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August 21, 2004

Rooting against the US basketball team?

I'm part Lithuanian, so I have to admit that if someone was going to beat the US Team, I'd rather it be the Lithuanians, or on my grandmother's side, the Croatians. Not the Serbia and Montenegro team, but that's a long bloody story.

What suprises me is how I keep hearing so many people rooting AGAINST the US team, right here in the US - no matter their opponent! The reasons I keep hearing don't make me feel better about it, either. First of all, the only people I've heard making all this criticism are whites. Second, their main complaint is some version of: The US players are spoiled, overpaid, arrogant, disrespectful, and selfish. What's left unsaid is what everyone knows. The players are also all young black males, and if they weren't it is very unlikely everyone would be calling them spoiled, overpaid, arrogant, disrespectful, and selfish. Maybe overpaid - which is a universal complaint about professional athletes - but the rest smells like it has more to do with subconscious racism than pro sports.

When was the last time you heard people complain about NASCAR drivers, even while they spin their tires after a win, and are notorious for their egos. Movie stars can get twenty million dollars a feature, but people don't hate them because of it. They can't get enough of them. On TV, magazines, and more. There is just something about rich, young black males that bothers white folks. Unlike the other athletes, everyone wants THEM humbled and taught a lesson:

BY SCOTT KATHAN

As a huge basketball fan, I’m very excited to watch as much Olympic hoops as possible over the next few weeks. And I’m rooting against the United States men’s team....

I want to see these guys lose because I want to see them humbled. I want them to acknowledge that their $50 million contracts don’t mean a thing when they’re going up against hungry, hustling, team-first players from tiny countries like Puerto Rico. I want US players like James, Anthony, Amare Stoudemire, Shawn Marion, and Wade to see how important fundamentals and solid shooting are to winning basketball games. I want them to see how plays that wouldn’t get applause on the playground are often the ones that actually win games. I want them to learn that big contracts, endorsements, a girlfriend in every city, and a selfish style of play don’t translate into wins, either in the NBA or in Olympic competition.

Plus, are these the guys we really want representing our country? The young players are too young for anyone really to know what they’re made of, both on and off the court. How many high schools did Lamar Odom go to, how long did he stay in college, and how many times has he been nailed by the NBA for failing drug tests? Does Stephon Marbury come to mind as a someone you’re proud to call a compatriot? Are these the guys who truly represent what USA basketball is all about? Well, yes and no; they do represent what the NBA is all about (and, to be fair, the system plays a role in exploiting these athletes, often from a ridiculously early age — is it their fault that many of them become millionaires as teenagers?). But the American women’s Olympic team is a marvelous collection of fantastic athletes who truly understand the team nature of the game. They play a brand of unselfish, scrappy, team-oriented ball that makes painfully clear just how far our men’s game has fallen. Players like Olympic veterans Dawn Staley and Sheryl Swoopes, and young pups like Sue Bird, Tamika Catchings, and Diana Taurasi are just as talented and accomplished as their male counterparts, but they understand that if they are going to be successful in this competition, their personal accomplishments must take a back seat to the needs of the team. They hustle, they make the extra pass, they hit the open shot, they push the ball up the floor, they set tough picks and screens, and they move their feet on defense. No team will try harder or execute better than the American women. The same cannot be said for the men.

When I say that I’m rooting against the American men, I’m not being entirely honest. I would love to see them take a page from their female counterparts’ book, put their egos aside, play like a team, and win the gold. But I don’t see that happening. It’s beginning to look like the fellas are going to have to fight to get any medal — and I’m definitely not rooting for them if they continue to play the way they have been. The American women, who play a pure and unselfish brand of basketball and are a joy to watch, are favored to win gold. Makes me think that maybe women are smarter — at least when it comes to basketball.

Or at least when it comes to young African American basketball players, right? I guess Scott is what you might call a player hater. Literally. He's right, that it takes teamwork to win, but in my view any lack of teamwork is due to the short schedule the US has had to practice together as a team, not because of the players' obnoxious attitude. Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but if it looks like subconscious racism and smells like subconscious racism, well, you get my drift.

Posted by Mike at August 21, 2004 06:58 PM

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