Why David Stern needs to suspend and fine Pau Gasol
It took a picture taken of the Spaniard team holding fingers on their eyes to slant them in poor taste to wake me from my summer slumber and write this post. Pau Gasol has got some serious explaining to do when the Olympics are over and he is done hanging out with his buddies from the old country. It seems that the entire country of Spain found it not only acceptable but in good taste to pull off the slanted eye advertisement. It got by everyone and every checkpoint that could have prevented this socially incorrect advertisement from making it to print at a time that they are competing in the Olympics with the Olympics held in China.
Let’s move on to why I have decided to chime in on the subject as there has already been tons written about this. Yes I am going to go where it’s a bit uncomfortable so if you don’t like to read about racism and political incorrectness I suggest you stop reading now and go away. Don’t go away mad, just go away for now.
Jason Kidd spoke out today saying that it would be an unfair double standard if Pau Gasol and Jose Calderon both of whom play in the NBA walked away with no fines or suspensions. Kidd has a great point as he goes on to explain how if either Kobe Bryant or LeBron James where to pull a similar stunt not only would there be suspension but also multi-million dollar contracts pulled and possibly riots in the streets. Pau and Jose said they felt uncomfortable posing for the picture and showed a serious lapse in judgment by proceeding to pose for the picture. Both Pau and Jose need to remember that by playing in the NBA THEY ARE expected to be the best in the world and behave in accordance. Pau Gasol and or Jose Calderon could have easily walked away from the entire situation saying something like “I play in NBA and you don’t. This is unacceptable! I’m out!”
Lets put this in perspective so that if any of the ballers from Spain are reading this they understand why this whole picture thing is just not going to go away. Imagine for arguments sake that the entire Olympics where held in Africa. Lets imagine the USA team getting together for a Sports Illustrated cover in which somehow for some reason they found it funny to have all the white players holding whips and all the black players bent over picking cotton. So how obviously wrong that would be? Do you not agree that not only would players be fined and suspended but it would be pretty obvious that the publication and the country as whole would be looked down upon by the rest of the world? It would be such an obvious unprovoked attack on the African culture and its history that anybody with two brain cells could figure out that ITS WRONG AND SHOULD NOT BE DONE! Lets just further push the envelope by having the entire country sink with the ship and continue to say “What’s the big deal? We didn’t mean it that way!”. There is no way America could falter this way and allowing NBA players to be sheltered under Spain for this fallout would be a huge mistake.
Stern already feeling the pressures of NBA players leaving to Europe for big million dollar contracts of which he is to blame in his efforts to globalize the NBA is now going to be watched carefully for his actions towards the players involved. Potentially Stern could just condemn the entire event and leave it at that, but that would lead to the impression that NBA players who play over seas can have free reign to leverage there superstar status that they owe to the NBA to do as they please. Stern could also come down heavily handing out suspensions and fines not only to the players but to the teams they represent for allowing this to happen and not having the appropriate handlers to prevent such a poor representation of the NBA. Personally I vote for the latter and hope that Pau Gasol gets a clear message branded in his mind that will prevent him from wondering next time if posing for such pictures is a smart idea after all. Hey Pau! If your basketball buddies from Spain jump off a cliff are you going to jump off also?
Lastly and most importantly a word to the Chinese people who were for no reason mocked in a time that should be their nations most celebrated moment. The Chinese culture historically has been wronged here in America like many other cultures. The Chinese Americans, Chinese immigrants and the entire Asian-American population make an immeasurable and undeniable contribution to the American economy and melting pot culture. Needless to say the picture in question is completely wrong make no mistake about that. A clear and unmistakable message should be sent that lets David Stern and the NBA know that they need to hold themselves, the franchises and the players who represent the franchises responsible in a time that they are trying to prove the NBA is mature enough to go global.
In a time that David Stern should be promoting a Global NBA in one of the worlds oldest and most respected athletic competitions Stern find himself once again in the center of controversy. What will David Stern do now? Its not just America anymore, the World is watching and the dream of a Global NBA is on the line.
NorCalSucks
August 20th, 2008 at 10:09 am
Sounds to me like you need to get the sand out of your vagina.