In my high school days, there were the jocks and there were the hippie radical sometimes druggies, and – trust me – they never crossed over. The jocks were reactionary yahoos and the hippies were worried about social justice.
Not any more. Witness the NBA’s Phoenix Suns wearing their Los Suns logo on their jerseys to protest the state of Arizona’s immigration bill, which among other things, demands that immigrants to the United States carry papers at all times. Activists are saying that the bill is discriminatory and promotes racial profiling of Hispanics. The Suns seem to agree.
Especially Steven Nash – who spoke out against the war in Iraq in 2003 – and who has taken the lead among his teammates in dissing the proposed Arizona law. In 2003, though, it seemd like he was a lone voice.
But the Suns’ action is part of what’s turning into a veritable groundswell. At movethegame.org you can read about a campaign to move Major League Baseball’s 2011 all-star game away from Phoenix, its currently scheduled venue. A similar campaign worked in 1987, when the Super Bowl was scheduled for the Arizona capital but was moved to Pasadena in the wake of the Arizona’s state legislature’s refusal to recognize Martin Luther King Day.
All this is distressing observers who think that athletes and their organizations should play and not speak. Ridiculous, I say. High profile athletes – and big names in Hollywood, for that matter – have an obligation to use their platforms to promote social justice. Abusing their star status? I don’t think so. I think they abuse that status by remaining silent.
Speaking of which, Canuck indie bands are currently engaged in a vibrant debate about whether to boycott the state of Arizona. Montreal dream popsters The Stars are suggesting bands cancel their gigs there. But Fucked Up’s Damian Abraham thinks that’s not going to work and that most fans of these indie bands are already against the bill.
Either way, activists of all professions are trying to make Arizona feel the heat. Hate the bill? Be a tourist elsewhere, they suggest.
As it is, the Phoenix Suns may be motivated by profit, in that taking a stand is probably good for business. Management is definitely reaching out to their latino players, their employees – especially at the arena where they play – and the Hispanic players themselves.
That’s OK by me. When good business makes for good politics, everybody wins.[rssbreak]
