Lakers and Clippers vote to boycott remainder of playoffs
Other teams have voted against, but at least now we're getting somewhere...
https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1298811949736701952?s=19
August 26th, 2020 at 10:53 PM ^
Boycotts and Hurricane Laura coming up. COVID is now #3 on the most talked about list lol.
This year is wild. We still do have money left for hurricane season right? Or were all the FEMA funds blown on COVID?
August 26th, 2020 at 10:55 PM ^
It doesn't seem like they spent that much.
August 26th, 2020 at 11:05 PM ^
Maybe Mexico will pay for it?
August 26th, 2020 at 11:12 PM ^
HAA!! Well played!
August 27th, 2020 at 11:26 AM ^
No, he's going to convince China to fund it. After all, they are responsible.
August 27th, 2020 at 11:28 AM ^
No, he's going to convince China to fund it. After all, they are responsible.
August 26th, 2020 at 11:12 PM ^
Ahole Trump diverted FEMA funds to pay for the idiotic wall he promised Mexico would pay for.
August 26th, 2020 at 11:19 PM ^
Wait that’s even worse ROFL
August 27th, 2020 at 12:18 AM ^
FEMA funds for disaster response were cut by @ $3B for fiscal year 2020 and I believe will be flat for fiscal year 2021. Not good Bob.
Most of the COVID funding has come from supplemental spending bills. That said, there are other agencies involved with disaster response which have had their disaster response funds mostly depleted and will have on-going costs due to COVID and almost all of their budgets were held flat or cut for fiscal year 2021. Worse Bob.
August 26th, 2020 at 10:55 PM ^
Whoa, wow. Good for them to stand up. And likely the owners for supporting...at least more so than NFL owners are up to.
August 26th, 2020 at 11:06 PM ^
And all around the SEC tonight all you hear is crickets...
August 26th, 2020 at 11:02 PM ^
If LeBron is out the season is over. Only a matter of time.
Edit to add: Woj is saying they're not formally out yet
August 26th, 2020 at 11:03 PM ^
NBA is done for the year. Good for them. That's meaningful.
August 26th, 2020 at 11:23 PM ^
Correction: NBA is done.
August 26th, 2020 at 11:28 PM ^
The people with this attitude aren't the people watching the NBA anyways. The NBA isn't going anywhere.
August 27th, 2020 at 7:31 AM ^
I don't think the NBA is going anywhere and I support all peaceful protests.
With that said, I do think there is a risk to their bottom line. Many people watch sports to escape everyday life. With politics in our face 24-7, arguments about current events, economic stress, and stress from Covid - more than ever people just want to escape from it all. That is why Netflix is doing so well.
The NBA is an entertainment industry for people to escape not much different than Netflix. Some people might be turned off with the political commentary, social justice jerseys, tacitly sticking up for China's oppression, because of not wanting to be political all while being political at home, and a cancelled season might do it for some viewers. MLB took a hit with the strike that lasted years.
NBA TV ratings are down 30% overall, playoff ratings are down 20% in viewers compared to last year while many other sports are up in TV ratings this summer. Some of the NBA ratings may be from odd TV times though, but the NBA has also been the most political. It wouldn't shock me if it takes a few years to catch back up to the trend line that they had if they cancel the rest of the season.
Just want to reiterate that I completely support their free speech rights, their right to sit out the rest of the season, and I think all Americans should support peaceful protests like this, but I do think there is a "risk" for damage here with TV viewers and I am sure the players know this and are committed to their cause more than ratings.
August 27th, 2020 at 9:10 AM ^
I don't get this. Black men saying their lives matter and that they shouldn't be the targets of systemic racism and police brutality is considered political commentary? Sounds like they're just stating facts about their rights to live
August 27th, 2020 at 9:54 AM ^
The "movement BLM" is diverse, with different people asking for different things and making different arguments.
When the NBA puts BLM painted on their court floor and in their commentary - right or wrong, I think some viewers will see the NBA as endorsing it all - all of the different people under the BLM banner.
Some of the people under the BLM banner make indisputably correct arguments, work for human rights, and do so peacefully and respectfully. Some people under the BLM banner have made arguments that I believe are incorrect "whites are committing genocide against blacks," "1,400 blacks a year are murdered by cops," and making demands that many would view as extreme.
