ESPN has been shoving the Arena Football League down my throat all summer. This season was the first of a five year deal ESPN has with the AFL. Enjoying the success of NFL’s Monday Night Football, ESPN decided to broadcast football year round. With Mike and Mike commentating games ESPN was off and running with Arena Football. Last Sunday, July 29, 2007, was the leagues Arena Bowl. Powerhouse San Jose SaberCats faced off against Cinderella story Columbus Destroyers in their version of the Super Bowl. If any game could convince a die hard NFL fan that the Arena Football League was for real, this was it.

So here are the Pros and Cons of the AFL;

Pro;
The field is only 50 yards and is surrounded by a 4 foot wall so you can’t run out of bounds. The size of the field means high scoring games and relatively fast drives. I watched drives on average of 6 plays, 37 yards, touchdown. The out wall around the field is cool, because who wouldn’t love watching someone getting blasted into or over a wall?

Pro;
The game is 8 on 8, offensive primarily consists of 3 offensive linemen (one of which is a tight end who can catch passes) 3 receivers, quarterback and a running back. The Defense has 3 defensive linemen, 3 cornerbacks, and 2 linebackers.

Con;
Because an offense only has three offensive linemen running is unlikely. Imagine calling a toss where your tackle pulls to block even though he is lined up next to the center.

Pro;
Defensives have no safeties leaving cornerbacks on an island every snap. To make things interesting, one receiver is allowed a running start at the line of scrimmage. Picture Santana Moss or Steve Smith starting 10 or 15 yards behind the line of scrimmage having the advantage of being at top speed by the time the ball is hiked. To make matters worse, linebackers are not allowed to leave the box. So that means no zones, no double teams, just man on man coverage in a no run league on a 50 yard field.

This is why teams score 50, 60, 70 points a game and players like Matt Nagy can throw for 151 touchdowns during the 2005 season!

Con;
For a league with no safeties there weren’t enough deep balls for my liking. It was a lot of dink and dunk up the field which was disappointing. Fifty yards is not a long distance to travel when you know the defense has to go man every play. An offensive unit can run 3 or 4 flat routes or curls and is already within the 10 yard line. It may be high scoring but it’s also boring.

Con;
Because there are no Safeties there are no big hits. Who wants to watch that?

The Gregg Williams in me;
One thing that makes me curious is if my linebackers can’t leave the box, why not blitz every play? They can’t help in coverage so might as well do something. If you blitz both backers you have 5 players (3 d-lineman, 2-LBs) attacking 4 players (3 o-lineman, 1 RB). Wouldn’t that negate the disadvantage you suffer in the secondary? The offense could react by having the Tackle/Tight End leak out for a pass, but offensively you only have 4 players blocking 5, can you afford to only have 3 blocking 5? I doubt it.

Pro;
There is no punting and missed field goals are live balls, Devin Hester would flourish in this league. Speaking of kick returners, the NFL should steal some of the AFL kick-off specialist. The field is only 50 yards meaning by the time the returner receives the ball the defense is already on top of him. To still be able to run the ball back is amazing. Trestin George run back a 50 kickoff return in the Arena Bowl and when his speed was electronically tracked he ran the equivalent to a 4.2 forty! How productive could George be on a 100 yard field actually having some room to work?

Pro;
Fans are allowed to keep balls that go into the crowd.

Con;
At first I liked the idea of fans getting to keep balls that go into the crowd, unlike the NFL who will fine a player $2,500 if they throw a ball into the stands. But as I watched the game, this will eventually become problematic for the league. Fans sit directly behind the 4 foot wall. Whenever a play ends up near the wall, fans scream at the top of their lungs, reach over onto the field, and beg for the ball. I witnessed cornerbacks going for interceptions near the wall and have fans grab the ball as if the cornerback was Moises Alou playing for the Cubs. I watched fans lean half way over the wall to yell at players on the ground and even saw a group of kids celebrating so hard that one fell over the wall onto the field! Fans should not be that close to the action, if David Stern wasn’t so pre-occupied I would have him send a tape of the Auburn Palace melee to AFL commissioner David Baker.

