Back in the late 80s, Chuck D of Public Enemy rapped some words that we should always hold dear as we go through life. They were ‘Don’t Believe the Hype’.I been thinking those words each time I flick on the TV to watch the NBA playoff and I get hit upside the dome with a Kobe vs Lebron commercial.
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A Few Things to Ponder…Black Mamba vs King James –Don’t Believ the NBA Hype
by Davey D
Back in the late 80s, Chuck D of Public Enemy rapped some words that we should always hold dear as we go through life. They were ‘Don’t Believe the Hype’.
I been thinking those words each time I flick on the TV to watch the NBA playoff and I get hit upside the dome with a Kobe vs Lebron commercial. What genius sat up in their board room and said lets do a commercial that we play before everything is decided that depicts Kobe Bryant and Lebron James going head to head with each other?
Maybe it sold a few extra pair of shoes but the move was short sighted. First, its gotten the opposing teams angry and extra hungry. Now you have fools out there balling trying to upset the Nike/NBA/Big Business set up. And why shouldn’t they be upset? -After all most of these athletes put in work to get to where they got. Nobody got a free ride.. So how and why did the NBA allow this to happen?
Second it robbed the fans of what should’ve been a rigorous competition between 4 of the best teams in the NBA. If you made it this far you’re amongst the elite-and while I will be the first to acknowledge that Kobe and LeBron are at the top of their class, they ain’t that far ahead that others can’t catch up and out play them.
Also people keep forgetting basketball at the end of the day is a team sport. So by hyping a Kobe-LeBron match up, not only do you anger the other team and their fans, but you also pisss off their team mates who are probably sitting there fuming while asking themselves-; ‘Don’t I get dap for passing the ball to Kobe so he can score as opposed to shooting it myself’?’ or ‘Didn’t I set a pic for king James so he could score?’ or ‘Wasn’t it my aggressive rebounding that set the stage for these two hyped up individuals to shine’? ‘Wasn’t it my defense that help keep the opposition for not overtake us’?
Kobe or Lebron even with winning shots and above average baskets did not win these games by themselves. So why spend millions just hyping those two?
Third point-Nike, NBA and the other corporate sponsors did what so many often do-they sucked the culture and spirit out the game and made it a shallow commodity to be brought and sold. I’m sitting here last night listening to the announcers and they sound sad..They were literally boo-hooing because its shaping up to NOT be a Kobe aka Black Mamba vs Lebron ‘King James finals. No wonder they kept showing that LeBron winning shot 500 times.. The NBA and others are trying to sell sneakers and alot of this hinged on LeBron the league’s MVP advancing to the finals. We all been played..
The whole scenario reminded me of the overhyping that Reebok did a some years back with Olympic athletes Dan O’Brien and Dave Johnson. Does anyone recall that? It was around the time of the Barcelona Summer games and leading up to it we were endlessly bombarded with commercials about how these guys grew up together and they were the American dream come true story and blah blah blah. By the time Dan Obrien-crashed by not even qualifying for the Olympics I along with50 million other people were over these guys. I forgot how his buddy Dave did-And to be honest I actually can’t even remember what sports these two played. All I remember is they were on my TV every 5 minutes and when they failed misearbly I listened to Public Enemy to remind myself ‘Don’t Belive the Hype’.
Maybe I could stomach some of this overhyping if it was the player’s athleticism being sold. Unfortunately what these NBA playoffs has become is a marketing backdrop. Sad thing is, this type of marketing is what ruined the music industry.
Once upon a time, when major record labels weren’t sitting around crying about the money the’ve been losing what they would typically do is put a serious hype machine behind an artist that had dropped a hot single. They would put that artist everywhere- from TV shows like the View to Jimmy Kimmel to the covers of Vibe Magzine, The Source and XXL all at the same time.
The artist would be on MTV’s TRL, with Carson Daly and BET’s Rap City with Big Tigger or 106 and Park with Free and AJ. Of course lots of loot would be spent to ensure that we would hear these overhyped artists being played on the radio at least 100-125 times a week on every Hot, Power and Jammin’ station in the country. That translates into every hour and half. The hot artists would show up and do a couple of free club gigs and a big autograph signing. All this would be topped off by a handful of prominent, awestruck wannabe jiggy type writers who were paid off with a free trip and some Crystal to write an over-the-top fluffy review of their upcoming album.
