It's been 158 days since 3 Louisville police officers murdered Breonna Taylor in her own home.
1 of them has been fired, none of them has been brought to justice.
Justice is neither fair nor equal.
We now live in an era where it takes a series of ultimatums to get anywhere on this social responsibility front.
Taking a stance as an individual isn't difficult compared to taking a stance as an organization. The NBA has laid some groundwork for what speaking up can look like, but it's just not digging deep enough. In a position of serious amounts of corporate power, the stances on justice need to be so cut and dry that it's impossible to misrepresent yourself.
So why are we seeing so many professional leagues half-ass their statements on racial justice? When there's really no debate on what side of the fence you should be on.
Corporations are fragile, big business is fragile. Losing money and having the economy suffer turns giants into infants, begging for their bottle.
The NBA had an opportunity to really lead the way, provide several ultimatums for the United States, in a way that no one would have difficulty understanding their position on racial equality. Don't get me wrong, they set a great precedent.
Unfortunately, Individual athletes have been provided a platform to explain their social choices. Micheal Porter Jr. and Jonathon Isaac brought religion into the frame when asked about their choice to stand during the National Anthem. They are present in linking arms with their teammates taking a knee, what's the purpose of asking them why they're standing?
Why are we witch-hunting 2 athletes, when we could be pumping our corporate stance on "Black Lives Matter" instead?
Imagine asking a black man if they think black lives matter.
There's no room for the NBA media to open a door for controversial opinions to be aired, despite whether they end up being harmless or hateful. Your broadcast should be wary enough to take a stance of their own, the need for these types of interviews is minimal at best. Showcase your stance through your athletes in a positive way.
The WNBA has lead this charge by a country mile, but the public eye isn't drawn to it.
You can only make your fellow professional leagues look stupid with publicity, which the WNBA is always going to be fighting an unfortunate uphill battle with.
Despite this, the WNBA is a corporation, and selling out for viewership is an easy option in our worlds current state of affairs.
Even if you're not "selling out", think about how many TV shows and alternate programming is dependent on keeping MAGA mouth-breathers tuned into their show.
This has to be a reason why we see so many large corporate entities stand directly on top of the fence, their own personal economy relies heavily on ALL LIVES MATTERING.
We will always struggle with progression as a human race if we're held back by our corporate leaders. It takes astronomical strength in numbers to make a change with this much gravity, despite the idea being so simple.
So where should we look for inspiration? Well the WNBA does a damn good job.
In the players first days in their bubble, games were started with every single athlete and staff member leaving the court during the national anthem.
Like, kneel on that shit Roger Goodell, taste the stars and stripes on the back of my head while I walk out of frame, hoe.
The Atlanta Dream was made aware that their owner, Kelly Loeffler, had sent a letter to the WNBA head offices disparaging the social justice movement they were planning to put on.
The entire Atlanta Dream roster wears shirts supporting Raphael Warnock their next game, a democrat and political rival of Loeffler. Kelly Loeffler happens to be the elected republican senator in this Atlanta area.
Cut and dry, hard to misinterpret that stance.
Imagine going after your teams owner playing for the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL, it simply would get shoved under the rug. Look how hard Colin Kaepernick has been fighting for even a crumb of social change in the NFL and what it stands for. The NFL will not back their own talent at the risk of public image and economic impact, talent which they make all of their money off of.
That's weaker than Dak Prescott's throwing shoulder. (Incredible talent, awful AC joint.)
Maya Moore is an athlete that we should actually throw a parade for, but she plays a WoMeN's SpOrT, so the population ignores her activism and accomplishments.
Maya recently stepped away from the WNBA at the height of her career to help a wrongly accused man get out of jail. Jeremy Irons had his wrongful robbery conviction from 1998 overturned due to Moore and her legal team stepping up to help.
A moment of pure selflessness and sensibility that doubles as an ugly reminder of the judicial systems consistent failures in the States.
This passage from USA Today's For The Win column on Moore and Irons really hits home:
"For two years, Moore has advocated for Irons and contributed to his legal fees, helping the team fighting for his release. The case, she told the New York Times, gave her a new sense of purpose and direction. Moore, who won the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award and a Finals MVP and League MVP honor, put aside her ambition because she felt compelled to do something greater. She showed that a commitment towards social justice requires more than a few Instagram posts and 250 characters on Twitter."
Your stance and actions either support a cooperative change, or a selfish regime.
Even on a corporate level, it takes a couple people's selfish decisions to trickle down through the organizational culture.
What are you willing to sacrifice as a business to see the social change the world deserves?
Here's the sacrifice demographic for your asses:
WNBA : Literally everything
NBA : Most of the things, but nothing that moves the needle.
NHL : Matthew Dumba has said some things right? Wait, Robin Lehner wore a MAGA goalie mask in 2016? We have no opinions one way or another.
NFL : If you come of the tunnel wearing a BLM shirt, Jerry Jones will shoot you with a potato cannon.
MLB : I'm sorry, but every single player on the Miami Marlins just tested positive for COVID-19, were a little busy here.
This isn't an attack on any specific player, it's an attack on corporations.
Women are an oppressed group individuals, the understanding from their end probably isn't difficult. The WNBA has scraped and clawed to provide some six-figure contracts for their athletes finally, despite the constant revolt from a major portion of the public.
They're willing to fight for change because they've experienced what it's like to be up against the entire world, screaming for notoriety and equality while some white noise louder than Alex Jones himself drowns them out.
Presenting an Ultimatum comes natural to the WNBA, when you fight for respect every single day of your life, probably seems like cake.
Leadership, is what it is.
Real leadership, something the dry and cracked lips of America need to sip on.
You can show your privilege, or you can show your leadership.
We will continually suffer under a corporate world scared of leadership and change, because money and fortune makes the most fragile human beings.
Which is exactly why the WNBA is made out of straight fucking stainless steel, a diamond fortress if you will, Dwight Howard's shoulders in 2010 levels of strength.
No, wait. Elena Della Donne's 3 level scoring strength.
We won't see change, until our leaders make a change.
"Oh Marcus is just asking us to support the WNBA again."
I'm asking you if you believe in social change, I'm not asking you to be fan. Politics will always be present in sports, as much as the potato roll posse in office want you to believe that's not true. If your platform is large, your stance must reflect that. The professional leagues in the States are constantly playing softball, when there's a crisis that NO ONE should be buckling their knees about.
Your brain shouldn't be operating on newsprint ideologies, Your stance is the only thing that needs to be unmistakably "black & white".
All hail the WNBA bitches.
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