Final verdict;
Honestly, it reminds me more of my flag football league than it does the NFL. I’ll watch it during the dog days of summer, but not during the NFL season or during the NBA season. The one really cool thing about the game is that the quarterbacks are mic’d up and get interviewed after almost ever scoring drive. This allows fans to get a window into the huddle and conversations between quarterbacks and coaches. During the game Columbus Destroyer’s quarterback Matt Nagy loses his mind in the second quarter. With his team down by two touchdowns Nagy starts panicking, yelling at coaches and dropping f-bombs, it was awesome. I wish the NFL would do this, think about how many Peyton Manning breakdowns we could have witnessed in the past. We would know what really went on in the Donovan McNabb/Terrell Owens huddles. All in all I guess the AFL Arena Bowl wasn’t that bad.

• Bonds hit career number 754 Friday night, making it only a matter of time before he finally puts one out on the road, gets booed by everyone, including Bud Selig (quietly, under his breath anyway), and hates the world that much more. At least one teammate is calling for the Dodgers, the Giants’ lead rival, to show B-squared some R-E-S-P-E-C-T.
• Tony Taylor, a co-defendant in the dogfighting trial involving Atlanta Falcons QB Michael Vick among others, took a deal today to plead guilty and work with the prosecution to pin down the NFL star. This is bad news for Vick, of course, not only because it’s pitting a former friend against him, but this gives another reason to the “guilty until proven innocent” (PETA, Nike, Reebok, NFLShop, etc.) bandwagon to ride on. Heard it best this morning on Mike and Mike in the Morning from Michael Smith filling in, this is something we haven’t seen even in the trials of Ray Lewis and Leonard Little, star players who went on trial for taking the life of another human… and other than being amazed, I just want to say four important words: Don’t f*#k with PETA.
• Cal Ripken and Tony Gwynn accepted their place in the baseball HOF this weekend, becoming two of the classiest men to ever be enshrined. C-Rip did his thing, showing 6-footers they could play SS and TG invented and abused the 5.5 hole (inbetween 3B and SS) until he hung up his cleats.
• It wouldn’t be a day ending with the letter “y” if KG trade talks weren’t in the news
• Not notable to non DC folks, but the Wiz have given an offer to Andray Blatche, the young could-be-beast in the paint, somewhere in the neighborhood of 3 years, $9 mil - $12 mil (a few conflicting reports out). The young man’s got talent, he just needs to get more burn, via kissing up to Eddie Jordan and/or punching Brendon Haywood in the face Etan Thomas style.

• Mike Vick pleaded not-guilty yesterday in Richmond, Va. and was not held. Court date set for November 26. Darren Rovell says Nike should go ahead and drop Vick.
  UPDATE: Nike did, in fact, suspend Vick.
• The fate of current spark on the Nats, Dmitri Young, could be nearing a conclusion… in the form of a 2 year extension with Washington.
• Is my beloved hometown newspaper, The Washington Post, headed towards the light? This CNN Money report speculates it may be so.
• The Simpsons Movie is finally here. Decades late, of course. Relive some old quotes here.
• An idea from an economist of how to solve the NBA’s gambling issues.
• Any Gilbert Arenas blog update is worth noting.

Most notably missing from the press conference held by NBA commissioner David Stern Tuesday, was his trademark arrogance and self-assurance of power over the league he led since 1984.

Instead, humility and vulnerability made an unusual appearance as Stern uncomfortably attempted to put into words his feelings on the federal investigation into one of his highest-rated referees, Tim Donaghy, who is allegedly linked to a points-shaving scandal involving the mob.

Bill Simmons likened the Donaghy scandal to a movie script appearing more and more likely to be a real-life incident. Stephen A. Smith said straight-up, with Sterns reputation, heads will surely roll.

The overwhelming consensus paints this as the worst among issues involving turmoil within popular American sports leagues.

Nobody, especially major sports league commissioners, wants to be in Stern’s shoes right now.

Not Roger Goodell, commissioner of the NFL, facing fan and sponsor backlash following the indictment of star Atlanta Falcons QB Michael Vick in an alleged dogfighting operation.

Not Bud Selig, commissioner of the MLB, facing controversy of his league’s record books as Barry Bonds approaches the all-time home run mark amid allegations of steroid use.

Not even Gary Bettman, the NHL commissioner, whose league is the least popular of all American sports, proved earlier this year when a playoff game was bumped so NBC could air horse racing pre-race coverage.

One minute Stern is laying down the law, forcing league-wide rules enforcing player dress codes and silencing outspoken players, coaches and owners who question officials. The next minute, the Mark Cubans and Rasheed Wallaces of the league have a more stable foot to stand on in terms of their constant bickering at officiating.

