Financialization of the NBA…part 2

Jeff Schmidt writes in Disciplined Minds that industry looks for “an obedient thinker, an intellectual property whom employers can trust to experiment, theorize, innovate and create safely within the confines of an assigned ideology” (Schmidt), so to, the NBA does the same with its players. Have you ever heard a player speak out on the lackluster cleanup after Hurricane Katrina? What about the sub-prime loans given to many low income minority families that have them losing homes at a rapid pace? The answer is a resounding no, because the league as a brand does not want its name associated with political views or “radical” perspectives, instead it wants “obedient” players. The classic example of this is Craig Hodges, one of the best pure shooters in NBA history, who after winning the NBA Championship with the Chicago Bulls donned a “dashiki and delivered a hand-written letter addressed to then President George H. W. Bush, expressing his discontent at the administration’s treatment of poor and minorities” (Wikipedia). After this act of individualism, not only was he not signed by the Bulls the following season, but he was not even offered a tryout by any other team in the league…ever again. Many think he was blackballed by the league because of his strong opinions, and he even filed a lawsuit against the NBA to that degree. This is still a confusing act by a league that should be more concerned with good officiating than the opinions of its players. However, when realizing how financialized the NBA is, the picture becomes more clear.