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The next time Kobe Bryantfeels the need to direct a powerful slur at an NBA referee and wants toavoid the recriminations for it, maybe this is what he should do:
Just call him the N-word.
Itwouldn't draw nearly as much attention as the anti-gay slur Bryantcalled referee Bennie Adams in an April 12 game against the San Antonio Spurs.
If Bryant had called Adams, who is black, the N-word, the five-time NBA champion probably wouldn't have been fined $100,000.
Helikely wouldn't have had to make a public apology. And it's doubtfulthat the NAACP or any similar organization would have issued a pressrelease condemning his actions and demanding atonement.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/commentary/news/story?page=hill/110419#/sports.espn.go.com/espn/gallery/enlargePhoto?id=6389395&story=6389670">http://sports.espn.go.com...389395&...idth=640,height=750,scrollbars=no,noresize'); return false;">[+] Enlarge
Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty ImagesThe NBA didn't let Kobe Bryant's gay slur go unpunished.
Ofcourse, I'm overstating it, but it's a point worth making. The N-wordis used so frequently on NBA courts that it almost blends in like crowdnoise.
And no one seems to be even remotely bothered by it.
CommissionerDavid Stern did the right thing by fining Bryant so severely for hisoffensive language. You can't have one of the league's biggest starssaying something so vile.
But if Stern really wants toshow that Bryant's fine is about more than just protecting the NBA'sbrand, he will crack down on players who use the N-word in games, too.
It'sbad enough that some black players in the NBA feel so comfortable usingit among themselves that they don't bother to edit it out in front ofnon-black teammates. In too many NBA locker rooms, the N-word is heardso often you might think you're at a Chris Rock comedy show.
Sadly,people have become so accustomed to hearing black people call eachother the N-word that it doesn't register when it's said in a game andcan be heard from the seats or over the air on a broadcast.
In the Celtics-Heat game on April 10, LeBron James and Jermaine O'Nealgot into a scrum after O'Neal hard-fouled James. As I watched playersfrom both teams push, shove and get in each other's faces on ABC'stelecast, the microphones pick up what sounded like the N-word severaltimes.
According to NBA spokesman Tim Frank, any NBA player is "subject to discipline if he uses inappropriate language that is heard by fans and/or viewers." Shaquille O'Neal was fined for a profanity in front of a camera, and other players have been fined for cursing at fans.
So,the league rule is strong enough, but I question the enforcement. Noplayers in the Celtics-Heat game were fined, in case you were wondering.
I'm sure some people will think that I'm being uptight and thatif black players refer to one another that way, it's no big deal.
That's because some African-Americans foolishly believe that we undermine the N-word's negative power by using it that way.
But to me, by trying to make the word invisible, we make it more powerful than ever.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/commentary/news/story?page=hill/110419#/sports.espn.go.com/espn/gallery/enlargePhoto?id=6389470&story=6389670">http://sports.espn.go.com...389470&...idth=440,height=750,scrollbars=no,noresize'); return false;">[+] Enlarge
AP Photo/Alan DiazWhena scuffle between LeBron James and Jermaine O'Neal turned into abench-clearing shouting match, TV viewers (and listeners) heard morethan they needed to.
During the NCAAtournament's national championship ceremony on CBS a few weeks ago,Connecticut star Kemba Walker appeared to say "Damn, n-----" when oneof his celebrating teammates leaned into him as Jim Nantz presented theHuskies with the trophy.
Nantz didn't even blink.
Iguess I shouldn't be surprised. The entertainment industry haspractically made the N-word mainstream. It's now characterized as aterm of affection, and plenty of non-black people have chosen to use it as a term of endearment.
Irecently had a conversation with a white friend who admitted that, inhigh school, she and her white friends called each other the N-wordbecause they wanted to emulate what they heard in rap music. They neversaw it as offensive. They saw it as cool.
I'm not here topoint fingers at entertainers or turn this into a referendum on rap. Ilisten to hip-hop, some of which is definitely offensive.
Buthearing the N-word in a comedy act, song or movie is different fromhearing it while watching a professional basketball game. Movies andmusic usually are accompanied by a parental warning. When you check outan NBA game, the expectation is that you'll see basketball, not hearslurs.
The fact is, the NBA isn't being responsible byallowing rampant use of the N-word to go unchecked. The game attractsmany young fans, and they're learning through the league's apathy thatthe N-word is just a part of basketball culture.
Besides,let's be real. If a white player ever called a black player the N-wordin an NBA game, the outrage would be swift and unfathomable, and Sternwould levy a fine just as harsh -- or maybe even harsher -- than theone he gave Bryant. But a black player calling someone the N-word? Thatapparently isn't news and isn't worthy of a fine or even a reprimand.
It's just another Thursday night in the NBA.
I guess I have more confidence in white people than Jemele. I'm black and I think it is a little unfair for Jemele to hold old white refs feet to the fire over what young black men call themselves. I have more a problem with the league having mics so close to the court. I'm not watching the dudes to hear what they have to say, i'm watching them to see great NBA playoff basketball. I also found it lame to interview those white kids and to essentially come back with the statement that since white kids hear n' in a few rap songs they should start saying n'. With that logic I guess I should start using adderall or crystal meth because that's the drug of choice for white teenagers and those that are in their 20's - 30's based on reports from media outlets. I just think the article is misguided. Let's discuss.