Not being one who bought much into conspiracy theories, I shied away from the calls that the 2006 NBA Finals were fixed. Although it was quite apparent that Dwayne Wade shot more free throws than the Mavericks’ entire team in games 3 and 4, Dirk Nowitzki did his part to help the “other, non-conspiracy side” by showing off his fear of the paint (reiterated in the 2007 NBA Playoffs against Golden State), opting for the fade-away instead of charging towards the rim. With these recent allegations, does it all change? Yes.

Donaghy did not work that particular series, but if recent reports are true, other referee names are set to be handed over from the accused and then we have a whole new style of whistleblowing on our hands as sports fans.

Right now, these are only accusations against the NBA and referee Tim Donaghy. Indications from the Stern press conference, as well as the F.B.I. investigative reports, make it easy to lean towards complete turmoil and chaos in a league that has very little room for error.

David Stern claims the alleged Donaghy scanal is an isolated issue and, for his own sake, it had better be. Because right now NBA fans everywhere are dusting off all their favorite teams’ best conspiracy theories involving referees and bad calls and, what do you know, they may all have a point.

Nothing short of a complete absolution of charges will save the credibility of Stern’s control over the NBA. As Sandra Roberts, of the New York Times, says, Stern exhaulted the refs above the law, beyond reproach.

Now he must pay for his misplaced, overcompensation of power he only thought he had.

Much has happened since my vacation started a week and a half ago — the Vick indictment, NBA rogue referee and Bonds inching towards Hammerin’ Hank — too much to just leave a single link to article summaries. I’ll do each in a separate post, starting with…

Atlanta Falcons Star QB, Michael Vick, Indicted On Dog-Fighting Charges
In May, reports came out from numerous outlets, most notably ESPN, saying not enough evidence linked Vick to dog fighting. As it turns out, those reports were not correct, as charges were indeed brought against Vick for sponsoring and supporting dog fighting in a house he owned in Surry County, Virginia.

Now, as indictments go, due process must take its course. Juries need to be set, trial dates need to be picked and all the jazz that comes along with public relations need to be ironed out.

Of old, the accused star athlete would issue a statement from the team stating one of two things: (1) That they are innocent of all charges and after due process is completed, all will understand, and (2) They are aware of the charges being brought against them and are working diligently with the authorities to clear their name. See the difference? One states their innocence, while the other states their overwhelming willingness to clear their name… but their innocence is more in question.

Essentially, Vick chose option number 2, and that route nowadays evokes the most rash of judgment from the court of public opinion — in many places, including PETA, Vick is already painted as the NFL’s very own Cruella DeVille, before the first testimony was read.

The 16-page indictment accuses Vick and three others of many, many charges related to dog fighting and gambling. If you read the indictment as written, you hold all these things to be true — but hold your horses, folks. Remember, they are charges against the defendants but none of the listed men, including Vick, has been convicted yet. If they are convicted after given due process, then let the law deal with them as it is written.

Let’s go over a main point first, as mine and any other defense of Vick’s right to a fair trial will bring about many accusations.

Defending Vick’s human rights does not mean I am a Falcons, Vick or dogfighting fan.

Too many of the “Vick is Cruella DeVille” side of the argument pull this out when they are faced with the “6th Amendment” argument of the “Vick is allowed his basic Bill of Rights like any other American” side.

I cannot speak for everyone, but I know my own stance. Sports stars, politicians and the homeless alike deserve a right to a fair trial from an impartial jury, as stated in the United States Constitution’s Bill of Rights.

Why do so many persons only choose to overlook this? It could be for personal gain or maybe because down the line if they do, indeed, turn out to be right, they can say “I told you so!” At any rate, rushing the judgment is unfair to all who have been accused of a heinous crime and were later found innocent.

How many “Duke Lacrosse” and “Kobe in Colorado” cases do we need to come across before we realize that just because charges are brought, the indicted aren’t always convicted? How many of those ruled innocent by the court of law are ever sent apologies from the public forums who rushed to judgment? I think it’s safe to say not too many are willing to go back on their initial rush to judgment for fear of losing credibility or pride.

With not only sports fans, but generally most impatient people, due process takes much too long for their liking. Results need to come as swift as the outcome of a football or basketball game. Waiting weeks or months to find out the truth as a court or judging panel knows it is out of the question. That is, until a charge hits close to home. Like with the Bonds “he’s our jerk” defenders in San Francisco, most people assume that if you defend Bonds in any way, shape or form, you are either (1) a San Francisco or Pittsburgh fan, or (2) a blind Bonds apologist.

