Mark Naison: Race, Presidential Politics, and the US Men's Olympic Basketball Team
[Mark Naison is Professor of African American Studies and History, Fordham University.]
The other day, I was eating dinner with a friend of mine, one of New York;s top criminal defense attorneys, when he shared a story about the racial attitudes of some of the people he does business with. " Several attorneys I know, highly educated people, were absolutely shocked when I told them I planned to vote for Barack Obama," my friend told me. "They told me they couldn't believe I was voting for a Black guy for President."
These comments, which speak for a significant portion of the white electorate, show how racial categories still have a life of their own independent of the attributes of the people those categories are being applied to. In the minds of the men (and they were all men) who spoke to my friend, Barack Obama's "Blackness" trumped everything else about him, from his academic background and political experience to his family values and the position he took on the issues of the day. They were not even willing to discuss any of those questions. That Obama was "Black" was reason enough not to vote for him
The existence of such pure, unexamined racism is the wild card in this election year. Many Americans harbor racial stereotypes; some of them passed on from generation to generation, some of them reinforced by popular culture and mass media. But what happens when a Black peoples character and behavior clearly contradict those stereotypes? Are white Americans willing to modify their prejudices in the face of such evidence, or are they threatened
that their racialized strategies for sorting people out don;t work anymore?
This is the dilemma white Americans confront in the increasingly globalized, racially hybrid world we live in. More and more, whites are going to find,out that someone "Black" ( however you define it) is someone they would admire respect, and love if race were not in the equation. In those situations, will whites be able to "get beyond" race or is their investmenet in white superiority so powerful that it will totally inhibit identification based on common values and
accomplishments?
Barack Obama candidacy raises that issue. But so does the play of the US Men's Olympic Basketball team. Here is an all Black team that plays basketball in a way that would thrill the most demanding "old school" purist and has conducted itself with a dignity on and off the courty that embody the Olympic spirit. Unlike the 2004 Olympic team, which couldn't hit an outside shot, never set a pick, and played no defense at all, this team plays the most ferocious team defense I have ever seen, at the college or professional level, and prides itself on brilliant passing that gets teammates dunks, layups and open three point shots. Every player on the team plays hard on both ends of the floor, looks to pass before they shoot, and roots for their teammates enthusiastically when sitting on the bench. If you have a child and want to show them how basketball ! should be played, you could have no better example than this year's Men's Olympic team. Not only are they beating every team they play- including teams the US lost to in the 2004 Olympics- by over 40 points, they are doing so without showboating, trash talking or insulting their opponents. This unselfish, team oriented behavior not only characterizes the veterans and role players on the team(players like Jason Kidd, whose goal was to go through the Olympics without taking a single shot) it has been embodied by the young superstars on the team like Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, and Carmelo Anthony who have played better defense than they ever did in the NBA and have taken more pride in their rebounding and passing than their scoring. But the players who have brought me the most joy have been Kobe Bryant, whose defensive intensity and hard work in the weight room and in practice have set a standard for the entire squad, and the two young point guards, Chris Paul and De ron Williams who have played with a grace and efficiency reminiscent of Bob Cousy, Lenny Wilkens, Tiny Archibald, Magic Johnson and John Stockton,basketball legends who perfected the point guard tradition.
And the team has been equallly impressive off the court. Lebron James and Kobe Bryant have been in the stands rooting for American swimmers, gymnasts and beach volleyball players and have gone out of their way to be gracious to their Chinese hosts.
No one who knows the individuals selected for this team would be surpised by their exemplary behavior, but it totally deconstructs the stereotype of the young, "thugged out" Black athlete which has been so effectively marketed by advertisers and glorified in commercial hip hop
But can white Americans root for this amazing team with the same joy and enthusiasm that they reserve for swimmer Michael Phelps or gymnast Shawn Johnson.? Or is Blackness alone, Blackness in the abstract, Blackness divorced from performance or character or comportment, too great an obstacle for them to overcome in making an identification with people whom embody some of our society's most cherished values
The answer to that question will tell us a great deal about our country during the year 2008
The other day, I was eating dinner with a friend of mine, one of New York;s top criminal defense attorneys, when he shared a story about the racial attitudes of some of the people he does business with. " Several attorneys I know, highly educated people, were absolutely shocked when I told them I planned to vote for Barack Obama," my friend told me. "They told me they couldn't believe I was voting for a Black guy for President."
