A different look at Isiah Thomas
This is a blog posting that I put up several months ago, during the Isiah Thomas/Knicks sexual harassment case. My views on this issue have been unpopular to say the least, though I didn’t get even one online response despite posting this article in at least 10 blogs. In fact, this posting seemed to be the kiss of death for all blog conversations on the topic. I’m sure there will be many who read this and disagree…that’s ok…if you feel a certain way about what you read, then respond and start a dialogue!
I am amused by the media lambasting of everything that the Knicks basketball coach does except, of course, coach basketball.
Mark Kriegel wrote an article that can be found online on Isiah Thomas’ statements regarding White men calling Black Women bitches, and about how he doesn’t view it in the same light as a Black man making the same statement. Kriegel talks about Isiah’s comments in the context of his “If he was Black, he’d just be another good guy” reference to Larry Bird in the 80’s and seems to conclude that Isiah Thomas should just know better.
I should say up front that I am in fact a fan of Isiah Thomas. Despite being told more times than I can count that I’m not really a fan but rather am just too easily seduced by the man’s smile to recognize the devil that lies beneath, I have been a fan since I was a kid . Please don’t hold that bias against me, though. The article is still misdirected.
Isiah Thomas’ statements about Larry Bird 20 years ago were a commentary on the negative stereotypes placed on Black players vs. the positive ones placed on White players. The commentary was right on the money. Most people would agree that his delivery wasn’t the greatest, but forget that it was impossible for him to deliver it smoothly. By making the statement to the media, he was in essence getting right up in White America’s face and telling it that it continues to operate on racist stereotypes. What he was saying really had very little to do with Larry Bird as an individual. I think that Bird’s response, which was something akin to, “If it doesn’t bother me, it shouldn’t bother anybody else.”, shows that he understood this to be the case. I suppose it shouldn’t surprise me that the larger response was to twist the controversy around by labeling Thomas a racist. That process isn’t nearly as uncomfortable as self-reflection.
Still, Kriegel does acknowledge that that those statements and similar ones from other athletes, did have some real value by bringing racist stereotypes towards African Americans into public discourse and prompting some positive change. I’d like to think that there has been some growth in this area, though Donovan McNabb might disagree. There are some white coaches out there who still think that any Black player (or team) can be beaten just by using a pump-fake. They might not agree either.
The stereotype of Black women as “bitches” is one of the most damaging in our culture:
“A stereotype persists of African American women as immoral and therefore less deserving of protection from violence or sexual exploitation. In 1744, Edward Long, in an attempt to support slavery, published his conclusions about African women. He characterized them as “ignorant, crafty, treacherous, thievish, and mistrustful.”
- Marilyn Yarbrough with Crystal Bennett, Cassandra and the “Sistahs“: the Peculiar Treatment of African American Women in the Myth of Women as Liars
Journal of Gender, Race and Justice p. 655 (Spring 2000)
My point? A white man calling a black woman a bitch is a very bad thing. It reinforces racist stereotypes that were created by white men. That’s why a white man calling a black woman a bitch could easily be perceived as both sexist and overtly racist, even if that was not the intended message. A black man saying the same thing is certainly sexist, but it would be hard to argue that it is racist as well. This doesn’t make it good, honorable, or ok for a black man to make this kind of comment. It makes it different than if a white man said it. Or, in the words of Isiah Thomas, “I do make a distinction”.
The much subtler (and probably completely unintended) message supports slavery and the negative images that came from it. African Americans struggle against the burden of those images every day.
Does anybody remember the movie “Higher Learning”?
So…here’s a different theory on Isiah Thomas’ commentary on women, bitches, and race. It wasn’t a promotion of sexism or of self-loathing behavior by African American men. It also wasn’t intended as a rallying cry for white men who want to feel discriminated against. (Similar to the: “Why can they call each other the ‘n’ word but I can’t?’ Here’s a question: Why the hell would you want to?).
He was pointing out that, on some level, he perceives a white man making that type of statement as rubbing racism and slavery in his face. If I’m not mistaken, his grandfather was a slave, a reminder that the slavery isn’t ancient history, it’s very recent history. He also grew up in the West Side of Chicago, a place that some would say reinforces perceptions of racial opportunity gaps.
