By James B. Ewers Jr. Ed.D.
The National Basketball Association is a billion-dollar organization. “Oh, how it grows and grows and where it’s gonna stop I’m sure, nobody knows.” Remember The Temptations song, entitled, It’s Growing?
The NBA in my opinion is an iconic brand. It has changed with the times and is creating new platforms of success each year. They have successfully managed new innovations and creations to gain their continued popularity.
There are thirty NBA teams. Fans come to see the established stars, the new stars and the future stars. Quite honestly, even if you are sitting on the bench, you are a millionaire.
The marketing genius of the NBA is stellar. Every team has its share of special days and nights with T-shirts, caps and cups being given away. If you can catch a T-shirt or leave with a towel draped over your seat, you will count the game as a success, especially if your team wins.
Each franchise can sponsor special events and promotions that will oftentimes highlight community organizations. They have always turned out to be grand occasions.
If you have attended an NBA game, you know the thrills and excitement that the games bring. If you haven’t, put it on your bucket list.
Recently, the Atlanta Hawks were going to sponsor a Magic City Night. It is a club in the ATL that has been in business for many years. Succinctly put, it is a hot spot for adult entertainment. I had not heard of Magic City, but what do I know? I am in the 4th quarter of my life so there are some things that just slip by me.
My friend, Gary and I were talking recently about all things NBA. He asked me had I heard about what the Atlanta Hawks were trying to do with Magic City? I looked clueless.
Gary is an African American businessman, so he began to give me the update. His response was not business-centered but was Black women-centered. It was boundary-driven and he believed the Hawks had overstepped.
He said, “Black women must not and should not be disrespected. It is never ok for them to be played in the public.” I agreed with his heartfelt comments and he wasn’t finished.
He added, “We are living in times where we must uphold and uplift our sisters. Black women have come too far and accomplished too much. Having the Atlanta Hawks sponsor this night would be wrong and inappropriate. This event must simply not happen”.
Well, I think my friend, Gary’s comments must have reached NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and players, too.
Commissioner Silver said in a prepared statement, “While we appreciate the team’s perspective and their desire to move forward, we have heard significant concerns from a broad array of league stakeholders, including fans, partners and employees.”
Some of these stakeholders that he mentions are women who have daughters, nieces and sisters. Some of these stakeholders are men who have wives and daughters.
Luke Kornet, a player with the San Antonio Spurs said, “Allowing the event would make the NBA complicit in the potential objectification and mistreatment of women.”
However, there are those who feel different. Jami Gertz, part owner of the Atlanta Hawks said in a press release, “This collaboration and theme night is very meaningful to me after all the work we did to put together Magic City: An American Fantasy. The iconic Atlanta institution has made an incredible impact on our city and its unique culture.”
I don’t think people are discounting the work that went into the planning of it. The concern the NBA has is how it portrays women.
The NBA will go on, and the Atlanta Hawks will too, just without the Magic City Night.
This column is dedicated to Black women who paved the way and to Black women who are leading the way.
Dr. James B. Ewers, Jr. Ed.D. is a long-time educator who hails from Winston Salem, N.C. Ewers is a life member of the NAACP and a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. He is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists.
