( ( ( ( ( nba bubble ball 2020 ) ) ) ) )

i’m not sure what to make of all this. i find the roundabout discussion and leaking to the press about what the players are considering they might do to be a bit bizarre. the speculation is natural/unavoidable to some degree but if they feel like they want to protest the game they should just protest the game. they have all the power right now.

wonder if all this corporate approved activism isnt just exacerbating the players dissatisfaction

for instance i have no idea why the players just accepted the NBA having extremely strict limits on what could be worn on the backs of jerseys. dame lillard wasn’t allowed to wear oscar grant’s name... the policy is crazy restrictive. maybe there were behind the scenes negotiations but if the NBA approving their activism was a problem for the players they could have agitated far more than anyone did on one of the key components of bubble activism

yeah sure they agreed and now theyre seeing how toothless it is

the difference between WNBA players and NBA players is really striking on this matter and WNBA players are far more vulnerable/less powerful than NBA players

They didn’t want Meyers Leonard to put the 14 words on there

dark lol

i mean these guys are rich athletes theyre not expert activists they prob for the most part came into this with unexamined middle of the road dem politics, and they have a stake in the league flourishing financially

yeah sure they agreed and now theyre seeing how toothless it is

a lot of people due to our current circumstances are starting to see things differently

i mean, lebron is brokering with teams across sports to use stadiums as polling places and is putting millions of dollars into recruiting poll workers in primarily black districts yesterday. his activism is actually quite advanced and important right now. but when it comes to like actually drawing a line in the sand with the league... i don’t see that. which is the prerogative of the most powerful players but also kind of odd to me given how much power they must know they have.

bron has done a lot but getting out the vote is as mainline dem as it gets, and obvs most players havent done as much if anything, theyve considered themselves partners with the league in making money, and now due to an extended nationwide uprising some of the seams of that deal are starting to show, and some of the players are getting radicalized by it

the question is if there is sufficient will among the players to push the league further what is it that they should want, freds idea that the owners should step up and use their actual power to change things instead of making sappy commercials i think is insightful as to the dynamics of the situation

well, they all accepted the bubble’s corporatized activism in a time post-radicalization. not going to the bubble was never going to be realistic for the players bcuz of their own financial concerns, but they could have used their leverage to change what the bubble
has looked like, if they find it inadequate now. there is a newfound reason to protest now and that is going to light the fire anew so again i think some of the discussion among them is completely natural, but i also think if they want to sit out the game they should just do it and not have this weird circular discussion happening in the press.

i think the discussion could be just that people are asking and the players are talking, it could also be an attempt at seeing where other players are at/trying to move them in that direction, it could also be a threat

i mean, they also agreed to not kneel during the anthem. no NBA player has ever kneeled. this is the relationship the most powerful guys in the NBA have agreed to foster with the league. it should not be new.
― J0rdan S., Wednesday, August 26, 2020 12:58 PM (nineteen minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

fwiw the whole league (including the refs lol) kneeled during the anthem in the bubble, which is kinda interesting as a lagging indicator

https://i.imgur.com/NfN2vA6.jpg

check out the one guy at the scorers table giving a namaste

seems like theyre being asked about it so much so some players are just throwing out the idea to see if they can get some of the bigger players to bite. if lebron agrees and calls for it then its gonna happen.

bron has done a lot but getting out the vote is as mainline dem as it gets, and obvs most players havent done as much if anything, theyve considered themselves partners with the league in making money, and now due to an extended nationwide uprising some of the seams of that deal are starting to show, and some of the players are getting radicalized by it

― lag∞n, Wednesday, August 26, 2020 12:08 PM (thirty-one minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

I think characterizing it as "getting out the vote" makes it sound like Vote or Die or some marketing campaign, he's using his money and influence to try to combat a large-scale voter suppression campaign.

thats the industry term d'art for what hes doing

Vote.

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) May 14, 2020

https://i.imgur.com/2BuUPS7.png

imo this whole nba blm marketing campaign has been a huge misfire, feel like it wouldve been better if the league and players just admitted that the nba is an entertainment business, and then agreed that they were going to all play basketball and the players were free to express themselves politically how ever they liked, instead they blew smoke up the players asses telling them theyre leaders and their celebrity can change the world and came up with this glib corporate bullshit

Grant Williams said basketball is supposed to be a sanctuary for players.

