Professional sports are generally made up of a lot of things. We have the fans, which show up to games ready to cheer their teams on and support until the end. We have the staff, such as the head coaches, medical staff, equipment staff, and backroom staffs that make sure the teams are well in order, in place and prepared for action. Most importantly, however, we have the players, who go out there and compete, putting their blood, sweat, and tears on the line. Without the players, there is no such thing as sports. What we also have, however, is the “owners”.
The owners are the rich, high class billionaires that are on top of the entire thing, who own the franchises. They pay high stakes to get a hold of this title, and usually have the most say in terms of the teams’ endeavours off the court. The article “What the Kyle Lowry shove tells us about tensions between NBA players and owners” (D’Souza, 2019) highlights and talks about the term “owner” and how NBA players feel about it. It has been a topic of discussion for a very long time, and came to light when the Golden State Warriors minority shareholder and owner Mark Stevens shoved Kyle Lowry, point guard of the Toronto Raptors, during Game 3 of the 2019 NBA Finals while Lowry was trying to save a loose ball that was heading into the stands (D’Souza, 2019). There was a big backlash that took place after this incident, with other NBA players voicing their opinions on stuck up owners thinking of them as property, degrading them.
This article is very broad and breaks down many barriers that NBA players have always had against NBA team owners. In Game 3 of the 2019 NBA Finals, Lowry was diving simply to save a loose ball in the fourth quarter, and obviously fell into the front row seated fans. One of the fans that he happened to fall into was Mark Stevens, who is one of the Golden State Warriors owners. Stevens felt the need to push Lowry who was doing his job, which made Lowry upset, and rightfully so. Ultimately, Stevens, a billionaire, was fined half a million dollars and banned from attending NBA games for an entire calendar year. After the game, Lowry was visibly annoyed when speaking to reporters about the shove, and when asked about Stevens, said “A guy like that showed his true class. A guy like that shouldn’t be in our league” (D’Souza, 2019). Stevens came out with a half hearted apology the following day. The problem in this is clear: owners have this idea and notion that they are untouchable, on top, and that the players are their property. Many NBA players have voiced their opinions on this, and the term “owner” not sitting right with them.
Draymond Green, a player on the Golden State Warriors, came out in 2017 and talked about his displeasure with the term. He said 'Let's stop using the word owner and maybe use the word chairman. To be owned by someone just sets a bad precedent to start. It sets the wrong tone. It gives one the wrong mindset.' (D’Souza, 2019). There is also a big racism factor in using the term “owner” in sports. The term has its traces back to slavery. Etan Thomas, a retired NBA player, said “With a history as ugly as the one in America, I would think that people would want to completely distance themselves from anything that could even remotely be connected to slavery,” (D’Souza, 2019). NBA teams have been aware of this issue, and have been trying to change the term “owner” into something more modern aged. There have been shouts to change it to “chairman” or “CEO”. The term owner is negative and offensive, especially in a league dominated by African Americans. Owners tend to have this mentality and belief that if they are above everyone else, above you, and that you are owned by them.
The term “owner” is one that carries many negative and offensive connotations. Slavery was a disgusting and cruel period in American history, and the term just traces back to it. Slave owners would “own” slaves, and would call them property. In the 2019, the term just carries an offensive meaning and many NBA players have been feeling this way for a very long time. When using such terms, you have to bring the sensitivity aspect into prospective. The NBA is a league that has been historically and predominately dominated by black athletes. Nearly 75 percent of the players in the NBA right now are black (D’Souza, 2019). The absolute best players in the league are almost all of African American descent, with a few being LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Stephen Curry.
These are the moneymakers for the league, and are the ones that bring in the most revenue for these owners and the NBA in general. Without these guys, the NBA is not the NBA. They are human, just like us, and deserve to voice their opinions when needs be. If players have spoken out on the term being used, it should have been banned a long time ago. Mark Stevens shoving Kyle Lowry in the NBA Finals is an example of owners having this mentality that the players are their property. Lowry was doing his job, trying to save a loose ball, to help his team win. Stevens was in the courtside seats, watching as a fan, regardless if he is an owner or not. He had no right to put his hands on Lowry in his workplace. If Lowry was to shove Stevens in his office at work, it would have been a huge problem, so the same case applies here. Why does an owner have the right to push a player doing his job in his workplace? It all stems down to the ownership mentality. Stephen Jackson, a retired NBA player said he loves the word “owner”. Jackson feels like the term is not offensive, and just highlights how far you have come. He feels like since he is
African American, nobody would think he was the owner of anything and that he could have come this far, so the term flatters him. The majority of these owners are Caucasian, high class billionaires who are used to living the lavish life style. The owners’ mentality is that these players are nothing but assets to them to bank off of. From a players’ perspective, the disrespect in working so hard and putting your life on the line for owners to disregard it and look at you as a piece of property is draining. Back in 2014, ex Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling was recorded making racial remarks (D’Souza, 2019). Sterling, a billionaire owner, was banned for life from ever owning a team again. Although not all owners are like this, these two have set a terrible example for the other owners and have been even more detrimental to the term. The cons heavily outweigh the pros in this case.
I feel like the term “owner” should be completely banished from the NBA and from sports in general. As stated, the NBA is made up of around 75 percent of black players. If they feel as if the term is offensive and are sensitive to it, and want it changed, the league should change it. We should separate ourselves completely from anything that has any sort of negative connotation. Back in 2017, Bob McNair, an NFL team owner, said that the players kneeling and protesting during the national anthem should be stopped, and that “you can’t have the inmates running the prison” (D’Souza 2019). This was an ignorant comment that offended many, me included. This further pushes the argument that owners have this entitled mentality and think of the players as property, and not as human beings. I feel like the terms “chairman” and “CEO” would be better in the modern era. Calling people “owners” sets a bad precedent. You do not want to be owned by anyone, and nobody should ever be owned by someone.
In conclusion, the term “owner” has a negative and offensive connotation, and should be changed to a more modern title. By changing it to “chairman” or “CEO”, the NBA is taking a very good step in the right direction. These outdated terms that are used for the higher figures could strike a nerve with a lot of people, and by replacing them with more modern, friendly and respectable ones, we are further advancing ourselves and our leagues. Players and athletes are not property or assets. They are human beings like the rest of us. They deserve the voice and rights that they sometimes do not have, and deserve to speak against these owners. Although not all owners have a negative owners’ mentality, by eliminating the title, we are completely eliminating the issue.
References
D'Souza, S. (2019, June 7). What the Kyle Lowry shove tells us about tensions between NBA players and owners. CBC News. Retrieved from https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/kyle-lowry- mark-stevens-shove-tensions-nba-1.5162567.