A plan to "place the names of police-brutality victims onto players' jerseys for the NBA's season resumption" at Disney World in Orlando is "unlikely to proceed," according to sources cited by Chris Haynes of YAHOO SPORTS. It is an "extremely complex topic, and the union wants to exercise sensitivity in trying to push the movement forward." Sources said there are a "few concerns within the union about the plan, particularly respecting the family's right to pick the player they would want honoring the name, and with there being so many victims of police violence, there was genuine concern about adding unnecessary pain to families if their loved ones were omitted." Sources said that discussions about the plan are "ongoing and a decision regarding the names is not official" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 6/30).
McCoughtry wants players to build relationships with the families of the people they choose to represent GETTY IMAGES
STAYING AT THE FOREFRONT: WNBA Las Vegas Aces F Angel McCoughtry said that her goal is to "keep the names of those who have been injured or killed in instances involving police brutality, or those of front-line workers during the pandemic, at the forefront of discussion." She said, "The NBA has seen it and liked it, and the WNBA has, too. We want to have permission from the league to pick a name, and then get consent from the families. I would think that would be something the families would be excited about." McCoughtry said that this initiative "goes beyond just putting a name on a jersey." In Las Vegas, Jason Orts notes she wants the players to "build relationships with the families of the people the athletes choose to represent and listen to any ideas they have to bring about social change." While McCoughtry "hasn't been in direct contact with the league about the idea, she said she's received plenty of support from fellow players in the WNBA and the NBA" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 7/1). In DC, Jerry Brewer writes if the NBA allows it, the names of police brutality victims should be "on the front of the jersey," not the back. If the NBA, WNBA or any other sports league "truly wants to create an indelible moment," they will take this "solid idea to a higher, more uncomfortable level." Brewer: "If you're going to traffic in the symbolic, pick the most powerful symbol available: the front of the jersey" (WASHINGTON POST, 7/1).
HAVING A CONSTANT PRESENCE: The NBA reportedly will have Black Lives Matter painted on the courts in Orlando when it returns, and ESPN's Clinton Yates said, "The impact is simple. The impact will be a normalization. ... Not everything has to be some big, over the top, revolutionary method in order to make a point, and that’s why this is smart." He added, "It’s a good first step for a bunch of guys that are obviously in a confusing situation but still want to get their goals out there.” The Athletic's Frank Isola said, “A lot of people will look at it as a political statement. There will be a segment of NBA fans that will look at it and say, ‘This is a unifying, powerful statement that needed to be made.’ Other people will look at it as divisive, and there will be a large majority of fans who will look at it and say, ‘Whatever, just get the games. I just want to watch basketball again.'” ESPN's Sarah Spain called that a "first step," but added, "I imagine both the WNBA players and NBA players and the people within those leagues are going to ask for more actionable steps in the highest ranks of their organizations” (“Around the Horn,” ESPN, 6/30).
BIGGER THAN BASKETBALL: TIME's Sean Gregory wrote NBA Commissioner Adam Silver believes that with "so many eyes attuned to the NBA during the restart, the players can use their platforms to do good." Given that so many athletes worldwide "have knelt in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement before games as sports have returned from pandemic stoppages, expect NBA players to follow suit." Silver said, "I don't disagree with this notion that people come together in a unified way to stand for the national anthem. I also recognize there are appropriate times for protest. And I also understand that when that line-drawing comes into play, invariably you're going to upset some faction out there. And at the end of the day, we just sort of have to be true to ourselves, and the values that [underlie] this league. And try to make values-based decisions rather than political ones" (TIME.com, 6/30).
