This is just a stream of consciousness I'm going to let flow after reading another lame article on one of the MSM websites talking slick about Lavar, #BBB and LaMelo after their appearance on Raw last night.
On this week's episode of Monday Night Raw on live TV, during The Miz's segment LaMelo Ball told his father Lavar to "Beat That *****'* ***" while Lavar was face to face with The Miz in a stare down. Tuesday's sports headlines were filled with stories on LaMelo using a "racial slur" and the WWE released a statement apologizing for the Melo's choice of language, saying that it didn't "reflect WWE's values."
Yet I can recall Vince (a white man) using the same word and there was no apology issued. On the contrary the WWE defended Vince saying ***** as an "an outlandish and satirical skit involving fictional characters, similar to that of many scripted television shows and movies" but that's neither here nor there.
Whether or not it is a big deal for a young man to say ***** on live TV will vary based on the opinion of the word's usage by each individual viewer. What I'm writing about is the fact that this incident is our first full view of the power of an athlete (and/or an athlete's family) owning their own brand when something controversial happens.
LaMelo's older brother, Lonzo, who was recently the 2nd pick of the 2017 NBA Draft (by the Los Angeles Lakers) did not have to release an apology on Tuesday. He was not dropped from a Nike,Reebok or Adidas contract because of the use of the word during his family's segment on raw. Lavar Ball was not forced to apologize and publicly chastise his youngest son for using the word on live TV because their is no corporation holding a check over there heads forcing them to be opinion-less drones. If they do decide to apologize or release a statement, it's solely by choice and that is unprecedented in the modern sports world. We see how the NFL has basically colluded to blackball a Super Bowl quarterback in his athletic prime, the Honorable Brother Colin Kaepernick, for simply taking a knee in protest to police brutality in the US.
Tiger Woods lost $22 Million in endorsements because he went thru a highly publicized divorce amid rumors of infidelity (as if most of the CEO's of these sponsors haven't had similar circumstances).
Mike Vick lost nearly $100 million in endorsements after being convicted of something that he didn't implicitly take part of, but happened on his property.
Barry Bond's couldn't get even one of MLB's 19 official corporate partners to sponsor his chase for Hank Aaron's record simply because he was said to have a "difficult personality."
Ronaldinho lost a $750,000 Coca-Cola deal for simply drinking a Pepsi at a press conference .
And in maybe the worst case of "shut up and play boy" Broncos player Brandon Marshall lost his endorsement with Air Force Federal Credit Union, even after preemptively saying that he supports the military, for joining in Kapernick's protest by quietly taking a knee during a game last season.
Because Lavar started Big Baller Brand (#BBB) Lonzo, Liangelo and Lamelo can go around telling their dad to "beat every *****'* ***" publicly for the rest of the year and there is nothing anyone can do about it. Because he knows his boys are talented enough to have the system bend to their needs, he can come out and say UCLA lost in the NCAA tournament because of having too many white boys on the team. UCLA didn't threaten to pull the scholarships from Gelo and Melo and Steve Lavin has went on record as saying Lavar is a good father and not a distraction. Because Lavar doesn't have a sponsor, corporation or boss to answer to, he can tell a white woman to "Stay in Yo Lane" on national TV and there is nothing anyone can do but cry like Whitlock and write thought pieces about it.
This is what the powers that be feared: an outspoken and unabashedly proud black man with a voice on the biggest platforms in sports saying exactly what's on his mind with no filter because he isn't under the thumb of his corporate overlords or to put it frankly the white man. What happens when Lavar, Lonzo, LiAngelo or LaMelo decide to speak on politics, race relations, police brutality or any other issue that black athletes are usually forced to be tight lipped about or tip toe around? They can say whatever the hell they want and no one can do anything about it because they own their business and their brand and with that comes the power that has long eluded black people in the sports world.
This isn't about a loud mouth making absurd claims, or his white wife, or him selling $500 sneakers on pre-order. This about about the man putting in all the work to build a solid foundation refusing to stay on the plantation and forcibly taking his 40 acres and a mule and starting his own farm. Now when they are of age, his sons will have a piece of their own land and won't have to go back to the plantation and beg for a job. I doubt we will see Lonzo auctioning off Lebron jerseys and toasters to pay off his debts 10 years after he retires (Sorry, D. Miles).
Don't miss the message guys and gals.
#BBB
a scripted reality sitcom like Curb, Veep or Jalen's show would do Lavar well.
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