Jeremy Lin Deserves Better Treatment
As a basketball player (at least I’d like to call myself one) I find that being treated equally on and off the court is important to my everyday lifestyle. However, even in today’s world, some professional athletes are still mistreated and discriminated against. Sure, the NBA has improved its image as a more culturally diverse organization. However, if specific players are consistently treated unfairly it can have negative financial implications as well as general disrespect by its public and target audience.
Charlotte Hornets guard Jeremy Lin has been a sensation coming out of Harvard in the second round of the NBA Draft. His ability to attack the basket with his athleticism and size makes him difficult to guard against. However, even though Lin drives 6.7 times per game, he ranks among the lowest in free throw attempts off drives per game.
Jeremy Lin has handled discrimination by NBA referees very well. Rather than complaining to NBA officials about the physical contact he receives, Lin refuses to categorize himself as a victim.”It’s one of those things where I made a rule of myself halfway through the season that I’m not going to argue with refs,” Said Lin.
Lin’s strategy to the situation is complicated, however simple. By deflecting the situation regarding his unfair treatment, he remained calm and said that it was just a part of the game. During an interview earlier this year, Lin was asked about a foul Knicks superstar forward Carmelo Anthony committed. “It wasn’t until I watched it that I said, oh, Melo fouled me. I didn’t even know where the foul came from. I’m not too shocked by it. You just go with it.”
How will the league office and NBA officials deal with Lin’s continuous physical beating and possible racial discrimination? From a league standpoint, this situation will only worsen if Lin continues to be punished for his exciting style of play. As the only active Asian-American in the NBA, Lin represents a massive market on the international stage. If the NBA continues to treat Lin as a second class citizen, it could find itself losing a major part of its market.
Why The NCAA Will Not Abide with North Carolina’s LGBT Rule
Wow, it seems like North Carolina enjoys being in the headlines for all of the wrong reasons. As of now, the NCAA tournament has its first and second rounds in 2017 and 2018 in Greensboro and Charlotte. However, if they can’t prove to the NCAA how they will stop discrimination from each arena, they will lose their privilege to host.
As an organization, what does this say about the NCAA? Well, the decision clearly resembles an organization willing to relocate its tournament due to unlawful rules towards LGBT people. The NCAA took an intelligent stance on the situation. Instead of ignoring the external governing rules by the state, they responded swiftly. ” Currently awarded sites must report how they will provide an environment that is safe, healthy and free of discrimination, plus safeguards the dignity of everyone involved in the event,” said the NCAA.
The NCAA doesn’t want to associate with a state that discriminates against LGBT people. What kind of message would the organization send to its key publics? Definitely not a positive one. The organization wants to reach an audience who is open-minded as well as more educated. “The higher education community is a diverse mix of people from different racial, ethnic, religious and sexual orientation backgrounds,” said board chairman and Kansas State president Kris Schultz. They want to be assured that harassment will not be an issue during these tournament games.
Unfortunately, not everyone will agree that college sports do enough to protect LBGT athletes. However, the NCAA took the right step by taking a stance on the anti-LGBT rules in North Carolina. People will bash any idea, regardless of how great you might think it is. It is impossible to please everyone, however the NCAA took the ethical step by not abiding with the treacherous North Carolina laws.