I don't think all viewers distinguish the extremes from the mainstream and they want to escape reality by watching sports and when some viewers see BLM on the court some will see the extreme people under that banner. I support their right to protest and the overall message, I am just thinking a small portion of NBA viewers want to escape the craziness of the 2020 world and when they see BLM painted on the court their mind goes to the extremes under the banner and not the mainstream under the banner.
On a side tangent my politics in our face 24-7 was more about the election and the two big parties at each other's throats, but I do think parts of BLM is political - if you are asking for reform and changes in the laws and etc... Should we "defund the police?" How would that not be political? MLK Jr. was 100% right and justified. But it was "political" was it not? The whole point of MLK protesting was to create change including "political" change. No? The American Revolution was justifiable, but it was political. The suffragettes were 100% justified and correct, but it was political.
August 27th, 2020 at 11:17 AM ^
I agree with this post. I agree with the movement of the NBA players, but I definitely see how this is political. Human Rights have always been political. "Do human rights exist?" isn't political, but "this is what I think our country should be doing about those human rights" is.
My dad is one of those people who agree that black lives matter, but doesn't like BLM (the organizarion) and all that it stands for, and I know others who fall into this camp as well. I also know a lot of people (for right or wrong) who feel this kind of stuff, even if they agree with it, shouldn't be a part of sports and it turns them off to it (I don't agree with this, but I know many do). So although I'm of the opinion that the NBA isn't going anywhere, I could see this impacting their viewer base in some way.
August 27th, 2020 at 9:55 AM ^
Well stated. I hope the NBA action DOES succeed in getting meaningful police reform and soon. The general public has not condoned sports figure activism since the 1960s. Our society is divided on today's sports figures being activists.
August 27th, 2020 at 8:26 AM ^
According to their tv ratings they're going down.
August 27th, 2020 at 9:23 AM ^
... TV ratings that are based on start times far different than years past. If you can't understand how playing half of your games from 1:30 - 6:30 will have an effect on ratings, you're being ignorant.
August 27th, 2020 at 12:54 AM ^
Aristotle, What was your user name before you were banned 2 months ago. And Aristotle is definitely a telling choice of new user names after your ban.
August 27th, 2020 at 7:59 AM ^
No doubt. People enjoy sports in part because it’s an escape from the daily grind. I’ve heard two individuals in the last month say they are turned off altogether by the political activism and just choose not to watch anymore.
The whole “I’m done and not watching anymore!” isn’t just some random conservative complaining on the internet. It’s a real thing that will have a real impact on the bottom line. In my office of @ 40 people, I’ve heard exactly 1 person even mention the NBA, and only myself and one other have watercoolered anything MLB. Covid has forced us to learn to live without sports, and as they are starting to open back up, the activism has rubbed people the wrong way so it isn’t a big step to turn them right back off again. From a viewership and a revenue standpoint the timing couldn’t have been worse for them to try and make a point.
August 26th, 2020 at 11:04 PM ^
It’s good to see Lebron has learned the importance of standing up against injustice after how he spoke out against calling out China. Glad to see he’s not above growing his view and using his platform. Putting his money where his mouth is.
August 26th, 2020 at 11:21 PM ^
He's finally been reading the right books...
August 26th, 2020 at 11:24 PM ^
I don't know, China impacts Lebron's bottom line, through merchandising. This doesn't. In fact, he could stand to gain by this.
August 26th, 2020 at 11:50 PM ^
EXACTLY!!!! Lebron is ONLY looking out for Lebron Inc., will not believe anything he says as he had a chance to stand up for Human Rights in the HK/China situation and he chose Lebron Inc. instead.
Follow his money!
August 26th, 2020 at 11:55 PM ^
I don’t know. He said the situation in Hong Kong was “a complicated issue” and the issue is “very complicated.”
Now this situation in Kenosha is pretty straight forward in his eyes.
August 27th, 2020 at 12:08 AM ^
Yeah "complicated" as in do I stand up for the human rights of HK citizens or do I want to keep selling shoes to the 1 billion+ Chinese on the mainland.
Only thing "complicated" is how to explain not siding with HK people. Surprised that he didn't want to use Alternative Facts or scream Fake News!
August 27th, 2020 at 12:25 AM ^
Hong Kong? That's child's play when compared to what the Chinese are doing to Uyghers. But that's on the other side of the world so who cares. Xi Jinping is a criminal. But we can't let that get in the way of business.
