Sunday, February 19, 2012

 

Crossing The Racial Lin(e)

Well, guess it was only a matter of time for the all-around feel-good story of the year to take a turn for the worse! What the media giveth, the media taketh away.  After a two-week ride from obscurity to international obsession, Jeremy Lin's tale took an, ahem, dark turn last week.

That turn was, yes, on race -- perhaps not surprisingly, given that the National Basketball Association is primarily African-American, with a number of Caucasian Europeans, a handful of American-born whites and Lin as the only Asian-American starting player.

First, boxer -- and soon to be jailbird -- Floyd Mayweather Jr. complained that the whole "Linsanity" media madness was being driven because of ethnicity:  “Jeremy Lin is a good player,” Mayweather tweeted, “but all the hype is because he’s Asian. Black players do what he does every night and don’t get the same praise.” (On the other hand, some have argued precisely the opposite: Despite an impressive career at Harvard, Lin was overlooked coming out of college because he was Asian. (Personally, I lean toward my colleague Peter Vecsey's theory: The NBA-coach bias is more against Ivy League players than anything else.).  

Two things wrong with Mayweather's statement: 1) Some black players so what Lin does -- but in the seven games that he's played, he's managed to (depending on the game) outduel Kobe Bryant, hoist a Jordanesque game-winning three-pointer -- and put together a Jason Kidd stat-line of 10 points and 13 assists.  That sort of versatility is rare for any player -- regardless of race.  2) No black players on the Knicks were doing "what [Lin] does every night."  Indeed, had not head coach Mike D'Antoni brought Lin into the game off the bench against the New Jersey Nets on the night of Feb. 4, he likely was soon to be would have been heading out the door given the team's 8-15 start.  Another six wins got them to playing .500 ball (until Friday's loss to the atrocious Charlotte Hornets, of which, more in a moment).

However, in the urge to denounce Mayweather's comments (an urge which seemed universal -- including from uber-Knicks fan and one-time racial bombthrower, Spike Lee), it shouldn't be overlooked that, in one crucial way, Mayweather is quite right: Lin's ethnicity is certainly part of the media attraction -- and not just from the Asian press. American always roots for the underdog, so regardless of race, Lin's story has appeal in a Rudy (the movie -- not the mayor) manner.  But, the fact Lin's Chinese-American is a value-added.  He is a racial outlier in a predominantly black professional sports league. That takes the Rudy comparison to another level.  Even if he were white, the story wouldn't be this huge.  If he were white, the rise of the devoutly Christian Lin would just be Tim Tebow, NBA-style -- but it wouldn't be "new."  But, as Tiger Woods (back in the day), Eminem, and the Williams sisters have demonstrated, America loves racial outliers -- especially those that excel in fields where a different race has dominated for years.  

This just happens to be a rare case where the black athletes make up the establishment and it's an Asian is the one moving into the neighborhood. He's playing great -- and he's having fun in a way that has become infectious for the team, it's fans and the entire city. Indeed, Lin has fun playing point guard -- with a smile to match -- that is almost reminiscent of one Earvin "Magic" Johnson. No wonder the zeitgeist has adopted him and produced an overdose of Lin-related puns.

Which, of course, brings us to the other racial flare-up -- ESPN.com's use of a "Chink In The Armor" headline Friday night after the Knicks' "Linning streak" came to an end -- partly because of Lin's turnovers (though if his teammates had made a couple more of the three-pointers he was setting them up for, the team would have won).  

ESPN wisely apologized for the headline and vowed to do a full review on how such a thing could have been posted.  As I tweeted Saturday afternoon, "I KNOW puns -- good and bad. No way its an accident."  I know this for a very simple reason -- well, two actually: 1) I've been a punster since around the time puberty kicked in (yeah, they may be connected); 2) I'll confess to thinking the exact same pun/headline a days before ago. I whispered sotto voce to a friend about Knicks excelling because they now have a, well, fill it out for yourself. We giggled and shook our heads at the inappropriateness of even thinking that.  