At the end of the day you have throngs of people duped into going out and purchasing an 18 dollar CD which only had one good song. The first couple of times it worked. By the third go around people were like ‘Ahh Hell naw I’m gonna go downlaod thaty CD off Napster. Tell me this isn’t happening with the NBA playoffs?
The worse thing about how they are marketing Kobe and LeBron is that we now have people talking about the match up between Kobe and Lebron the same way some rap fans talk about the rap beef between 50 and Rick Ross. The fans are loud and colorful but not purposeful. They been reduced to water cooler topics. many of true basketball fans are fed up. For example, I like Lebron until they showed that stupid shot for the 700th time.. They showed it so much I started NOT liking him and anything he was selling. Sad part is dude is nice guy.. Yes, the Black mamba vs King james commercials were funny but ultimately not a good look.. Kobe vs Lebron is like 50 vs Kanye gone bust..
Chauncy’s conference championship
Davey, agree with you completely. But it’s happening. Kobe vs. LeBron…and the refs will make sure of it. We here in Sacramento can tell you all about it. Watch game 6 of the ’02 Western conf. finals, when Kobe elbowed Mike Bibby, and Bibby was called for the foul! From a business standpoint, it makes all the sense in the world. A Sacramento vs. NJ Nets NBA finals would have been a ratings disaster. Have the Lakers in there, the ratings double. It is what it is. But it’s certainly not basketball. Somewhere on the internet there’s a letter Ralph Nader wrote to the NBA after the ’02 western conference finals. The NBA is rigged, and the finals will be Kobe vs. Lebron, if they have to make it happen. Both conference finals will go 7 games to milk as much as they can out of them. Then on game 7, it’s time for the refs to go to work. That’s the drill.
The letter Ralph Nader wrote:
June 4, 2002
Commissioner David J. Stern
National Basketball Association
Olympic Tower, 656 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10022
Dear Mr. Stern,
At a time when the public’s confidence is shaken by headlines reporting the breach of trust by corporate executives, it is important, during the public’s relaxation time, for there to be maintained a sense of impartiality and professionalism in commercial sports performances. That sense was severely shaken in the now notorious officiating during Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Sacramento Kings.
Calls by referees in the NBA are likely to be more subjective than in professional baseball or football. But as the judicious and balanced Washington Post sports columnist Michael Wilbon wrote this Sunday, too many of the calls in the fourth quarter (when the Lakers received 27 foul shots) were “stunningly incorrect,” all against Sacramento. After noting that the three referees in Game 6 “are three of the best in the game,” he wrote: “I have never seen officiating in a game of consequence as bad as that in Game 6….When Pollard, on his sixth and final foul, didn’t as much as touch Shaq. Didn’t touch any part of him. You could see it on TV, see it at courtside. It wasn’t a foul in any league in the world. And Divac, on his fifth foul, didn’t foul Shaq. They weren’t subjective or borderline or debatable. And these fouls not only resulted in free throws, they helped disqualify Sacramento’s two low-post defenders.” And one might add, in a 106-102 Lakers’ victory, this officiating took away what would have been a Sacramento series victory in 6 games.
This was not all. The Kobe Bryant elbow in the nose of Mike Bibby, who after lying on the floor groggy, went to the sideline bleeding, was in full view of the referee, who did nothing, prompted many fans to start wondering about what was motivating these officials.
Wilbon discounted any conspiracy theories about the NBA-NBC desire for a Game 7 etc., but unless the NBA orders a review of this game’s officiating, perceptions and suspicions, however presently absent any evidence, will abound and lead to more distrust and distaste for the games in general. When the distinguished basketball writer for the USA Today, David DuPree, can say: “I’ve been covering the NBA for 30 years, and it’s the poorest officiating in an important game I’ve ever seen,” when Wilbon writes that “The Kings and Lakers didn’t decide this series would be extended until Sunday; three referees did…” when many thousands of fans, not just those in Sacramento, felt that merit lost to bad refereeing, you need to take notice beyond the usual and widespread grumbling by fans and columnists about referees ignoring the rule book and giving advantages to home teams and superstars.
