What do you do when your skill level and athletic ability has been surpassed by genetic freaks of nature and scores of people who look upon this game as a mere means for survival? Of course, you create your own league. At least that's what Don "Moose" Lewis believes. Mr. Lewis is the commissioner of the All-American Basketball Alliance. Haven't heard of it? That's probably because it isn't for you, unless you're an American born Caucasian, because that's who the league if for.
Tired of what he's calling the "streetball" culture of the NBA, Lewis claims his league is a return to basics, the fundamentals of basketball and will be a more fan-friendly offering because the threat of violence will be decreased. But oh yeah, his charges aren't racists, he just wants pure White Americans to have an opportunity to play professional basketball and fans that will be able to enjoy it. He called out two of the ugliest, yet isolated incidents in NBA history, the brawl in Detroit a few years ago and the recent arrest of Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton as evidence of the decadence of professional basketball.
Nobody seems to be buying what he's selling, because not one city has agreed to host a team for his league. What Mr. Lewis has failed to do is take a look at NBA arenas. With the exception of a few chocolate cities such as Atlanta, Philadelphia and New Orleans, NBA arenas are packed with Caucasian fans marveling in the athletic abilities of those who are skilled enough to play at this level, all who are able to excel at this level, African-American, Caucasian, German, Spanish, Brazilian, Argentinean, everyone. There are millions of little White kids wearing LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson jerseys to arenas nationwide because they admire their skill level; color has nothing to do with it.
On a deeper level, there are various socioeconomic factors that have contributed to the darkening of the NBA. The Notorious B.I.G. said it best "Either you sling crack rock or have a wicked jump shot" is a mantra for many young men growing up in impoverished conditions and basketball has not only been their way out of these conditions, but their salvation. There are some people that are born to play this game, like they were mixed in a secret lab somewhere in a basement in Cleveland (King James) or the son of a former NBA player, bred to be great (Kobe).
Yet, what most people don't understand is basketball is a rites of passage in the Black community, a way that men fellowship. Other cultures have the country club, we have the courts. This is where we learn what it takes to succeed in life, because each time we step onto the court, the possibility of being served is inevitable and in this hunt or be prey world, it is perfect preparation.
So Mr. Lewis while you're on a crusade for a pure Vanilla basketball league, you might want to take the temperature of what the people really want, because millions of fans around the world speak volumes on a yearly basis of what they'll support. I wonder if his son was cut from his varsity team?
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