Basketball: America's Last Great Institution

Tonite I watched as the Lakers got handed their second loss in a row to the Grizzles 128-118. They (the Lakers) played decent defense in the beginning to keep them alive. But in the end, the just couldn't keep it together. But all of this is secondary to the beauty of the game, the skill level, the intensity and the competition. There is nothing more real than sports, someone wins and someone loses. No reality TV series can concoct something this good. In fact, no government or special interest group could engineer something like this.The NBA is the purest institution of all, and here is why- there is no such thing as 'diversity.'

The NBA is predominantly black players. If you took all of the starting lineups, over eighty percent of the players would be black. The rest of the players are either white or European and there is only one starting Asian player in the entire league. I don't know of any Mexican players. How is that for affirmative action? Yet no one complains.

All other institutions and businesses are required, to one extent or another, to make exceptions for peoples of all colors and race. Schools have affirmative action, corporations have race quotas. Yet in sports, especially in basketball, there is no such thing as a race quota in one of the highest paying gigs in the world. You may be saying to youself- well of course, there is no race quota, you have to have skills to play in the NBA. Yes skills, talent, ability. You need all three in order to succeed in the elite league. If only all of our institutions were like this.

You need ability and talent for all things worth doing. Yet in this country, we insist on demanding other standards that have nothing to with getting the actual job done. You talent and skill to be a doctor, a lawyer, a surfer. You need skills to be able to get into Harvard law school. Yet, we impose the idea that a mix must be enforced. Our schools need to look more like America, our corporations need to look more like America. And yet the NBA is and remains the blackest of institutions. There are no Mexicans, no Indians, no Japanese and no Bangladeshians. The NBA needs to look more like America. But wait, a black NBA does look like America.

After all, what would an Irish pub be without real Irishmen working behind the bar? What would Korean BBQ be like, if not for the beautiful Korean waitresses, wearing traditional garb? What would a mexican resaurant be without illegals? This is the real America, untainted and unfettered. This is what a diverse America looks like.
But the NBA better look out. If affirmative action comes knocking at its door, Borat might be vying for Kobe Bryant's job, shooting jumpers... not.