It is much easier to say “I know that ______ did what he’s accused of” without knowing all of the facts. Is it too much to ask for due process to work its magic and then react accordingly immediately following? From what I’ve seen in news coverage in general, most notably on ESPN, patience is not their strong point. Every focus is on breaking news and being right down the road, although retractions are rarely mentioned.

Dog fighting is inhumane and people — such as myself — who bring about the notion of waiting out due process do not condone it in any way, shape or form. The charges and allegations brought up to Vick are incredibly serious. If convicted, the jury should throw the book at him. If not, people who rushed to judgment should be ashamed of their method.

At any rate, whether you love or hate Vick for whatever reason, give the man his right to defend himself in court before deeming him the Hitler of dogs.

*See below for my PETA comment submission*

The following was submitted to the PETA questions/comments site by yours truly:

Why does PETA seem to overlook due process in the charge of dogfighting against NFL star Michael Vick? Already, your organization is calling for his employers, the NFL and Nike, to take a hard stance and boot him, but why the rush? Why can’t organizations who do so much good for the world such as yours wait out due process? If a high profile representative within the PETA ranks was charged with anything — be it dogfighting, embezzlement, whatever — wouldn’t you let the trial play out before passing your own judgment?

I am not saying Vick is innocent, because I only know as much as the media has allowed, but I do know what due process is, and that the Bill of Rights allows every person the right to a fair trial and the notion that everyone is innocent until proven guilty.

Have you forgotten this in a move to grab extra attention for PETA or is there something else I am missing?

Leave your comments as they may, as I’d like to hear other stances on why the recent public trend has been “guilty before proven innocent” instead of the Constitution-written “innocent before proven guilty.”

UPDATE: Vick pleaded not-guilty in Richmond, Virginia to “conspiracy charges involving competitive dogfighting, procuring and training pit bulls for fighting, and conducting the enterprise across state lines.” He was released without bond until a November 24 trial date.

• The most exciting football player in the world finally caught charges, and is officially indicted. What is the scrambler to do?
• Steroids in golf? Stop looking at Tiger’s extra smedium shirt and Hulk Hogan pythons.
• Kevin Durant signs with the check, and will receive a rather large check. Ah, beloved irony.

Unlike the rest of the basketball world I like the Charlotte Bobcats decision to trade their rights to the eight pick of the 2007 NBA Draft, Brandon Wright out of University of North Carolina, to the Golden State Warriors for proven veteran Jason Richardson. During this crazy off-season the Bobcats have traded for Richardson, drafted Jared Dudley out of Boston College, and resigned Matt Carroll and my boy Gerald Wallace. For all the bad press Michael Jordan receives about being a terrible Team President, I think he is doing a great job.

Did the Charlotte Bobcats really need to get any younger? Be Honest. Was Brandon Wright going to able to compete at a high level this season or next? Nope. Personally, I think Wright is a glorified Stromile Swift, maybe a Hakim Warrick if he’s lucky. Why all the hate on the ACC Freshman of the Year you ask? Wright has no heart and no competitive desire that makes great athletes. How can you not compete in your pre-draft workouts? In case you did not know, when Wright worked out for teams he sat out of group competition. Whether it was Joakim Noah, Spencer Hawes, or Al Harford, Brandon Wright would sit it out and watch from the bench. What future star sits out of competition? One that has no fire and will be in the D-League next year, that’s who. Do you think MJ, Bird, Magic, Kobe, KG, Durant, Melo, Wade, or J-Rich, sits out of competition? Hell No! They’d say I’m the best, bring it on, I am not afraid of anyone. Can you picture MJ or Kobe rocking back and forth all jittery trying to obey their agent and sit out of workouts? Brandon Wright wouldn’t even bench-press at the rookie combine… Durant couldn’t bench 185lbs once, but at least he tried. Everyone bashes Yi Jianlian for refusing to workout against any competition other than a chair, but Wright gets a free pass? Give me a break. Give me a guy like…

Jason Richardson is a great fit for the Charlotte Bobcats. Richardson works hard, plays defense, and is a high flier. Not only will Jason Richardson help sell tickets he’ll stay out of trouble and won’t complain if their not winning. J-Rich is going to lead by example in Charlotte and is exactly what this young team needs. Partnering him with Gerald Wallace gives the Bobcats two very athletic and defensive wings to join with Raymond Felton to form an exciting back court. Just wait until these guys make Sportscenter every night. There are some complaints about how much money Richardson makes, but it pales in comparison to blunder Magic did when they gave Rashard the max and no one is talking about that.

