"Capitalism is the astounding belief that the most wickedest of men will do the most wickedest of things for the greatest good of everyone." -- John Maynard Keynes
I found this statistic simply astonishing…., during the most recently completed NBA season (2008-09), almost 82% of NBA players were black. That 82% was the highest percentage of black players in the NBA in 15 years. Oddly, that fact was not the astonishing part. After all it was the great, black philosopher, Biggie Smalls who poetically described the only black male exodus from ‘hood as: "Either you slinging crack rock or you got a wicked jump-shot!" If the latter in Biggie’s lyrics sing true, the NBA’s personnel statistics support that verse. The rest of Notorious’ rhyme puppets are (either)in prison or resting next to him.
The amazing part doesn’t even rest with the fact that throughout the NBA’s 64-year history, there is STILL only one majority black owner. Yep, the former BET founding father Bob Johnson is the sole, not to be confused with the soul, NBA majority owner and his team is the Charlotte Bobcats. And, for the record, the team name (BOB cats) is not coincidental; but you have to meet him or watch BET to know just how seriously he takes himself and how little he cares about a black plight. The really astonishing fact is Bob Johnson is the only majority team owner of ANY professional team in American sports history!! If there is a slither of a silver lining looming among that empty black cloud it is…, black majority professional team ownership is outpacing black U.S. presidents by 300 centuries. Now that we clearly understand that covert racism, sexism, and collusion are all alive and well, I found the perfect remedy for this situation and it only took 25 years. The answer is.... LeBron Raymone James.
By the start of this NBA season LeBron James will be 24 (he'll turn 25 in December). Equally important is by the end of the 2009-10 NBA season LeBron will be an unrestricted free agent. “Free” being the operative word since we are talking about a league that doesn’t believe in black ownership -- no matter how many trillions the teams owners make off of their backs. In fact, those black players better make sure their tie is straight before and after the game. Ask yourself in what (other) industry could a owner MANIDATE what attaire is deemed "appropriate" before you get to work? Better yet, what group of people will ahere to it? I guess the black ownership rant I'm alluding to is probably nothing more than a hoop dream. As I digress. LeBron James’ pro hoop dreams begun with his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers. But there is ample buzz that Cleveland is not where the bulk of his career will be spent. “Spent” being the operative word; since it’ll cost the Cavs’ owners 3 times what the franchise is actually worth to keep James. Signing LeBron could be really bad for business if the owners inked James to a long term contract and he suffered a career-ending injury or never brought a championship banner to Brownstown — both being real possibilities when you are balancing a balance sheet. Throwing a curve in the basketball equation is... Cleveland has been riddled with double-digit unemployment since the pre Clinton administration, but you’d have to search far outside of a Barack speech to address that fact – "speech" being the operative word. After all, you don't get many presidential donations (i.e. votes) from towns littered with double-digit unemployment.
There are many die hard fans that believe King James should just stay in Cleveland. Those fans translate a King James departure to be more disloyal than the transgressions of his biblical namesake. Now that’s astonishing. James is entering the prime of his career – mainly due to his disloyal departure from attending a college or university that is equally void of black owners. For the life of me I cannot figure out why black people continue to be loyal to people, places and ideas that are un apologetically unfaithful to them. That answer probably rests in the King James version.
There are a minimum of six NBA suitors that have all but tanked this season (which starts tonight at 7pm EST), by clearing salary cap space in hopes of landing James’jock in their draws. Given that there is only one King James (albeit many different versions) there is a good chance five of those jocking teams will NOT be renamed Jamestown. Additionally, two of the most notable suitors reside less than 20 miles apart... one is the the once famed New York Knicks and the other is the soon-to-be Brooklyn Nets.
Look no further than the Barack Bailout addresses to understand the economics of a New York City move. Add the trivial pursuit(ing) fact that Jay-Z -- a (very) minority owner in the Brooklyn-bound Nets has James’number on speed dial just behind B's and just ahead of O’s. Now,(should James leave Cleveland) his destination is probably easier to figure out than your child learning their ESPN’s.
The only way to improve minority anything is for minorities to use their leverage whenever that rare possibilty presents itself. James can sign a contract in a major market and make enough off-the-court endosemennts to improve 10 Ohio cities --even if he had to leave Ohio to do so. After all, what under or unemployed minority cares whether there is a championship banner hanging in a gym owned by a 1% (bailed out) majority? The fact that LeBron has this type leverage to change this at 25 is simply astonishing to me, the fact he may be too loyal to exercise it isn’t!
click on blog title for bonus beats
1 love,
Ray Lewis