These comments, which speak for a significant portion of the white electorate, show how racial categories still have a life of their own independent of the attributes of the people those categories are being applied to. In the minds of the men (and they were all men) who spoke to my friend, Barack Obama's "Blackness" trumped everything else about him, from his academic background and political experience to his family values and the position he took on the issues of the day. They were not even willing to discuss any of those questions. That Obama was "Black" was reason enough not to vote for him
The existence of such pure, unexamined racism is the wild card in this election year. Many Americans harbor racial stereotypes; some of them passed on from generation to generation, some of them reinforced by popular culture and mass media. But what happens when a Black peoples character and behavior clearly contradict those stereotypes? Are white Americans willing to modify their prejudices in the face of such evidence, or are they threatened
that their racialized strategies for sorting people out don;t work anymore?
This is the dilemma white Americans confront in the increasingly globalized, racially hybrid world we live in. More and more, whites are going to find,out that someone "Black" ( however you define it) is someone they would admire respect, and love if race were not in the equation. In those situations, will whites be able to "get beyond" race or is their investmenet in white superiority so powerful that it will totally inhibit identification based on common values and
accomplishments?
Barack Obama candidacy raises that issue. But so does the play of the US Men's Olympic Basketball team. Here is an all Black team that plays basketball in a way that would thrill the most demanding "old school" purist and has conducted itself with a dignity on and off the courty that embody the Olympic spirit. Unlike the 2004 Olympic team, which couldn't hit an outside shot, never set a pick, and played no defense at all, this team plays the most ferocious team defense I have ever seen, at the college or professional level, and prides itself on brilliant passing that gets teammates dunks, layups and open three point shots. Every player on the team plays hard on both ends of the floor, looks to pass before they shoot, and roots for their teammates enthusiastically when sitting on the bench. If you have a child and want to show them how basketball ! should be played, you could have no better example than this year's Men's Olympic team. Not only are they beating every team they play- including teams the US lost to in the 2004 Olympics- by over 40 points, they are doing so without showboating, trash talking or insulting their opponents. This unselfish, team oriented behavior not only characterizes the veterans and role players on the team(players like Jason Kidd, whose goal was to go through the Olympics without taking a single shot) it has been embodied by the young superstars on the team like Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, and Carmelo Anthony who have played better defense than they ever did in the NBA and have taken more pride in their rebounding and passing than their scoring. But the players who have brought me the most joy have been Kobe Bryant, whose defensive intensity and hard work in the weight room and in practice have set a standard for the entire squad, and the two young point guards, Chris Paul and De ron Williams who have played with a grace and efficiency reminiscent of Bob Cousy, Lenny Wilkens, Tiny Archibald, Magic Johnson and John Stockton,basketball legends who perfected the point guard tradition.
And the team has been equallly impressive off the court. Lebron James and Kobe Bryant have been in the stands rooting for American swimmers, gymnasts and beach volleyball players and have gone out of their way to be gracious to their Chinese hosts.
No one who knows the individuals selected for this team would be surpised by their exemplary behavior, but it totally deconstructs the stereotype of the young, "thugged out" Black athlete which has been so effectively marketed by advertisers and glorified in commercial hip hop
But can white Americans root for this amazing team with the same joy and enthusiasm that they reserve for swimmer Michael Phelps or gymnast Shawn Johnson.? Or is Blackness alone, Blackness in the abstract, Blackness divorced from performance or character or comportment, too great an obstacle for them to overcome in making an identification with people whom embody some of our society's most cherished values
The answer to that question will tell us a great deal about our country during the year 2008