NBA Season Part 2: Life In The Orlando Bubble

Man, I don't like this. I think the league should fine him and make him sit a game. Too convenient for him and so perfectly placed.

 

I am not going to say I am in position to know how this SHOULD play out. I love the NBA, but these reactions by the players are hurting the NBA with fans around the country and I bet elsewhere. From what I have read, viewership is way down. Over 40% and growing. None of this is going to help, it is going to hurt.

I want all people to be equal and treated fairly. I know that is not happening but there is not honest discussion that covers all sides of the issue. When you have that, it always ends in discourse because all anybody wants to hear are cut and dry solutions that support their positions. It is the same across ALL subjects. Individuals need to be smarter and more open minded. They need to be able to listen to others without accusing them of being something bad.

White people need to understand what their ancestors did to nearly everyone that wasn't white male, and then realize that they handed it out worse to blacks than anyone else. But other races need to be honest and realize that their actions are not helping their case. Inner city crime rates are scary as hell, literally. The day when we as a people are truly equal is the day when we all choose to live around each other without being scared. It is up to the people and the only way we will get there is learning how to trust each other.

I will say one thing, the NBA and Jazz music are two things that really made me listen to blacks talk about their position. Listening to guys like Jabbar say certain things when I was young, opened my eyes. I have had the opportunity to listen to some black jazz musicians say similar things. It opened my ears and my mind. It made me realize that they were getting hosed on a daily basis. I don't like it and I don't do it. But, I will say one thing in all honesty, when I have approached black friends to discuss it so I could learn more, almost every single time I was rebuffed and asked not to go there. How can any of us learn if the only discourse we can have is through our political leaders who have agendas that screw us all more than they help us. ?

 

Totally understand why the players want to boycott and will support however they chose to go about this for the most part.

I’m not sure how effective a prolonged boycott would be in actually driving actionable items for social change. It feels like an emotional thing rather then a strategy. Which is fine, it sounds like the players are having some meetings in the bubble tonight so hopefully they weigh all the pro’s and con’s and come to an agreement on how to move forward together. It can’t all just be based on emotion.

If they all just decide to go home, that brings a lot of immediate attention and probably has some ripple effects. But then what? What happens a few weeks from now? Will the public just have burnt out and moved onto whatever new story dominates the news cycles anyways, or just start distracting themselves with another sport?

The way I see it, I think a prolonged strike would not be very productive. On the other hand, continuing to play right now and not doing anything, would be counter-productive in terms of placating the masses and continuing sports as a distraction. It is a tough situation. I’m hopeful that a relatively short boycott and then return to playoffs in a few days/weeks can strike a balance of bringing attention to these matters without hurting the platform of these NBA players.

 

It's up to non-black folks like me to educate themselves instead of having black people "teach" them why things are the way they are.

 

NBA is going to be in deep trouble after all this. Everyone loses. No one will win here. The reality of this is this may take the NBA to the NHL level. I have been reading so much information and the few people who were still watching have sworn off the league. This will not end well.

 

Boycotts and counter boycotts rarely ever work, at least in our modern society. There are several other leagues that have followed suit. MLB and WNBA so far. So what you (not specifically you OX, but in general) swear off all sports? Yea probably not going to happen either.

 

The NBA makes 4 billion a year in China annually. The second they go back there, the bad PR will come in a giant wave. The NBA has TV contracts coming up, the aftershock is going to be much worse for these players. And it isn't about taking a few million dollar hit, the NBA will have problems with viewership.

 

It's not that I don't understand, but people are different about this than they used to be. Plus, the time is right. You will never have a more open set of ears as long as you live and as long as you use those ears with some kindness and tolerance.

 

I only commented specifically on this incident because the bucks say its because of Blake's shooting. I understand there's a lot more too it, but they would be playing if this didn't happen. What is deadlier within 10ft, a knife or a gun? It's a knife. If coming in there's an arrest warrant for Blake, and has prior history w/ a gun, how much of a chance are you willing to take on someone disobeying an order?

Any man (that haven't committed any crimes) carrying an AR-15 that falls within the law in public is fine w/ me. I reserve judgement until more info comes out about the incident with Kyle Rittenhouse. From the clips I've seen it SEEMS like self defense. Typically people scatter away when shots are fired, not running towards the shooter. If he was the aggressor/guilty then he should be punished to the full extent of the law.

I'm all for police reform not defundment, they should be held accountable,and more time should be spent on continual training. But when you have Jacob Blake a criminal with over $1mil+ in donations (who could have a weapon) being propped up makes me smh. Protest not riot, take a break from social media, ask questions, get way from mob mentality. Athletes and celebrities have a huge platform to tell their followers the things I've said before. But they (for the most part) push a certain narrative making it difficult for people to thinking differently. Jonathan Isaac got hated on for his beliefs, Kanye West called crazy for his beliefs albeit he's a bit nutty, and many others. Not everything is black and white, there's a lot of colors in between.

 

man. looks like it is over.... so upsetting.

 

Here is what I'm struggling to grasp.

Okay, players want change. Change is such a blanket word. Ultimately it's about equality, peace, stopping the senseless violence, etc. But what exactly are they looking for the owners to do? These guys only have their checkbooks in this case.

 

Might still be hope....

 

I feel like this has to be a bargaining strategy. Yeah the Lakers may strongly feel they want to boycott the rest of the season, but it feels like it’s still a fluid situation.

 

Open carry is legal in the state of Wisconsin...if you are 18 years or older. He's 17. So to me the entire premise for self-defense gets shaky when you're actively committing a crime.

Second, he was a vigilante crossing state lines to "defend" other people's property.

I don't know, maybe someone who is lawyer or has a legal background can chime in, but to me you can't claim self-defense when you are taking the law into your own hands.

Oh and also he fled the scene and crossed state lines again.So that's probably another no no.

 

disavow any team/corporate partners who donate to organizations that oppose reform

i don't think the season will be canceled though. there's just far too much on the line

 

But is there a specific target? A list of what they want? Is there a game plan or is this just hitting to pause to re-group?

You hear the desire for change and reform. That's something that can't be done overnight, over a week, over a month, or even over a year. So what exactly can be done in the now to satisfy the players?