What the NBA has to do with MLK Day
Monday marks the 30th anniversary of the federal Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, honored in many places by marches, prayer meetings, and calls to action.
But for the National Basketball Association, it has come to represent an opportunity to showcase their premier regional and national matches — this year headlined by two of the league's best teams, the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers.Â
Millions tune in to watch. But others say it's unfortunate that on what should be a day devoted to honoring a Nobel Peace Prize winner, the NBA has chosen to promote a slate of games.
But sociologist and author Dr. Harry Edwards, a professor at the University of California at Berkeley, said the connection goes deeper.
"Sport has always been inextricably intertwined with the circumstances and outcomes of the African-Americans in this country," he said, noting important sports figures like Jack Johnson and Muhammad Ali. "All of these great sports personalities were vitally involved with the politics of race and American society, and basketball has come to be the quintessential African-American sport."
In this interview, WNYC's Jami Floyd talks with Edwards about the connection between sports and the struggle for equality.
