‘There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.’

Benjamin Disraeli

To beg is to ‘Ask for (something) earnestly or humbly’, as defined in the Oxford Dictionary.

The social unrest in America, following the murder of George Floyd, highlighted the fact that the African American community have not yet received the social justice they have asked for on many an occasion. At its simplest, the protests are a manifestation of the anger within that community at not being granted what they have asked for. As former basketball player and social commentator Kareem Abdul-Jabbar stated, ‘Hope that America was finally committed to racial equity,’ was badly damaged and therefore the there was a need to ask for that commitment to be honoured. To beg. This earnest request manifested in protests throughout the country, producing spectacular images of intrepidity, acknowledgement from certain quarters of officialdom and a re-emergence of hope that what was asked for would again be forthcoming. George Floyd was murdered on 25th May, by the 23rd August when another black man, Jacob Blake, was shot callously by a police officer it was again clear that after asking earnestly for almost three months the request for ‘racial equity’ had not yet been granted. And so, what else, but to return to asking for this elusive racial equity

[image error]‘Hope in the black community took a big hit this week. The small sun set quickly. The dying ember had been extinguished’, Abdul-Jabbar said after the shooting. Abdul-Jabbar is important, as this article shall focus upon the next act of the never-ending play of Beg, Hope and Denial. The former Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers player goes on to write glowingly of the decision taken by the Milwaukee Bucks to boycott game five of the NBA playoffs. For it led to NBA and WNBA teams boycotting games and other sports which soon followed suit. There were also boycotts in Major League Soccer, Major League Baseball, and tennis, raising global awareness of the injustices suffered by African Americans. We had our stage.

‘When we take the court and represent Milwaukee and Wisconsin, we are expected to play at a high level, give maximum effort and hold each other accountable. We hold ourselves to that standard, and in this moment, we are demanding the same from our lawmakers and law enforcement.’ Read the statement from the Milwaukee Bucks, ‘We are calling for justice for Jacob Blake and demand the officers be held accountable. For this to occur, it is imperative for the Wisconsin State Legislature to reconvene after months of inaction and take up meaningful measures to address issues of police accountability, brutality and criminal justice reform.’ In the heady days of social unrest, begging has been transformed into demanding. Yet, has it really?

A demand is ‘An insistent and peremptory request, made as of right.’

The Milwaukee Bucks, a franchise formed in 1968, are certainly not renowned for demanding that the Wisconsin State Legislature convene to address issues of police accountability, brutality and criminal justice reform; not insistent then. The justice sought is called for in a manner which implies a need for immediate rectification; however, the boycott was not intrinsically linked with the resumption of games by the players; not peremptory then.

Nonetheless, with twenty-four-hour news and social media such actions reverberate across the digital world, heightening expectations and embellishing deeds in the minds of populations which consume media. With such high-profile figures, within billion-dollar industries, taking a stand the possibility of tangible change seemed tantalisingly real. Never before has such a public act of defiance been perpetuated by sports figures known across the world, in the name of justice for the African-American community. Not since the 1968 Olympics, when Tommie Smith and John Carlos, rose their fists in protest had sport entered the realm of politics, so spectacularly, focussing the attention on a racial issue. ‘And just like that, the ember of hope was flickering to life again,’ Abdul-Jabbar gushed before the world in his article for The Guardian.

And just like that, Act 1,000,000, Scene 1 of the never-ending play was ready for the stage.

With the scene set, the National Basketball Association management and the players held a meeting to discuss the fate of the season. With the NBA season seemingly upon the bring of collapse, the notion that high-profile sports stars can turn the tide of history began to gain touching credence. Perhaps the brave players of the NBA would sit out the entire season; instead of ‘no peace, no justice’, could it become ‘no peace, no sport’.? With players such as Lebron James, of the LA Lakers, a ‘trailblazer and powerful spokesman for racial justice, for so many years’ the possibilities seemed limitless. The posturing reached heights unseen, forcing the audience to believe that they witness something truly meaningful. We had our star actors.