But that's the way puns can work: They've been called the "lowest form of wit" -- primarily because they are seen as "too easy" (making a joke about how certain words having different meanings or sounding similar? Meh!). [A counter to this charge is that puns are the lowest form of with because they are the foundation of all wit, which is an argument for another day.] But there is another way puns can and should be considered "low": They come from a "base" -- i.e., "naughty" -- part of the consciousness. That's why some of the best/worst puns inevitably spring from the unholy troika of taboo -- race, gender and sex. (Puns, of course, also capture the fluidity of language, which is why a 1950s Batman story about The Joker's, uh, mistake, is far more unintentionally funny now than when it was first published.) Just like four-letter words, jokes that touch on these subjects are not often uttered in what is casually called "polite company." In truth, among friends and family, bad/offensive jokes and words are shared -- because friends understand the spirit in which the words are used.  

In a shared cultural context, an otherwise-offensive word can lose much of its power; "nigger" is the notoriously controversial perfect example that both proves and is the exception to the rule. "Bitch" works similarly among women (but, notably, not so much the C-word).  In any event, as much as social mores condition us not to tell  or tolerate racist, sexist or otherwise offensive jokes (even though there's still a constituency for them -- CAUTION: Don't click, if easily offended) outside of, say, a comedy club, human nature is what it is.  Among friends, a wry (or, yes, juvenile) observation will be made -- and the most likely way such a thing will be expressed is in a pun. The context/setup has already been made -- all that's needed is a quick-and-dirty (in all senses of the phrase) pun-chline.  And then will come the eyeroll, the groan and the disapproving shaking of the heads (often accompanied by a wary look over the shoulder to make sure no one outside of the trusted circle overheard and took offense). 

This is human nature and happens all the time. 

But it shouldn't -- indeed, can't -- happen for a major international media organization. (Arguably, a good way that corporations aren't people.) The aforementioned shared cultural context is absent when a media entity is reaching an audience of millions, if not billions (given the global interest in all things Lin). A headline writer undoubtedly might think of such a headline as got onto ESPN (they're trained to think that way) -- but would immediately reject it (even if he/she personally found it amusing). If not, an editor would reject it and say, "Are you out of your mind?"  A word that is Asian near-equivalent of the N-word can't go live or be put into print. 

Many asked, "What were they thinking?" Which is a great question. Obviously, for some reason, no one was thinking, in which case, I'm not sure what is worse: Either a headline writer and editor both thought the line was just funny and put it up (pretty bad.). Or a writer had no editorial supervision for such a headline (in the big picture far worse). And, yes, "chink in the armor" is a legitimate phrase to use about someone/something that seemed invulnerable, but is now weakened. Point taken: It's an editor's job to say, yes, but it's an inappropriate use in this context. A boss of mine once told me that the best copy editors are people with dirty minds. Why? Because they're the ones who will point out the many possible awkward ways certain phrases or words can be taken.   

Regardless, in an oddly poetic bookend, Jeremy Lin -- who saved Mike D'Antoni's job -- could be, uh, "Lincidentally" (come on, you didn't think you'd get through a whole post without at least one, right?), responsible for an ESPN staffer getting shown the door.

Finally, this weekend, Saturday Night Live did a pretty good job at skewering the racial-BS and double-standards in sports commentary.

UPDATE: Quick action indeed. ESPN announces firing of employee responsible for headline -- and suspension of anchor who used similar phrase. Frankly, it's harder to gauge intent for using the phrase verbally; again, "chink in the armor" is a phrase with legitimate usage, it can validly be used to describe a team in the course of natural conversation or analysis. But, so it goes. 

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Friday, July 09, 2010

 

The LeBron Hypocrisy -- It's Not His

How DARE he?  How DARE LeBron James -- not just exercise his free-agent right to take his talents elsewhere -- but turn it into a prime-time televised ESPN event? How dare he drive a stake into the heart of his hometown?


How dare he turn all of this into a circus? How dare he act like the second coming of Michael Jordan when he hasn't won anything yet?


This is the general -- not just Cleveland -- media denunciation of James for his "The Decision" special that announced his plan to play for the Miami Heat. His former owner, Dan Gilbert was ruthless in castigating James for his escape to South Beach. The words drip with venom: "deserted," "cowardly betrayal," "shameful display of selfishness," and the coup de grace:
This was announced with a several day, narcissistic, self-promotional build-up culminating with a national TV special of his "decision" unlike anything ever "witnessed" in the history of sports and probably the history of entertainment.
In a later interview, Gilbert added that James "quit" during the playoffs. (Strangely though, Gilbert still wanted this "quitter" to resign with his team! Funny that, eh?) 


