WHITE MEN CAN JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS
Recently, ESPN’s Outside the Lines did another one of those features where everyone puts on his “concerned” face and talks very gravely about “serious” things. Like, for instance, why there aren’t more white players in the NBA.
Apparently the league is currently 71.8 per cent African-American, 18.3 per cent international and 9.9 per cent white American. Outside the Lines seems to think the lack of white American basketball players is a matter of profound concern for the NBA, which is a league run by white Americans, coached by white Americans and marketed to white Americans.
Wait right there. You mean, Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, Manu Ginobili, Darko Milicic, Peja Stojacavic, Eduardo Najara, Danilo Gallinari, Primoz Brezec, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Marco Bellinelli, Jose Calderon, and Rasho Nesterovic don’t count as White because they weren’t born in America?
To underscore the “whiteout” of the NBA, they chose to follow the trials and tribulations of Kyle McAlarney, a former standout point guard from Notre Dame whose dream is to play in the NBA. According to McAlarney, his race is keeping him out of the league.
Watch a short clip of Kyle’s story HERE
Nevermind that he stands only 5’11 or that he was invited to play summer league with the Los Angeles Clippers by Mike Dunleavy, a former white NBA player who is the team’s general manager and coach. Currently, McAlarney plays in the NBA’s D-League, scoring 9.3 points per game. Not once is his arrest for marijuana possession as a sophomore mentioned. Yet, he is the poster child for the white American quest to play in the NBA. Dunleavy- whose 6’9 son, Mike Dunleavy, Jr. currently plays for the Indiana Pacers – didn’t pass on McAlarney because he’s white. He passed on him because he’s not good enough to play in the NBA.
My question to PR people and sports enthusiasts is : does the NBA need white players so badly that it is to ignore standards and let them in even when they are clearly not qualified? and does the NBA need a new image, one with a balanced mix of white and minority players?
January 19, 2010 at 3:19 pm
This is absolutely ridiculous. I think the NBA has bigger problems to worry about, such as unruly players (ex: Gilbert Arenas), no matter what race they are. Outside The Lines is clearly outside the line.
January 21, 2010 at 3:16 pm
I think people need to let athleticism and talent speak for itself rather than race and ethnicity. Like you said, McAlarney isn’t in the league for reasons associated with his skill level and how he matches up to current players in the league, not because of his race. There was a time when the NBA didn’t feature as many African American players and now that dynamic is shifting. The game is faster and tougher than it was 40 years ago, and that is a testament to it. I don’t think it has anything to do with the NBA as much as itdoes with OTL searching for a story.