“But we’re over here, guys are crying, guys are hurting right now because of what’s going on. ... It’s something that is very trying to the mind. ... There has to be something we can do.”

— Jay King (@ByJayKing) August 26, 2020

Celtics forward Jayson Tatum said a couple of players have considered going home. Tatum says they are “trying to figure out today” what to do in terms of Game 1 against Toronto.

— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) August 26, 2020

Celtics forward Jayson Tatum said “it’s a tough decision” to decide to go home. Tatum says he feels isolated and says “being a black man in America is more important” than basketball.

— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) August 26, 2020

i imagine a significant plurality of boston fans would turn on them viciously

jfc can you not

Bucks haven’t taken the court yet. Tip-off supposed to be now

Magic just left the court

Milwaukee and NBA personnel are standing outside of Bucks‘ locker room -- where players have been adamant about sitting Game 5 in protest, sources tell me and @joevardon. https://t.co/3IxSnRnldr

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 26, 2020

nothing yet through official channels or major papers; if they're sitting this out, they haven't had time to properly organize a statement.

I think this is historically unprecedented? Has there ever been a scheduled game in american professional sports that was bilaterally cancelled by the players? Has there ever been a scheduled game in american professional sports that has been canceled due to political reasons short of war?

Rockets-OKC players are planning to boycott Game 5 of their series, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 26, 2020

This day is nuts

Bucks players are in locker room attempting to reach the attorney general of Wisconsin, Josh Kaul, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. Magic players are leaving the arena soon -- not accepting the Bucks‘ forfeit.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 26, 2020

All games to be possibly canceled

excited for the inevitable terrible darren rovell tweet

such a tremendously weird once-in-a-lifetime situation in that this appears to be happening organically and apart from the agents, managers, union reps, businessmen and political leaders that would help either block or mold the terms of a structured boycott.

the immediate issue for silver is going to be what concessions or actions, if anything, the players are asking for to return to business as usual. I don't entirely get the sense if the players have an answer there or if the Bucks players are intending to use this moment as leverage to call for the prosecution of the cops who shot jacob blake.

I think a lot depends on if Lebron chooses to sit out tonight and/or if he's vocal about his reasoning.

The Lakers have a team meeting soon to discuss the possbility of boycotting Game 5 tonight against Portland, sources tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 26, 2020

I think that’s a wrap for hoops today

one has to assume bron is gonna take a big lead on this afa being a voice for the players

BREAKING:
CNN has learned that all of tonight’s NBA games have been postponed.

— Coy Wire (@CoyWire) August 26, 2020

Fuckin' A! I don't know what will come of it but glad to see players taking a stronger stand. Good luck to the bucks in their attempts to put pressure on the AG.

The NBA collective bargaining agreement bans strikes, which means the Bucks are breaking their own contract to stop playing in protest of police violence. (But this is your reminder that there aren't really illegal strikes, just unsuccessful ones.) https://t.co/c2g07wXspx pic.twitter.com/4MmNSb8bJX

— Matt Pearce 🦅 (@mattdpearce) August 26, 2020

players shd call for a national general strike someone tell them if you know them

I'm gonna make a wild prediction that Lebron will not play tonight

Question is no longer if players are prepared to boycott one game — that’s happened. It’s how many they will. There have been discussions amongst several teams, notably Toronto, about going home.

— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) August 26, 2020

I think this is historically unprecedented? Has there ever been a scheduled game in american professional sports that was bilaterally cancelled by the players? Has there ever been a scheduled game in american professional sports that has been canceled due to political reasons short of war?

― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Wednesday, August 26, 2020 4:43 PM (twenty-three minutes ago)

the warriors and clippers were going to protest a playoff game after the sterling tapes leaked but the league forced him out before it came to that. this case is unique bcuz the issue transcends the league entirely

Brewers players are meeting in 10 minutes to discuss the status of their game against the Reds tonight.

— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) August 26, 2020