The 'Shut Up And Dribble' Column

I don't know about you but I'd rather watch sports without politics being added on. In recent times, this has become difficult if not impossible. Witness the latest iteration of the sports protest:

I’m getting “shut up and dribble” emails these days.

I'm not exactly sure why Shank should be getting these kind of e-mails; maybe better to send them to the players not shutting up and not dribbling? Again, with these e-mails to Shank (I'll say it - if they exist) - you're sending them to the wrong guy. But whatever:

This is what happens when professional sports figures speak up and act regarding issues of social justice and racial inequality:

“My wife and I decided to watch a Sox game on a Saturday night. We waited until 7:10 to start viewing to avoid any political action. We feel sports should be an escape and fun. Sports is for sports. I do not care what their religious, political, or ethnicity is. Bringing signs into the ball park is wrong. Do whatever they want outside, not inside. I do not need to sit for hours watching millionaire athletes protesting. I will try the NFL on opening day but starting at 1:10 p.m.”

My general reaction - 'fine, I'll do or watch something else'. At this point I don't freak out about it or complain too much anymore; I just change the channel.

The Celtics and Toronto Raptors are scheduled to begin their conference semifinal Thursday night in the Orlando bubble, but players from both teams spent part of Tuesday and Wednesday discussing a boycott of Game 1 to bring attention to the shooting of Jacob Blake by a police officer and subsequent protests and violence in the streets of Kenosha, Wis.

That's all that Shank writes about the latest police incident involving white cops and a black man. This is wise, as additional information and details are coming out about the incident, with that last link (best I can find right now whilst doing a post) coming out an hour or two after Shank's column. These additional facts and details may or may not change one's opinion about the matter.

Celtics stars Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart have been out front on racial inequality issues throughout America’s long hot summer. It’s in the best tradition of the Boston Celtics.

“Shut up and dribble” folks likely will never accept any spillover of real-life issues into professional sports, but let me remind fans of the Celtics that issues of race and equality have walked hand-in-hand with the franchise since Red Auerbach came to Causeway Street in 1950.

Red was the first NBA executive to draft a Black player, Duquesne forward Chuck Cooper in 1950. Six years later, Auerbach exploited racism in the St. Louis Hawks front office, trading two white players for the Hawks’ No. 1 draft pick. Red used the pick on Bill Russell. He knew St. Louis had no interest in building its franchise around a Black center.

Shank goes on with some sad but interesting tidbits about previous Celtics teams joining in on boycotts, and it's worth a read.

I'd like to make the following point / distinction: What Shank talks about are things that directly affect the players and the team, and what current and other NBA players are now boycotting based on what happened to someone they don't know based entirely on the fact that white cops and a black man were involved. They will argue 'systemic racism' and 'police brutality' (or how Shank generically says 'social justice' and 'racial inequality'), but considering what is known so far, I find those
accusations spurious at best. Should the cops simply let knife-wielding men roam around menacing other people in order to avoid being labeled racists and thugs? Sad to see that being a question at all.