Your problem in addressing the pivotal Game 6 situation is that you have too much power. Where else can decision-makers (the referees) escape all responsibility to admit serious and egregious error and have their bosses (you) fine those wronged (the players and coaches) who dare to speak out critically?
In a February interview with David DuPree of USA Today, he asked you “Why aren’t coaches and players allowed to criticize the referees?” You said, “…we don’t want people questioning the integrity of officials. …It just doesn’t pay for us to do anything other than focus people on the game itself rather than the officiating.” “Integrity” which we take you to mean “professionalism” of the referees has to be earned and when it is not, it has to be questioned. You and your league have a large and growing credibility problem. Referees are human and make mistakes, but there comes a point that goes beyond any random display of poor performance. That point was reached in Game 6 which took away the Sacramento Kings Western Conference victory.
It seems that you have a choice. You can continue to exercise your absolute power to do nothing. Or you can initiate a review and if all these observers and fans turn out to be right, issue, together with the referees, an apology to the Sacramento Kings and forthrightly admit decisive incompetence during Game 6, especially in the crucial fourth quarter.
You should know, however, that absolute power, if you choose the former course of inaction, invites the time when it is challenged and changed ý whether by more withdrawal of fans or by more formal legal or legislative action. No government in our country can lawfully stifle free speech and fine those who exercise it; the NBA under present circumstances can both stifle and fine players and coaches who speak up. There is no guarantee that this tyrannical status quo will remain stable over time, should you refuse to bend to reason and the reality of what occurred. A review that satisfies the fans’ sense of fairness and deters future recurrences would be a salutary contribution to the public trust that the NBA badly needs.
We look forward to your considered response.
Sincerely,
Ralph Nader
P.O. Box 19312
Washington, DC 20036
Shawn McCarthy
League of Fans
P.O. Box 19367
Washington, DC 20036
http://www.leagueoffans.org/sternletter.html
I love it and that’s why the Magic are now leading the series vs. Cavs 3-1…upsetting the system…
This is no one man band and I can’t wait for the
Den v. Orl finals…now wouldn’t that be nice…
co-sign!
Let’s go Lakers, West Side.
The NBA is rigged. Everything a about endorsements, I’ve been over it for a few years now. BTW I was pissed when Kobe transitioned from adidas to Nike. End of Story.
Great parallels with the music industry.
*lol* I remember the Dan & Dave back in the early 90s, they were decathletes (if you don’t know what that means, let your fingers do the walking).
Peace,
Sp!zz
Beantown.
The refs called a tight game, but Denver didn’t play defense. They made some horrible fouls that hurt their potential run. Kenyon Martin is like the Joe Budden of the NBA he has some talent but he has some issues. That foul we’re he held the players leg killed their run. Kobe’s Tupac looking ass played the perfect game. Maybe next year Chauncy. I like an underdog, but greatness rules. Kobe is a great player.
The NBA is really going to want Cleveland in now. They are going to have to play great to beat Orlando in Orlando, but if they do that LeBron’s shadow better not get walked on or you’ll hear a whistle in Cleveland.
Refs couldn’t help them if they wanted. Cleveland is still missing some pieces. Need a low post scorer that can also pass. Orlando didn’t even have their second best player Jamal Nelson.
Now Kobe goes for his without Shaq ring. I’m going with L.A. Bynum has to stay out of foul trouble. Should be interesting. Anyway back to what I know for certain. June 2nd 45 Days of Andromeda. Twitter/Flavorblade.
The world will be different by the time it ends.
“All this would be topped off by a handful of prominent, awestruck wannabe jiggy type writers who were paid off with a free trip and some Crystal to write an over-the-top fluffy review of their upcoming album.”
LOL. except if the artist was from the west coast when they would get three mics.
davey, reading this after orlando eliminated cleveland it seems like even the NBA couldnt alter fate. Cleveland just didnt have the horses and the NBA championship isnt supposed to be a one-on-one game between the two biggest stars. the technical against howard was rescinded because it was a little too obvious that the calls were going a certain way.