Watching the NBA final's last night, and listening to everybody (Adam Silver, Lebron James... etc) speak about the game and what this season has represented, I realized how radically different this season was, aside from the every game taking place in Disney World. It was impossible to watch an NBA game without seeing a message for racial justice, and a push against police brutality, as that was their goal!
I think it's a great thing that they've done, whether it's the changing of names on jerseys, messages painted on the court, pins worn by the head coaches and staff, advertisements... etc.
However, a part of me feels as if they may have gone down a road that they cannot turn back on. What will it take for a team, or an entire organization, to bring things back to normal? Once one team decides to revert to their old jerseys, for example, will the other teams follow suit? Will they face criticism? How will other sports react next season when the NBA continues to integrate the BLM movement into their games?
Personally, I'm surprised to see that leagues such as the MLB and NFL haven't faced any heat in terms of keeping up with the precedent the NBA has set this season in terms of how involved they are with the movement.
NBA Comish Adam Silver said on NBA Countdown last week that...
in terms of the messages you see on the court and our jerseys, this was an extraordinary moment in time when we began these discussions with the players and what we all lived through this summer. My sense is there’ll be somewhat a return to normalcy, that those messages will largely be left to be delivered off the floor.
What do you guys think about this?
How do you feel about what was done this season in general?
What happens next season if/WHEN something happens to spark another push for racial justice, will the NBA feel compelled to resume the messages we saw this past season?
https://clutchpoints.com/nba-news-league-set-to-remove-black-lives-matter-from-courts-next-season/https://www.foxnews.com/sports/nba-commissioner-adam-silver-says-social-justice-messages-largely-left-delivered-off-floor-next-season