After LeBron James’ decision to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers and join the Miami Heat, Cleveland owner Dan Gilbert said he was the “former king” and a “coward,” while Reverend Jesse Jackson said Gilbert’s comments displayed a “slave master mentality.” On Monday July 12, NBA Commissioner David Stern and numerous media outlets said everyone involved was wrong, but that what is most troubling about this episode is what is not being said.
Gilbert’s response to Jackson was, “I strongly disagree with Rev. Jesse Jackson’s recent comments and we are not going to engage in any related discussion on it.”
Gilbert isn’t taking the high road but instead squandering an opportunity to discuss the topic of race in a large, public forum.
The ESPN network seemed to aid Gilbert’s efforts when Kevin Blackistone and Michael Wilbon, the only black personalities on ESPN’s Around the Horn and Pardon the Interruption, respectively, were seemingly silenced when they tried to point out that conversations amongst many black men around the country echoed Jackson’s statements.
Both men seemed to be outnumbered by white personalities who saw Jackson’s comments as inappropriate.
Suspiciously, both Blackistone and Wilbon were given the day off Tuesday, despite the network still running discussions on the issue. Wilbon, in particular, was replaced by a Cuban-American personality, Dan LeBatard, who further suggested ignoring Jackson’s words because they were simply not worth our time.
This attitude suggests that mentioning slavery is setting race relations backwards. Since when did forgetting human rights atrocities for the sake of convenience become accepted? Is it socially acceptable to tell a Jewish person to forget about the Holocaust?
Whether or not you agree with Jackson’s slavery metaphor, it does raise a red flag when a white man, or a white-owned network for that matter, can call “foul” after a black man just says the word “slave.” James, like many athletes of color, is part of a system that exploits the players. James was scheduled to earn between $16-17 million from Gilbert’s Cleveland Cavaliers organization in the next year, which is tiny in comparison to the $100 million he generates annually for them. To suggest that James owed Gilbert or the city anything is preposterous, and for Gilbert to write such a scathing letter about someone who more than fulfilled his contractual obligations is unprofessional and does exhibit a sense of ownership.
This is not to say that Gilbert is a racist, but it does fall in line with the legacy of slavery, which is still prevalent throughout American society. When black children are twice as likely as white children to drop out of school and one in 13 black men are in prison, an institution characterized by slave labor, sexual abuse and other human rights violations, there is a clear systematic race problem in this country. Suggesting the contrary is, at best, irresponsible and at worst, an attempt to sweep it under the rug.
Wealth, during slavery, was passed down through the hands of whites, while black slaves worked and built the foundation of the country for no pay. Despite accomplishments of individuals such as Barack Obama, whites still pull the strings in virtually all positions of power and influence in this country, and that is a direct result of the white privilege created by wealth exclusively passed down through white hands.
Black people make up around 10 percent of the United States population, but 25-30% are in poverty. Consequently, whether rich or poor, black people find themselves isolated in a society that preaches multiculturalism, which dilutes ethnic pride.
Children are not taught to love their race in the same way they are taught to love their country. Much of this patriotism is thinly veiled Euro-centrism, as shown by the white privilege it supports.
Black people everywhere bear the burden of slavery’s legacy while whites inherit privilege from it. Yet any initiative to help redistribute the wealth or power, such as affirmative action, is seen as radical. James’ decision to join two other superstar players in Miami for less money but more control over his destiny is a signal of the shift in power from a group of predominantly white owners to predominantly black players.
This shift of power clearly hurt Gilbert, who lost $100 million of revenue because of James’ decision.
The divisive issue of race should be discussed, and Jackson should be commended for getting the ball rolling in a high-profile situation where most professional athletes are afraid to express controversial political viewpoints for fear of losing money. (If Myron Rolle can slip a few rounds in the NFL draft for being a Rhodes Scholar, then think of what would happen to Muhammad Ali today.)
Professional athletes are influential to black youth, who see faces that look like theirs overrepresented in that area but severely underrepresented in politics and science. Using professional sports as a forum for progressive racial dialogue seems like it makes sense, but we can guess why some people don’t want that to happen.
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