Black Ball: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Spencer Haywood, and the Generation That Saved The Soul of the NBA, Runstedtler - D

                     The NBA was founded in 1949. It "controlled" the slow integration of Black players into the league. Into the 60's, it remained a white league with a growing Black labor force. As players of color advocated for greater freedom and rights, America's tilt to 'law and order' created an environment that blamed Black athletes for violence and drug usage in the league, leading to the downward spiral of the league's popularity in the late 1970's. The author, a black scholar and woman, posits that those players of the 70's actually set the groundwork for the massive popularity that followed.

                    The initial crack in the NBA's dominance of its workforce came when Connie Hawkins filed the first anti-trust suit ever against an American sports league. His suit coincided with the establishment of the ABA, which threatened the league by poaching one of its biggest stars, Rick Barry. The NBA offered Hawkins a generous settlement in 1969. That same year, Spencer Haywood left after two years of college and joined the ABA's Denver Rockets as a nineteen year old rookie. In his first season, he won both Rookie of the Year and MVP. He jumped to the Sonics in the NBA because their owner flouted the 'four year rule.' Litigation followed, the courts struck down the rule, and Heywood went on to play for Seattle.  Lew Alcindor "was unapologetically Black" and did not seek the approval of the league's white writers and fan base. He changed his religion and his name, becoming the second famous Black athlete to do so. Although Kareem played a traditional game, players like Earl Monroe and Julius Erving were revolutionizing basketball by bringing "playground moves" to the court. The free flowing ABA became known as a "Black league." The 1970's were a time of white fans' disapproval of Blacks, disappointment in Black coaches' intellects, and systemic racism that saw the Commissioner's request to be succeeded by his Black colleague dismissed by the owners. Kermit Washington's historic punch that shattered Rudy Tomjanovich's face was symptomatic of the league's degeneracy. A bad tv contract with CBS, the former ABA teams struggling with the NBA's entry fee after the merger, a raft of much younger players, and a perception of rampant drug use really hurt the leagues popularity in the later part of the decade. Cocaine use was highlighted by Bernard King's multiple arrests and the Spencer Haywood's dismissal from the league.

                  The NBA's legendary turnaround began with Bird and Magic, changes in the CBA that allowed the commissioner more authority to discipline players, and the addition of a salary cap. Revenue sharing with the players and drug testing became part of the league. With David Stern, the league now had a very savvy salesman at the top. Michael Jordan, along with Nike, became the epitome of Black athleticism and coolness.

                I found the narrative disjointed and not at all convincing. There is no mention of the fact that the 1977, 1978, and 1979 champs were from small market teams without a national following. When discussing Larry Bird's role as the the great white hope, the author says Boston's fans were reminded of and longed for the good old days. The good old days were 11 titles because of one of the most outspoken Black men in American sports history. Ours was, and is, a society struggling with race, but the NBA I remember adored Bill Russell. The New York I came of age in placed the captain, Willis Reed, on a permanent pedestal and glorified Clyde Frazier. Yes, many sportswriters were racist fools focusing on people's Afros, but many, many more loved the high-flying Dr. J. The owners were penny-pinching zealots, but it wasn't a matter of race. A cursory review of the history of the MLB and NFL shows rampant mean-spirited, often vicious labor practices when all of the athletes were white ethnic immigrants and poor farm boys. Case dismissed.