The Bobcats are going to be competitive this year. With the additions of Richardson and Dudley this team has the potential to shock a lot of people in the East. Dudley is a great fit for this team, he can score, rebound, and is an outstanding defender. I don’t think people understand how good defensively this team has become. With any combination of Richardson/Wallace/Dudley on the floor acompanying Emeka Okafor patrolling the lane you have a very good defensive basketball team. With the continued development of Walter “Fabio� Hermann and if Adam Morrison can get his game together and earn some minutes this team has some potential. Look for the Bobcats to compete for the 8th spot in the playoffs this season and if they pull an upset like the Warriors did this year I’ll try not to say I told you so.

• NBA Signings: Rashard Lewis officially signs with Orlando for 6 years/$112 mil (sidenote in the article says Dwight Howard will extend for 5 years/$85 mil on Thursday), Darko Milicic goes to Memphis for 3 years/$21 mil, Gerald Wallace stays in Charlotte with 6 years/$57 mil (calm yourself, IG!) and Jason Kapono signs with Toronto (officially) for just over $5 mil per.
• Bob Ryan on the All Star Game he called “an exhibition of foolishness”
• Checking out Ron Artest’s 300 pound brother trying out for the Kings
• Collection of the best Las Vegas NBA summer league “fashionable 2s”
• If I were a betting man… the DC Sports Bog handicaps the DC local teams’ odds of winning this year
• Checking in on a former GW hoops star named Pops at NBA tryouts.

Since we have yet to score any notable interviews — most likely due to not actively reaching out for them as we remain rooks to this online sports talk world — it only seems fit to point out other interviews that took place by folks with better connections who put in the work.

Today’s group of interviews are interlinked in some way, shape or form. You’ll notice early. As we round up more, we’ll post more “Interview This” spots through the summer.

(If you have any noteable interviews you’d like to point out, go ahead and drop a comment off or send us an email us at mindritesports@gmail.com)

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Jason Whitlock via TheBigLead
This interview, once it moved down the line from web reader to web reader, proved that even the largest powers-that-be do, in fact, read your blogs. The boys at TBL squeezed this interview out of the self-proclaimed “Big Sexy” and the rest is history. Already having removed himself from ESPN’s Page2 for what he viewed as greener pastures with AOL Sports, ESPN removed Whitlock from their network TV shows (The Sports Reporters and guest-spots on PTI… although the most recent rumor was that he guest hosted Rome Is Burning a week or two ago).

His riff with Scoop Jackson and hip hop music was nothing new, but in this interview he was very candid with both, as well as adding that his fellow coworker was “bojangling” — a word that makes people of all sorts, especially big networks, uncomfortable. He’s since taken to a higher platform, appearing on CNN and Oprah, accusing people across the country of bojangling. Also, let’s clear this one thing up — Whitlock is not “the voice” of Black America. Rather, he is “a voice” of Black America. His views are just one of millions but he seems to make the most noise by calling people out — rightfully or not — from his sports platform, either by way of his Kansas City Star post or AOL Sports.

This initial TBL interview was, in my opinion, life-altering. But he has since done multiple interviews, including one with Michael Tillery (first appeared on BlackSportsNetwork.com but now available on MichaelTillery.com).

Etan Thomas via TheStartingFive
Not a big fan of Whitlock, Etan Thomas is one of those athletes who isn’t afraid to speak out about his feelings of societal issues. More athletes should follow suit and take Etan as a shining example. He writes for SLAM magazine online, and at one point wrote an open letter to Whitlock addressing the Don Imus issue and how he felt Whitlock’s methods were hurting Black America (my words, not his). Athletes are on a unique platform to speak out and be heard and Etan risks hearing the infamous words, “don’t quit your day job,” by separating himself from every being called a sterotypical jock, but instead shows off that he has no time to bite his tongue — he has a world to save.

Dave Zirin via TheStartingFive
Zirini knows how impactful Etan Thomas is — he sang Etan’s praises back in ‘05. Of course, mixing sports and politics makes people uncomfortable, but so does mixing politics and air. Zirin is a white man who deals with issues combining sports, society and politics — an atypical assortment of topics to constantly focus on for for the typical white journalist. Zirin’s no average journalist, as he has written a number of books, including “Welcome To The Terrordome” and “What’s My Name, Fool?” He can also can be found at The Nation or his own site, Edge of Sports.