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In tennis, former world number one, Naomi Osaka, spoke from her heart and informed the world that ‘Watching the continued genocide of Black people at the hand of the police is honestly making me sick to my stomach. I’m exhausted of having a new hashtag pop up every few days and I’m extremely tired of having this same conversation over and over again. When will it ever be enough?” Surely, with the giants of the sports world unified, enough was finally enough. ‘This week American athletes demanded better. And rekindled our hope in America,’ Abdul-Jabbar stated, encapsulating the heightened feelings the enthralled audience. ‘I know people get tired of hearing me say it, but we are scared as Black people in America,’, the self-proclaimed ‘King James’ admitted, ‘Black men, Black women, Black kids, we are terrified.’ Seldom do those who are ‘terrified’ for their lives demand, they often beg those who are threatening their lives to stop.

Nonetheless, we must allow for artistic license in the theatre; the play moved on with haste, and in the intoxicating heat of the moment begging had apparently been swapped for demanding by those who postured on the world stage. Not for years had we seen a more spectacular rendition. The audience were convinced; the posturing had reached its apogee.

To posture is to ‘Behave in a way that is intended to impress or mislead.’

On the third day, we had reached the inevitable final scene. It was time for surrender.

It was reported that the race warriors in the NBA consulted, on their wartime stratagem, with former President Barack Obama, that favoured son of the farcical play. ‘When asked he was happy to provide advice on Wednesday night to a small group of NBA players seeking to leverage their immense platforms for good after their brave and inspiring strike in the wake of Jacob Blake’s shooting,’ his office reported. With Barry entering the stage, dramatically convening a council of war, we knew surrender would be both swift and abject. The first act had taken place on the 26th, it was announced on the 28th that on Saturday 29th the NBA playoffs would resume. If theatre enthusiasts were disappointed with the brevity of the show, they needed only to look to tennis to know that the NBA routine was actually a marathon performance in comparison. ‘Before I am an athlete, I am a black woman. And as a black woman I feel as though there are much more important matters at hand that need immediate attention, rather than watching me play tennis,’ said Osaka on the 27th August. After a single day, Ms Osaka returned to playing, securing a 6-2, 7-6 victory over Elise Mertens on the 28th August. ‘I honestly haven’t been able to get that much sleep yesterday, so I was glad to win today,’ Osaka stated after her victory. Who can blame her for tiredness, after such a masterful performance in that favourite old play Beg, Hope and Denial; it was some show.

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The NBA returned to the stage, terms of surrender were presented to the audience as a ‘deal that includes increased access to voting in the U.S. presidential election’. Just when you thought you had seen every rendition, a new director appears and breathes comic life into that old play. In its review of the play, Reuters reported that, ‘As part of the agreement, the NBA and its players will establish a coalition that will focus on access to voting for the Nov. 3 general election, promoting civic engagement, and advocating for meaningful police and criminal justice reform.’ Reuters, in fact, does not do justice to the final scene. For NBPA Executive Director Michele Roberts and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver released the full terms of surrender www.cbssports.com with a statement, live on stage. The players have agreed to return to play in exchange for the establishment of a ‘social justice coalition’, the conversion of stadiums into ‘voting facilities’ and adverts ‘promoting greater civic engagement in national and local elections and raising awareness around voter access and opportunity.’ The statisticians in the audience break the silence; at least the numbers of voters will rise. They are silenced by those in the crowd who wait for something, anything, they can call a victory. The grand showpiece, of the deal which halted a revolution, an ‘NBA Foundation focused on economic empowerment in the Black community.’

A collective gasp of wonderment comes from the astonished audience, upon the edge of their seats in the ancient theatre, gripped by sight of brave warriors forced to accept abject terms of surrender. The great stand has fallen, and the grand hope amounted naught. They watch, teary-eyed, as the battle-hardened warriors ride home, remembering fondly their favourite scene; the warriors are welcomed home as heroes, terms of surrender are transformed into glorious victories and the populous dance with joy. Pitiful surrender is written into the play, even with new embellishments and elevated posturing the inevitable end cannot be escaped. The audience cannot help but be engrossed by the old tale. The applause for our actors, comes to a crescendo, reaching new heights of adoration; the inevitable encore will soon arrive. Our fearless actors will soon return.