Again, it all came down to three words:  How dare he?


Well, quite easily actually. It's not like all these bigger-than-the-game impulses just popped into his head out of nowhere. Let's go back a mere seven years:
[With] Jordan retiring for the third--and he says final time--if all of the hype and expectations are valid, the answer to that often-asked question could come in the form of a 6-foot-8, 240-pound, 18-year-old high schooler whose spectacular play has prompted onlookers to refer to him as "King James."
LeBron James, who has been called "the best high school player ever," is a creative dunker with the explosiveness of Jordan and the passing ability of Magic Johnson. Not since Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) was a high schooler in the '60s has a high school sensation gotten so much exposure and generated so much excitement. He is what sports experts call "a legitimate showstopper" who has, during his tenure at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio, exhibited the kind of fan-pleasing ability that will likely make him the NBA's No. 1 draft pick on June 26.
James, who has a 32-point scoring average and 3.75 grade-point average, is a cordial, sometimes engaging youngster who is characterized by his unselfishness on the court that's mixed with a bit of flamboyance. And it's those credentials that elevated him to the level where he was the focus of what was called the "Fantastic Scholastic LeBron James Tour," an 8,500-mile, cross-country road schedule that included stops in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Dayton and Greensboro, N.C. 
[SNIP]
The McDonald's High School Player of the Year is a unique package of athletic ability and charisma that has enthralled spectators in ways not seen before at this level. This spring, for example, sellout crowds of 20,000 or more attended several All-Star games in which he played, and some paid upward of $85 to see him. There are nearly 1,100 LeBron James items listed on eBay. And when was the last time that a high schooler has generated so much excitement that his regular-season games were nationally televised? Earlier this year, James' introduction to nationwide TV gained ESPN2 its largest audience in two years.
The title of the above article from the June 2003 Ebony?  "Is LeBron James the next Michael Jordan? High school phenom could be the answer to one of the NBA's biggest questions"


Just read that piece. It makes quite clear that, despite what LeBron critics say now, the "King James" appellation was given him by "onlookers."  While other eighteen-year olds high school students are allowed to be eighteen in relative anonymity, LeBron James was anointed by his local school and athletic program as the second coming of Jordan.  St. Vincent-St. Mary High School was allowing ESPN to broadcast his games.  Think about that:  This wasn't just a reporter and camera crew coming by to cover the latest phenom. This wasn't the network covering the end-of-season McDonald's All-Star Games; this was the biggest sports network in the world telecasting a high school game because of a wunderkind. And being rewarded with huge ratings!!  


Yeah, you can bet his school didn't sell those rights for nothing.  And "[James] was the focus of what was called the "Fantastic Scholastic LeBron James Tour," an 8,500-mile, cross-country road schedule that included stops in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Dayton and Greensboro, N.C."


So, a high school team was "treated" to a schedule that might exhaust a college -- or pro -- team.


So, after being pimped out by the adults around him in high school, who helped promote him to the heavens in national media -- accruing all sorts of attention and financial ripples themselves -- LeBron learned a major lesson:  There's major interest in what he does and where he goes -- and if he doesn't market/manipulate the direction of his life, someone else will and they'll reap all the benefits that go with it.  "1,100 LeBron James items listed on eBay."  When he was still in high school!


Did James go about announcing "The Decision" in the "correct" way?  Maybe not. But what was the "correct" way for a still-young man who has been told from early on that every aspect of his life had to be on stage?  NowLeBron James' existence mean to Dan Gilbert's Cavaliers over the last seven years? Hundreds of millions easily.  How much to Cleveland? Arguably billions. But, he's required to "stay bought"?  Really? And Akron-Cleveland got to unilaterally introduce LeBron James to the world, crowned him before his time and reveled as his star grew.  But, he doesn't get to depart that circus on his own terms?  


Please.  


People may think that LeBron thinks that "This is my world and everyone else just lives in it."  Nope.  He's just taken the cues that the world's been giving him from an early age and has adapted himself to them. And that may turn out to be the best "decision" he ever made.  