Scoop Jackson via TheStartingFive
Jason Whitlock seems to hate this guy. A lot. Called him a “bojangler” even. What did Scoop do after reading the aforementioned hate in the TBL.com interview? He wrote a wonderful, tame yet thoughtful piece in his ESPN Page 2 spot, called “The importance of being civil.” (unfortunately, it’s insider-only) Among all of the words he spoke, my favorite were: “Regardless of how I personally feel about another brotha, I understand that the first step in creating a Civil Rights Movement is being civil.”

He’s disliked in circles both black and white for his unorthodox writing voice that is definitely his own, but he’s been around the writing game for many, many years, notably moving from a big-time spot at SLAM magazine notably before he moved over to ESPN.com. Say what you will about Scoop’s presentation or laid back, conversational style of writing, but he does have his own voice. Much of the debate surrounding him tends to be whether or not he is a “representative” of Black America, or if he’s being stereotypical by adding an atypical voice to a very popular network’s site. He’s unorthodox and although he may not be universally loved, he does his thing regardless of any dissenting opinions.

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Until I read otherwise, the biggest interviewer right now is Michael “Mizzo” Tillery, currently of TheStartingFive. He’s scored some of the best, most insightful and mature interviews seen anywhere in the sports world. Among notable the noteables: David Aldridge, John Cheney, Dan LeBetard, Jason Whitlock, Scoop Jackson, Dave Zirin, Jemele Hill and the Christies (Doug and Jackie). You can find them all at his personal website, MichaelTillery.com and TheStartingFive where he currently posts.

Welcome to the dog days of summer! The world is without NFL and NBA action for the next few months so I find myself reading about them educating myself in the world of sports and how it interacts with society. For the next few weeks MindRite will be letting you know what sports books to read while you’re on the bus, metro, or subway in transit from work or in the car or plane in between vacation, or when your significant other makes you sleep on the couch and have nothing better to do.

Black Planet; Facing Race During an NBA Season, written by David Shields is an interesting book as the author follows the 1994-95 season of the Seattle SuperSonics. Shield attends every home game, watches every road game, and listens to every Sonics sports talk radio show. The book is written in diary form throughout the duration of the season making the book easy to follow. The reason this book is so intriguing is the brutal honesty in which the author writes. Shields does a great job of “saying it how he sees it.� Throughout the book Shields discusses how he views race and cultural on the NBA landscape. The book is about cultural interaction having basketball as a backdrop. Because you do not have to be a basketball fan to enjoy this book, I recommend to any sports fan or anyone interested in race or class.

Shields lets you see deep into the mind of a middle aged white man who is an obsessive Seattle SuperSonics fan bored with everyday life. Throughout the book Shields notices racism within the NBA and in his own life and shares his prospective with us. My description cannot do the book justice, so I have including the, “Author’s Note,� along with a few passages, enjoy!

“During the 1994-95 NBA season, I attended nearly all of the Seattle SuperSonics’ home games; watched on TV nearly all their away games; listened to countless pre- and post-game interviews and call-in shows on the radio; talked to or tried to talk to players, coaches, agents, journalists, fans, my wife; corresponded with members of the Sonics newsgroup on the Internet; read articles and articles and articles. Although I’m a passionate basketball fan and Sonics fan, when I was writing the book I wasn’t interested in the game per se-who won, who lost, the minutiae of strategy. I was interested in how the game gets discussed. By the end of the season, I’d accumulated hundreds of pages of often illegible notes, the roughest of rough drafts. Over the last three years, I transformed those notes into this book- a daily dairy which runs the length of one team’s long forgotten season and which is now focused, to the point of obsession, on how white people (including especially myself) think about and talk about black heroes, black scapegoats, black bodies
What John Edgar Wideman calls “our country’s love/hate affair with the black body� can be seen nowhere more clearly than in the National Basketball Association, which is a photo negative of American race relations: strong young black men have some of the power, much of the money, and all of the fun. The NBA is a place where, without ever acknowledging it- and because it’s never acknowledged, it’s that much more potent and telling- white fans and black players enact and quietly explode virtually every racial issue and tension in the culture at large. Race, the league’s taboo, is the league’s biggest subject.
Listen:
Auother’s Note

“Virtually every NBA team has a white coach and (out of three assistant coaches) one black assistant coach, who acts as mediator between players and coach. Paul, my friend and former graduate student, calls these black assistant coaches “lawn jockeys.� The Sonics’ new black assistant coach, Dwayne Casey, “who got hired to baby-sit Kemp,� recruited Kemp to the University of Kentucky for a brief time Kemp was there before leaving� Everything Else Is They (p31).

