Unit 4: Discrimination in Everyday Life-NBA
Discrimination in everyday life can sometimes go unnoticed. In terms of the National Basketball Association, it is pretty obvious how much the NBA discriminates against players in different ways. Whether it is through refereeing or salary, there is frequently discrimination of African Americans. Nearly 80% of the league is African American. Moreover, all of the labeled "super stars" (Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Garnett, Amare Stoudemire, etc) are African American. This is just one of many reasons ensuring that the NBA discriminates. In fact, Pay for US White players is about 16% less than non-White players, after controlling for personal characteristics and performance.
As a whole, the league has become very one-sided. For example, players like Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash are considered super stars, however their jerseys do not sell as much as Kobe Bryant for example. Why is this the case? Is it because they are white? Does the NBA not promote them as much as they promote the African American players because that is what they want their image to be? Or are the African Americans simply better athletes? These questions are difficult ones to answer because they are not so cut and dry, "good or bad" and, instead, often have areas of grey.
On another note, Kevin Love, Minnesota Timberwolves star, does not necessarily get what he deserves and is therefore discriminated against. He gets a $78 million/5 year contract by the Timberwolves. In comparison, Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls star, has been in the league the same amount of years as Love, yet he now has a contract for $98 million/5 year contract. So what is the dilemma here? Love is certainly a great player, but it's obvious he isn't getting what he deserves even though he is just as much of a factor for his team as a player like Oklahoma City Thunder's Kevin Durant. Since they average more per year than Love, discrimination is at definitely present in the NBA.
All in all, the topic of discrimination in the NBA is extremely interesting and controversial. Perhaps teams look at the race of their fan base when choosing players, because it makes sense to fill their seats, they would want players that their fans can relate to (AKA race). On another note, when it comes to NBA player salaries, white players earn about 16% less than African American players.
Why aren't there more Asian players in the NBA? Is it related to skill, or does discrimination play a larger and more dominant role?