His mother’s story is as well known as his own, and shows that he may not hate black women so much after all.
Again, I shouldn’t be surprised at the public response. Its easier to demonize him than it is to reflect on matters of race.
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I have always like Isiah’s Thomas game, but never his attitude and character. He is a chauvinist, he’s sexist, and you may not think so, but he’s a racist too. Just for your information, I am an African American female and I’ve been a fan of the Detroit Pistons before they won their first NBA championship, and we need to stop using our race as an excuse to be racist (though we would never admit this). My sister does this all the time, and I just straight up, to her face, called her a racist. It is what it is.
I disagree, but you might be right. I’d be interested to know why Vivian Stringer apologized to him after she ripped him at the end of the sexual harassment case. Watching the way the media works for several years has taught me that nearly everything athletes say can and is taken out of context. It may seem clear as day that he is racist, or sexist, or both, based on the 10 second clip that the media aired during the case. Then again, Vivian Stringer doesn’t strike me as the type of person who would apologize to anybody unless she meant it…if she did ‘mean it’, my money says she took that media clip out of context.
So, I ask, when you claim to be a fan of Isiah Thomas, what exactly are you a fan of, the basketball player, his jump shot, his dribble or his character?
I have been coaching sports on many levels for many years. There is nothing more important to me as a coach than character development. I want to see kids, young men and young women develop good core values that they can build on for the rest of their lives. Although it’s no grand secret, a good value system has to be constantly reinforced so that it shows up in the right places and has carry over off the court to offer us guidance in our daily decision making. In the final analysis, we are all judged by our character and decision making first and foremost. A tough lesson learned by Isiah and a shiny example to remind the rest of us. Even hall of famers are judged by their value system. It doesn’t erase their records, just puts them in perspective.
Whether or not Isiah is a racist is not really for me to say and probably not for you to say either. I frankly don’t feel well enough informed to judge that, do you? I know that there are many of us, myself included, who would not want to be judged entirely on a few words spoken here and there. But look closely at some of the many other behavior attributes. That, I suggest, will tell you what you need to know. You can’t, or perhaps better said, one shouldn’t judge the character of a person on superficial considerations such as suits, smiles and records, whether you lean towards liking that person or not. Judge us on our values. Judge us on our character. I am not suggesting one way or other as to how you should feel about Isiah as a racist or otherwise. But, as a litmus test, consider whether or not you would use Isiah Thomas as a role model of behavior for your own child. As a coach and a parent I wouldn’t hesitate to have a player emulate Isiah’s technique, but nothing more.
That is a thought provoking response, Ken. It sheds light on an important point; none of us really know anything about the people we see on television. What we see comes through a heavily biased filter. All of the well-documented negatives on Isiah…if they were all based in the truth, I would not want my children or my playerrs to emulate them. There aren’t many people in the national spottlight who I would use as role models; their lives have been dissected so much that the negatives are there for the world to see, along with the positives. Beyond Isiah’s technique, there are some things I definitely would want my kids to emulate:
1. Due to my leftist tendencies…The guy who as the head of the player’s union instituted a profit sharing model and a retirement plan that took money out of the top-tier players’ pockets (including his own) and distributed it more evenly to insure a better outcome for lower-tier players : little kid lesson: it’s important to share, even if its unpopular. 2. He scored 27 points in the 4th quarter of game 6 of the finals on a severley sprained ankle, blurred vision, an ingrown toenail and a receeding hairline (the toenail and the hairline weere not really factors; I just added them in for the sake of exaggerated emphasis) : little kid lesson: never give up (not quitting the knicks – same lesson). 3. Suffered a concussion and required 40+ stitches after taking an elbow to the head from Karl Malone and came back to play in the same game. : little kid lesson: never give up; be tough; stand your ground. His leadership with the pistons and ability to rally the troops was a huge factor in winning the only 2 titles in the Jordan, Bird, Magic era that didnt go to Jordan, Bird, or Magic. I met him twice as a kid (which probably explains my bias) – the first time he was giving autographs; the second was at a hospital;l he made an unannounced visit in the kids cancer ward at Swedish hospital, where I was volunteering. I could go on, but I wont – anybody that wants to hate him can find more than enough material to back their claim – and my opintion obviously isnt going to be swayed. Moreover, my original point was not that Isiah Thomas character is beyond reproach, or that he should be your child’s next role model. It was an observation of the public reaction to a statement – “I do make a distinction”. I find the reaction to that statement to be at best self serving and at worst, ignorant. As I said, its easier to demonize him than to engage in any sort of self-reflecttion when it comes to race.