“Kemp and New Jersey’s Derrick Coleman are remarkably deferential to each other, talking, laughing, kidding each other, helping each other up, barely playing defense against each other. They played together in Toronto this summer on Dream Team II. Fans want to think it’s us against them (Seattle vs. New Jersey, say) and that the players on “our� team are in cahoots with us, in some difficult-to-define way- difficult to define, since their contempt for us is so manifest. One of the things I’ve felt at the games so far is how bound together the five Sonics on the floor are with the five players on the floor for the other team, like boxers, and how the opposition is really the noise of the everything else- coaches, refs, cameras, commercials, mascots, especially fans. The players are the ones sharing the jokes together at the foul line. Fans always want to ask Player X what he was saying out there on the court to Player Y. Player X always deflects the question, since it is, in a sense rude to question. It’s tantamount to asking lovers the content of their pillow talk: it’s our camaraderie, not yours� Everyone Else Is They (p36).

“11.24.94- Robert Parish, a former Boston Celtic playing this year with Charlotte- asked by reporters what he meant in a Boston Globe article last week that quoted him as saying, “Boston is a white town; they like white heroes�- replies, “I said this town is a white town that appreciates their white players. It caters to their white heroes. It has nothing to do with race. I don’t want to get into that racial thing. It’s not about race. It’s just a fact.� What interests me is not what Parish says, which is a bromide- working-class Irish Catholics don’t embrace black athletes- but that he feels compelled to pretend to undo what he’s saying even as he’s saying it, thus enacting the weird code in which this discussion almost always gets encrypted.� Everyone Else Is They (p41).

“Laurie and I and our friends Karen and Ross go see Pulp Fiction, which Laurie and Karen and Ross like a lot more than I do. To me, Pulp Fiction just comes down to Tarantino’s getting to play the only white character in the history of the movies who is cool enough to say “nigger� to a black man and use it- mean it- as black vernacular.� Proof Of My Own Racism (p57).

“12.8.94- On the George Karl Show, a caller asks about the progress of a rookie with the perfect name of Dontonio Wingfield (Cf. Angela Davis: “I think we can have an obsession with naming ourselves because for so much of our history we were named by someone else.�) Karl replies, “Well, it’s kind of unfortunate, because with a coach and a rookie in the NBA a lot of negativity tends to build up, and so he becomes sort of a whipping boy.� He immediately corrects this. “A whipping post. But Dontonio is coming along.� Karl’s enlightened enough to know that he shouldn’t say “whipping boy,� but not so enlightened that the phrase didn’t come, unbidden, from his mouth.� Proof Of My Own Racism (p61).

“In the NBA, as nowhere else in America, white people are utterly beholden to black people, and they’re not about to let us off that easily; it is kind of very mild payback for the last five hundred years.� The Beautiful and the Useful (p91).

“1.7.95- Driving home from work, a white female colleague in the English department picks up a black male hitch hiker in order to prove to herself that she is not racist. She tells the hitch hiker, “I picked you up to prove to myself I’m not racist.�
The hitch hiker says, “You’re a fool. I could have killed you.�
Converting our Self-Loathing to Hatred (p103).

“Payton hits a 3-pointer, and as he runs back down the court along the sideline, a fan offers him a high-five, which Payton quite pointedly refuses; then, just as pointedly, he high-fives Kemp. I ain’t your fuckin’ plaything, I feel Gary telling the fan, I ain’t your buddy, you don’t know me, don’t think you can slap my palm.� An Agony of Enthralldom (p149.)

“Apropos of the NCAA Final Four college basketball tournament, which is being held in Seattle in a few days, a white fan calls Rob Tepper (T-Man) on KJR and says about North Carolina’s Rasheed Wallace, “The boy can play ball�
T-Man is very quick to say, “Refer to him as a man. He’s a man.�
Fan: “He’s a man.�
T-Man: “He is THE man.�
Fan: “He’s THE man.�
This is all very sentimental and easy. What’s interesting is the next thing T-Man says: “He refers to you as boy.� Can you feel now what power feels like?� Can You Feel What Power Feels Like? (p163.)