November 30, 2004

Was the melee between NBA players and fans a racial brawl?

The Nov. 19 game between the Indiana Pacers and the Detroit Pistons resulted in nine players being banned for more than 140 games.

All of the players involved were black and most of the fans they confronted were white.

Initially race was a silent issue. But as pundits of every stripe have weighed in on this incident, discussions of race have become increasingly prominent.

The narrative that is emerging goes something like this: Most professional basketball players are poor black youths from urban America who are socialized in a culture that lacks social graces. They earn exorbitant salaries, live pampered lifestyles and lack the appropriate gratitude for their -- largely unearned -- good fortune.

What's more, these black athletes are performing for predominantly white fans who are affluent enough to afford the high cost of NBA tickets. It's a tricky arrangement.

But that developing narrative is a bit one sided, and the lack of symmetry was evident in the players' penalties. Ron Artest expressed his regret for the incident and complained that NBA Commissioner David Stern penalized him too severely. (Artest received a 72-game suspension and is out for the rest of the season.) Stern acknowledged he was particularly hard on Artest. "I did not strike from my mind that Ron Artest had been suspended on previous conditions for loss of self-control," he said.

The NBA Players Association said Artest's punishment is too severe and has hinted it will challenge Stern's sweeping authority as commissioner. Not only does Stern determine the penalties, he also has the final word on any appeal.

But those organizational and logistical concerns only skirt the edges of the true crisis.

The separation of gladiator and spectator traditionally is one of class. In more current times, the separation is more of a cultural gap with increasingly prominent racial overtones.

NBA officials once doubted if whites would even pay to watch black athletes.

The dominance of African-American players in the NBA has revolutionized the game and, for the most part, the difference has been fortuitous for league officials. The black players' explosive athleticism and stylistic flourishes have helped Nielsen ratings and have increased revenue of most pro sports franchises.

But those cultural differences have rougher aspects. The hip-hop sensibilities that shape the behavior of the younger NBA players certainly fuel exciting athletic exploits, but they also inspire other, less desirable team qualities.

The intolerance for disrespect ("dissing"), the "bling-bling" ostentation, the celebratory ego-flexing -- these attitudes also are part of the hip-hop package. But fans increasingly are rejecting that aspect of the game.

"League and club executives decided to marry the NBA to hip-hop, and clearly didn't know what they were getting into," wrote Washington Post sports columnist Michael Wilbon. He argues that by hyping the hip-hop connection, NBA officials share some blame for widening the gap between fans and players.

It was a gamble. An emphasis on hip-hop sensibilities might have provided just the spurt of profitability the sport needed. But if the league and its marketers created it, then blaming the players for following through is the ultimate dis.

Salim Muwakkil is senior editor of the Chicago-based In These Times magazine (www.inthesetimes.com), and a contributing writer to the Chicago Tribune. He can be reached at pmproj [at] progressive [dot] org.