I like your perspective – especially the ‘kids lessons’- but I can never get past the lack of character he continually revealed over his career. You watched him do great things – i saw only questionable acts that i thnk spoke volumes about the type of person Thomas is and was. This is the same guy who sucker punched ‘his friend’ Bill Lambeer in the face at practise and in a blatant act of jealousy talked his Eastern squad teammates into freezing out rookie Micheal Jordan in the all star game. This is the same clown who shoved Mark Price into the crowd in a playoff game (who hates Mark Price!?) and spread the rumours that Magic Johnson contracted HIV through homosexual acts. When people in his life needed help – see: Bobby Knight’s very ugly exit at Indiana – he never once spoke out publically in support. You mention the labour front – how about single handedly bankrupting the CBA then walking away? From the Raptors to the Knicks, everything this guy touches turns to _____. Period. I beleive this will be his true legacy. If youre looking for a real role model, look no further than his backcourt teammate, Joe Dumars.
Come on people really, Lambier was a crafty border line dirty player. Any one who knows competition can understand that it gets heated wheather practice or games. Michael Jordan was cocky and arrigant as a rookie, It cant make you a bad guy for wanting the youngster to show some respect for the league and the other stars. The fact that the other all stars responded tells the true story. Bobby Knight is a hell raiser and got it right where he deserved it and it doesnt make you bad for letting it happen alumni or not. Now Mr. Thomas is a horrible front office man and even worse coach but no different than any other man with power working closly with women. Just like the President he ran into one with an agenda and he got popped. Also 400 years of history tells us that America is racist down to its core and gives him right to be aware of black/white perception on all levels. Doesnt make him bad does it? Marv Albert is back on TV,really? The guy knew Magic a long time before the HIV thing, he could know something we dont.
H-
I can understand where you’re coming from — several fans and the entire state of New York would agree. But a couple of those points – however common they are to sports fans – are flat out ridiculous.
1. Freezing out Jordan… Come on…it didn’t happen. I watched that game. As great as we all know Jordan is today, in 1985 he was a rookie playing on a team with Dr. J, Larry Bird, and other legends – nobody would have spent the entire game passing to Jordan unless they could see into the future. Jordan scored 7 points on 9 shots in 22 minutes in that game. Adrian Dantley scored 10 points on 6 shots in 23 minutes and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored 11 points on 10 shots in 23 minutes. Did Magic Johnson freeze them out?
2. The Magic Johnson thing. Does it strike anybody as odd that Magic says “Isiah was like a brother to me” but that he never said a word to Isiah about those rumors? Instead he pretended they were friends and never said anything about it until he was trying to promote a book 20 years later. Isiah Thomas had a brother who died from AIDS, and he lobbied to get Magic into the All-Star game after Magic’s retirement, when people like Karl Malone wanted to boycott . Thomas wasn’t and isn’t that ignorant about AIDS, and while Magic may be a nice guy, he’s clearly two-faced and more focused on selling books than on his friendships.
3. Knight… Isiah would have been criticized if he had publicly supported Knight…now he’s being criticized for things he didn’t say. It just tells me that he’s a lightning rod to basketball fans, whether those fans love him or hate him.
If his grandfather was a slave, he would have to be born by 1865. Considering Isiah Thomas was born in 1961, a hundred year gap between him and his grandfather while possible seems unlikely.
You’re absolutely right. I don’t remember where I heard that…but that thought has crossed my mind several times since I wrote this.
It was probably a great grandfather or something. I’m too lazy to do the math right now. Nonetheless, the point remains the same. Its recent history.