try to bring it as one maybe we should strive to understand and celebrate the many colors, visions, tastes, and art that come from it. National anthems are antiquated and really does not serve the modern culture that hopefully moves away from war.
Do we really need a giant flag and polarizing anthems anymore at our superbowls?
True, I just offered my opinion about over opinionizing!