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Tuesday, April 01, 2008

 

Black Men Can Think; ESPN Can't

LZ Granderson has an excellent column over at ESPN.com's Page 2, discussing race in sports. More accurately, the column is about the media's view of race in sports.
Could you imagine what would happen if Hollywood released a comedy about football entitled "Black Men Can't Throw"? Rush Limbaugh would be sitting in the theater chuckling with a box of Ho Hos in his lap as movie execs tried to explain to Jesse Jackson and/or Al Sharpton why he/they should not be offended.
Yet men and women of both races who are otherwise intelligent not only embrace
the notion inherent to "White Men Can't Jump," but it is spoken about as if it's scientific fact.
This is true in the barbershop.
This is true at the local Y.
Apparently it's true on national television as well.
Just last week I watched a pair of journalists dismiss the pro potential of both Tyler
Hansbrough and Kevin Love for no other reason than their skin color.
"The last time a big white guy from college especially went from a big-time star to a
big-time star in the NBA, I think there were still laces on the ball," one of
them said.

What was both brave, yet ultimately disappointing, about Granderson's piece is that the "journalists" that he was taking to task worked for ESPN. Yep, it's true: The conversation occurred last Friday on ESPN2's "First Take" morning show. In the regular segment "First-and-10", host/moderator Jay Crawford, regular Skip Bayliss and Robert Parker (who is black) had the above described discussion. Indeed, it was Parker that made the laces comment.

Not one of them stopped to consider how racist the discussion was -- the subtext being that none of these white college players have much of a shot in the NBA.

One of the things that stunned me was that in this conversation, no one mentioned that a white guy has been named NBA MVP for three years in a row -- Steve Nash twice and Dirk Novitski. Furthermore, the second best player on San Antonio is, arguably, Manu Ginobli. The Lakers went from a part-of-the-pack team to legitimate contenders when they got Pau Gasol.

Are we then to say that because these players are all non-American that they aren't "white"?

Granderson himself often sits in the "First-and-10" chair opposite Bayliss. Thus, the disturbing part of the piece is that either he felt compelled not to "out" his colleagues in this column -- or was told by higher-ups at ESPN.com that he couldn't. On the face of it, I can't believe an editor would allow a writer to get away with saying "a pair two journalists were talking about so-and-so" -- without identifying the participants and the show in which the discussion took place.

If so, that's even more troubling. It suggests that ESPN is happy to use its power to have "journalists" trade in offensive stereotypes -- but are unwilling to take the heat when one of their other writers calls them on it.

Well, good for Granderson for going as far as he could.

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Wednesday, July 18, 2007

 

Sports (Self) Center

The news on Atlanta Falcons QB Michael Vick's indictment (his Marion Barry-type defense: "Bichon frise set me up!") creates an interesting irony. In its story this week on the decline of ESPN's Sportscenter -- especially given the upcoming departure of network anchor-institution Dan Patrick -- Newsweek notes:

ESPN's lucrative partnerships with the NFL, the NBA, MLB and NASCAR, among others, have put its news operation, and "SportsCenter" in particular, in a unique bind. "Imagine The New York Times owning half of the Broadway theaters whose plays it reviews. Or imagine CNN paying billions of dollars for exclusive ... rights to cover the War in Iraq," wrote ESPN's own ombudsman, Le Anne Schreiber, in a May 10 Web column titled "At ESPN, Conflict of Interest Is Business as Usual." It has led to the occasional gaffe, like ESPN's decision to cancel its well-regarded drama "Playmakers" after the NFL complained about the show.
"Playmakers" ran for one 12-episode season four years ago. Unfortunately, the NFL pressured the network to kill it, charging that the fictional show reflected poorly on the real NFL. It featured players engaged in illict affairs, spousal abuse, drugs -- and one of them came out as gay too (sort of "Footballers Wives" without the accents).

Of course, in just the last year, there have 13 arrests of Cincinnati Bengals players (admittedly, Chris Henry was nabbed four times); over a two-year period, Tennessee Titan "Pacman" Jones has been
arrested multiple times and has been suspended for half of next season, Chicago Bears' Tank Johnson spent time in jail on weapons charges (and subsequently got released by the team after speeding) -- and now Michael Vick is under indictment for dogfighting.

Bring back "Playmakers", ESPN! It's far tamer than anything that's really happening in the National Football League.


On the other hand, maybe the network thinks such a show would only be redundant at this point.

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Thursday, March 15, 2007

 

More Fun Than The NCAAs...

...is ESPN Sports Guy Bill Simmons' running diary while watching the games with his pals (particularly beneficial given the lack of close games early on).

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