Monday 31 August 2020
NBA - If it looks like a strike, why not call it a strike?
The language being used about the recent NBA players' work stoppage [aka strike] tells us something about the state of professional sports in 2020. The most common term used in the m,ainstream media is a "boycott". But is that really what we should be calling it?
Players are taking a worthy and important stand against the continuing outrage of racism in professional sports where black and other racialized players punch above their demographic weight. Finally we hope the nonsense of a sports/politics separation will be laid to rest. Sports is as political as everything else in our lives, invluding economics. One suggestion when engaging in a work stoppage - don't use the gentle word boycott. Call it what it is: a strike. Another word of advice, If you're in a strike situation you don't tell the boss when you will end it. Set some goals to be achieved before you return to work. In this case with multi-millionaire players it's not about wages/. When it comes to racism in sport there are lots of targets to choose from, including racist owners who make money from people of backgrounds they demonize in private. Expose them.
