Will Professional Sports Distract Us from Fighting for Justice?
Los Angeles Lakers Dwight Howard
Image © 2020 Miss Ari Photography
It’s no mystery, the NBA is poised to resume the 2019-2020 season in late July. For most of us the absence of sports has been miserable, especially when seeking an outlet from the ever-so-upsetting news about the current state of our country. But would it truly be to our benefit for professional sports to distract us from a reality that needs our attention?
Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard thinks there should be no basketball until things are resolved.
In an interview with CNN’s Don Lemon Monday night, Howard explained how grateful he is to once again be part of the Lakers franchise and he expressed how much he wants to win a championship. The Lakers currently have a Western Conference best (49-14) record.
“I’ve seen so much pain from our people and I feel like our people need attention,” Howard explained. “We don’t need anything to distract us from what is going on.”
Although Howard would not definitively say that he will sit out the remaining games when the season restarts, he was adamant that basketball is a form of entertainment and runs the risk of distracting us from the common goal of combatting social injustice and racism.
“We have power - all of us,” Howard told Lemon. “This is the one moment in time that all of us are hurting and we all need to come together.”
Howard’s teammate LeBron James has been vocal about a different agenda. He wants to play and thinks that the season should return. Other NBA players have even joked that what LeBron wants is what will happen.
Professional athletes have great influence in our society, whether they care to acknowledge it or whether they use such influence responsibly. Often times these same professional athletes indirectly express resentment about being regarded as “puppets” by team owners. What a time this would be to stand firm on the principle of justice and refuse to play!
Over the last five seasons, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed being a credentialed NBA photographer. There are few things I enjoy more than photographing basketball. But this moment is bigger than the game. The fight is greater than entertainment. I don’t want the efforts of protestors taking to the streets around the country to be in vain. We may never get this opportunity to ruffle feathers and inevitably change systematic practices in this country again.
Imagine the powerful impact of wealthy athletes refusing to “play” a game for a much greater cause. They won’t go broke if this season isn’t completed.
There is no denying the fact that American culture thrives on entertainment, but perhaps it’s time we forego more of our pleasures to ensure a more just and fair America in the future.