Beyoncé, another famed actor from our beloved play, embellished with spurious royalty, informed black people that ‘We have to vote like our life depends on it, because it does’, and this latest performance, it is clear that our actors are convinced that the route to ‘racial equity’ is through American democratic processes. With ‘12.7 percent of the total population’ ,in America, it is difficult to understand what has prompted this latest comical twist in the plot. Yet when actors have the stage, such questions are but part of the ever-evolving plot. The audience must sit in anticipation, awaiting the next scene of our never-ending play. Fear not, the next farce will have the old ingredients; lies, damned lies and statistics.

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Abdul-Jabbar, K. (2020, August 28). Hope is a dying ember for black people in the US. Athletes have rekindled it. Retrieved from The Guardian : https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/aug/28/kareem-abdul-jabbar-athlete-protests-nba-mlb-jacob-blake

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhMR6XKUKuc (Director). (2020). Skip & Shannon react to LeBron’s flipped decision to cancel the NBA season | NBA | UNDISPUTED [Motion Picture].

Kaskey-Blomain, M. (2020, August 28). NBA playoffs will resume Saturday; players agree to form social justice coalition with coaches and owners. Retrieved from CBS SPORTS: https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/nba-playoffs-will-resume-saturday-players-agree-to-form-social-justice-coalition-with-coaches-and-owners/

McMenamin, D. (2020, August 25). LeBron James says Black community ‘terrified’ of police conduct. Retrieved from ESPN: https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29735483/lebron-james-says-black-community-terrified-result-police-conduct

Naomi Osaka pulls out of Western & Southern semi in protest at racial injustice. (2020, August 27). Retrieved from The Guardian : https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/aug/26/naomi-osaka-beats-kontaveit-in-three-and-reaches-western-southern-semi

Naomi Osaka reaches Western & Southern Open final after speaking out on racism. (2020, August 28). Retrieved from Los Angeles Times: https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2020-08-28/naomi-osaka-reaches-western-southern-open-racial-injustice

Naomi Osaka takes U-Turn, decides to plays with Western & Southern Open after withdrawing to protest racism. (2020, August 28). Retrieved from The Statesman : https://www.thestatesman.com/sports/naomi-osaka-takes-u-turn-decides-plays-western-southern-open-withdrawing-protest-racial-injustice-1502920511.html

NBA to resume games after player protest, turn stadiums into voting sites. (2020, August 29). Retrieved from Reuters: https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-basketball-nba-protests/nba-to-resume-games-after-player-protest-turn-stadiums-into-voting-sites-idUKKBN25O2JD

Oxford English and Spanish Dictionary, Thesaurus, and Spanish to English Translator. (n.d.). Retrieved from Lexico Powered by Oxford: https://www.lexico.com/definition/beg

Oxford English and Spanish Dictionary, Thesaurus, and Spanish to English Translator. (n.d.). Retrieved from Lexico: https://www.lexico.com/definition/demand

Oxford English and Spanish Dictionary, Thesaurus, and Spanish to English Translator. (n.d.). Retrieved from Lexico: https://www.lexico.com/definition/posture

Profile: Black/African Americans. (n.d.). Retrieved from US Department of Health and Humanities Services Office of Minority Health : https://www.minorityhealth.hhs.gov/omh/browse.aspx?lvl=3&lvlid=61#:~:text=Profile%3A%20Black%2FAfrican%20Americans&text=Overview%20(Demographics)%3A%20In%20July,following%20the%20Hispanic%2FLatino%20population.

release, O. (2020, August 26). Milwaukee Bucks players’ statement following boycott of Game 5. Retrieved from NBA: https://www.nba.com/article/2020/08/26/milwaukee-bucks-players-statement-following-boycott-game-5

Robinson, I. (2020, August 29). Obama Advised NBA Players to Push for Social Justice Initiatives and Get Back in The Game. Retrieved from The Root: https://www.theroot.com/obama-advised-nba-players-to-get-back-in-the-game-and-p-1844891416?utm_source=theroot_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2020-08-30

Savage, M. (2020, June 29). Beyoncé’s BET speech: ‘Vote like our life depends on it’. Retrieved from BBC: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-53217846

Scheiber, N. (2020, August 29). N.B.A. Protest Shows Who Calls the Shots in a Superstar Economy. Retrieved from The New York Times : https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/29/business/economy/nba-players-strike-labor.html