August 27th, 2020 at 1:03 AM ^
The situation in Hong Kong is complicated? No, it shouldn't be complicated for anyone. It is complicated for James and the NBA because they make bank in China. That's the complicated part for them....figuring out how to continue to profit from a nation that is currently enslaving and murdering a significant portion of their population. But hey, NIKE.
August 27th, 2020 at 8:35 AM ^
The situation in China is complicated for nearly everyone in the US, and has been for a couple decades (around the time HK was ceded back to China, maybe a little earlier). It's complicated for ANYONE in business (sports, entertainment, manufacturing) who is selling things because it's the largest market in the world AND its the cheapest labor market in the world, both impacting bottom line. It's complicated for anyone living in the economy because their goods are cheaper than nearly anywhere else. It's complicated for anyone in the food industry, again because their market is huge. And, it's complicated for the politicians because...nearly everything. They're still communists, they steal, they spy, they have the 2nd most potent military in the world, they hate Taiwan and they keep creating damn viruses. Yet, they own an incredible amount of US debt and, as we've found out over the last few months, they produce a lot of shit that we really, really need. There's no simple solution when it comes to anything China/HK related.
August 27th, 2020 at 12:24 AM ^
I'm no Lebron fan here and agree about the China thing, but he has as much to lose as anyone. He is in line for historical accomplishments including another NBA title with a third team, in a winnable MVP race with Antetokounmpo all of this knowing he is in the twilight of his career. Just not sure this is all about money for James and driving his decision making.
August 27th, 2020 at 12:39 AM ^
Maybe instead of topping Jordan he’s decided to be the next Ali
August 26th, 2020 at 11:52 PM ^
He's putting his money where his mouth is if the season is in fact cancelled.
After this leak, if they end up finishing the season he can play the martyr that reluctantly was forced to play with a heavy heart and did it for BLM, Mamba Spirit, blah blah blah
Say what you want about Lebron but everything he does is carefully calculated for the media and public consumption.
August 27th, 2020 at 12:57 AM ^
What was your user name when you were banned two months ago? And now you decide to become Aristotle? Hmm?
August 26th, 2020 at 11:07 PM ^
NBA, WNBA, MLB, and MLS all cancel games.
https://apple.news/AH6o-wniAR92mUyT8LUTI-g
Only the NHL doesn’t
August 27th, 2020 at 12:35 AM ^
Is the NHL even a major sport anymore? I can see MLS overtaking it very soon.
August 26th, 2020 at 11:08 PM ^
Does this mean the Blazers have a shot?
Too soon?
August 26th, 2020 at 11:14 PM ^
Good for the players taking a stand. But I’m not sure it will do any good when one third of the country and 90% of Republicans will just demonize them like they did with Kapernick.
August 26th, 2020 at 11:26 PM ^
Delete that zero and add another 9. 1% will say they understand why they're upset, but just don't think not playing sports-ball for their amusement is the right way to go about it.
"Why can't they be peaceful like that MLK fella we assassinated?" As the last few months have shown, if you're white, you can storm government buildings armed to teeth and its okay. Black people kneeling to protest 400 years of racial injustice? No, that's a step too far.
August 26th, 2020 at 11:33 PM ^
Get your history right man. Black individuals have faced injustice far before 1619
August 26th, 2020 at 11:39 PM ^
So much for no politics around here.
August 27th, 2020 at 5:49 AM ^
Yes - starting to get over the top these days.
August 27th, 2020 at 10:05 AM ^
Sadly, politics is the biggest sport around right now. It's impossible to escape from politics no matter which channel you stop on.
August 26th, 2020 at 11:14 PM ^
Gotta say I didn't see this coming. I'm glad they're standing up for something they feel strongly about. It's also very interesting to see owners go along with it so willingly. (Well, at least willing in public...)
August 27th, 2020 at 10:48 AM ^
They aren't getting any meaningful free agents if they come out against their players.
August 26th, 2020 at 11:16 PM ^
Americans are starting to wise up to something other cultures have known for awhile... in the hyper-capitalist age, labor's true power resides in the general strike.
August 27th, 2020 at 12:43 AM ^
Phillip and Elizabeth Jennings agree! Meanwhile, Paige is raking in the cash as a martial arts instructor in Seattle having followed Henry there after he signed a lucrative contract with the new NHL Krakens which was a result of a significant growth spurt.