Just call him the N-word.
Itwouldn't draw nearly as much attention as the anti-gay slur Bryantcalled referee Bennie Adams in an April 12 game against the San Antonio Spurs.
If Bryant had called Adams, who is black, the N-word, the five-time NBA champion probably wouldn't have been fined $100,000.
Helikely wouldn't have had to make a public apology. And it's doubtfulthat the NAACP or any similar organization would have issued a pressrelease condemning his actions and demanding atonement.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/commentary/news/story?page=hill/110419#/sports.espn.go.com/espn/gallery/enlargePhoto?id=6389395&story=6389670">http://sports.espn.go.com...389395&...idth=640,height=750,scrollbars=no,noresize'); return false;">[+] Enlarge
Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty ImagesThe NBA didn't let Kobe Bryant's gay slur go unpunished.
Ofcourse, I'm overstating it, but it's a point worth making. The N-wordis used so frequently on NBA courts that it almost blends in like crowdnoise.
And no one seems to be even remotely bothered by it.
CommissionerDavid Stern did the right thing by fining Bryant so severely for hisoffensive language. You can't have one of the league's biggest starssaying something so vile.
But if Stern really wants toshow that Bryant's fine is about more than just protecting the NBA'sbrand, he will crack down on players who use the N-word in games, too.
It'sbad enough that some black players in the NBA feel so comfortable usingit among themselves that they don't bother to edit it out in front ofnon-black teammates. In too many NBA locker rooms, the N-word is heardso often you might think you're at a Chris Rock comedy show.
Sadly,people have become so accustomed to hearing black people call eachother the N-word that it doesn't register when it's said in a game andcan be heard from the seats or over the air on a broadcast.
In the Celtics-Heat game on April 10, LeBron James and Jermaine O'Nealgot into a scrum after O'Neal hard-fouled James. As I watched playersfrom both teams push, shove and get in each other's faces on ABC'stelecast, the microphones pick up what sounded like the N-word severaltimes.
According to NBA spokesman Tim Frank, any NBA player is "subject to discipline if he uses inappropriate language that is heard by fans and/or viewers." Shaquille O'Neal was fined for a profanity in front of a camera, and other players have been fined for cursing at fans.
So,the league rule is strong enough, but I question the enforcement. Noplayers in the Celtics-Heat game were fined, in case you were wondering.
I'm sure some people will think that I'm being uptight and thatif black players refer to one another that way, it's no big deal.
That's because some African-Americans foolishly believe that we undermine the N-word's negative power by using it that way.
But to me, by trying to make the word invisible, we make it more powerful than ever.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/commentary/news/story?page=hill/110419#/sports.espn.go.com/espn/gallery/enlargePhoto?id=6389470&story=6389670">http://sports.espn.go.com...389470&...idth=440,height=750,scrollbars=no,noresize'); return false;">[+] Enlarge
AP Photo/Alan DiazWhena scuffle between LeBron James and Jermaine O'Neal turned into abench-clearing shouting match, TV viewers (and listeners) heard morethan they needed to.
During the NCAAtournament's national championship ceremony on CBS a few weeks ago,Connecticut star Kemba Walker appeared to say "Damn, n-----" when oneof his celebrating teammates leaned into him as Jim Nantz presented theHuskies with the trophy.
Nantz didn't even blink.
Iguess I shouldn't be surprised. The entertainment industry haspractically made the N-word mainstream. It's now characterized as aterm of affection, and plenty of non-black people have chosen to use it as a term of endearment.
Irecently had a conversation with a white friend who admitted that, inhigh school, she and her white friends called each other the N-wordbecause they wanted to emulate what they heard in rap music. They neversaw it as offensive. They saw it as cool.
I'm not here topoint fingers at entertainers or turn this into a referendum on rap. Ilisten to hip-hop, some of which is definitely offensive.
Buthearing the N-word in a comedy act, song or movie is different fromhearing it while watching a professional basketball game. Movies andmusic usually are accompanied by a parental warning. When you check outan NBA game, the expectation is that you'll see basketball, not hearslurs.
The fact is, the NBA isn't being responsible byallowing rampant use of the N-word to go unchecked. The game attractsmany young fans, and they're learning through the league's apathy thatthe N-word is just a part of basketball culture.
Besides,let's be real. If a white player ever called a black player the N-wordin an NBA game, the outrage would be swift and unfathomable, and Sternwould levy a fine just as harsh -- or maybe even harsher -- than theone he gave Bryant. But a black player calling someone the N-word? Thatapparently isn't news and isn't worthy of a fine or even a reprimand.
It's just another Thursday night in the NBA.
I guess I have more confidence in white people than Jemele. I'm black and I think it is a little unfair for Jemele to hold old white refs feet to the fire over what young black men call themselves. I have more a problem with the league having mics so close to the court. I'm not watching the dudes to hear what they have to say, i'm watching them to see great NBA playoff basketball. I also found it lame to interview those white kids and to essentially come back with the statement that since white kids hear n' in a few rap songs they should start saying n'. With that logic I guess I should start using adderall or crystal meth because that's the drug of choice for white teenagers and those that are in their 20's - 30's based on reports from media outlets. I just think the article is misguided. Let's discuss.
