Some would argue that out of all the perfessional sports, the NBA is the most racist free of them all. Think about it. Most of the more popular players in the NBA are African American and roughly 77% of the players are black. So is it safe to say African Americans are well represented in the league?
A closer look will tell you than in most sports; the race that is most dominant on the field/court also has the higher pressence in the front office...but not in the NBA.
Michael Jordan stands alone as the only African American majority owner in the NBA.
Being an owner takes a large amount of capital but a deeper look shows even more variances.
There are only 4 African American presidents in the NBA and people of color only hold 21 % of team senior administrative positions.
I am worried that the people who bring the fans into the stands, sell jerseys, sign autographs and make organizations rich have little to no say on how the NBA is ran.
At the annual 2010 Racial and Gender Summit the NBA recieved an (A) for their efforts in being one of the most diverse in mens pro sports in America. One has to take in consideration that an (A) comes from the fact that other sports are even worse than the NBA and noting how far (loosely use) we have come since the birth of the league.
Comissioner David Stern has consisitenly set the bar on hiring practices and pushed the envelope for other sports to follow, but is it enough?
Point blank and simple RACISM exists in the NBA, maybe not on the surface but its there.
The league is well represented on the court, even on the coaching sidelines but not in the front office nor in ownership. There should be more representation from a person of color in those positions, to settle for 36% is to say that not even half is ok.
On this MLK day remember that a dream was realized by thought provoking conversations that sometimes were racey, and tough to swallow but packed with truth and justice.
Some such conversations need to be continued even in the NBA.
-Agent34
