(Originally published August 29, 2010)
In 1947 Jackie Robinson broke the color line in Major League Baseball, which at the time was the only Major sport in the country open to all races. By 1948 the Chicago-based Harlem Globetrotters, although not a member of the the BAA (the precursor to the NBA) were considered, along with the Minneapolis Lakers, the top basketball team on the planet.
On February 19, 1948, the two teams met before a packed house at Chicago Stadium. In the end the Globetrotters won on a last second shot 61 to 59. One year later (February 28th) the Trotters again defeated the World Champion Lakers 49 to 45.
During the summer of 1949, the National Basketball League and Basketball Association of America merged to form the National Basketball Association. Of greater significance, however, was the integration of the NBA, as the Boston Celtics drafted the first Black player Chuck Cooper of Duquesne.This opened the league to athletes of all races. Cooper, Red Aeurbach, Bob Cousy and Ed McCauley all made their debuts November 1, 1950. That same season the Trotter's, Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton became the first black player to sign a contract and Earl Lloyd became the first Black player to play in an NBA game (October 31, 1950 with the Washington Capitols). By the following season, Black players made up 3 % of the NBA population.
Throughout the 50's , 60's, 70's and even the 1980's, White (American) players dominated rosters throughout the League. In fact, during the 50's and for the better part of the 60's, there was an unspoken rule that limited the number of Blacks to a team. Today even in the college game the number of White players has dropped considerably. From the 1920's until 1947, few Black players were allowed in major college programs. One notable exception was Jackie Robinson, a multi-sport star (1939–1941) at UCLA just before World War II. My question is moving forward... Where did all the white players go?
I believe the Dream Team (I) skewed the American basketball model. Everyone wanted to be like Mike and Magic, but only in a highlight sort of way. The "world" on the other hand learned the nuts and bolts of how to play the game the right way from our stars. Our kids learned to be "And-1" and "Ball Up" type players. No longer was it about just being good but now it was about looking good too. Know-how (The ability to master the game technically and fundamentally) lost its position in the basketball world to Do-how (Creative based and physical play)- at least in the minds of our kids.
Could Dr. Naismith fathom the above-the-rim acrobatics or street-ball creativity of the modern player? This era of the physical freak has morphed the game of basketball beyond physical recognition. It is becoming more and more difficult to compete on today’s athletic plane. IMO Blacks- as a whole, have a cultural advantage over Whites athletically based primarily on how we attach and walk on earth. "Foot Mechanics is Quite a feat" and "Every Step You Take" are upcoming articles that will break that down further. Whites or any other group who attach in this way also tend to be athletic. Conversely, Blacks with poor foot mechanics also suffer athletically. So its more about culture than about color.
In addition to athletic prowess, the cultural sense of rhythm or "soul", seems to give an advantage in dancing and other types of physical creativity. It's not surprising that Blacks have filled the majority of the rosters spots in the NBA over the last 25 years under that model . It caters to the subcultural advantages of Black players for sure. However the NBA is not all Black. There are a host of other players from outside the US who are thriving. With so few White American players, why do foreign players seem to fair so well against our "Superfreaks"-- especially during world play? Are they just superior to American Whites? It's an obvious answer... right? It comes down style of play. I just think the default settings for overall "clean" play for many American players isn't quite as consistent as European players.
There IS a remedy for this:
Introducing the martial arts of Basketball (MAB)
It is the fundamentals, centered on economy and strategy of movement. Inside this discipline, you do not have to be the best athlete to be the best player. The only physical requirement is to be an average athlete – if that. With superior technique, you can control physical confrontations without dependency on raw force or speed per se.
MAB allows you to manipulate time and space to manage objects beyond your “normal” physical capacity.
It is precision of technique and focused vision that allows you to slow the game speed down to make processing the action easier. Precision or “clean” technique eliminates unnecessary movements and other time-costs from your play.
Focused vision (which provides early awareness of the immediate circumstance), slows the game down perceptively, while speeding up anticipation and decision-making skills. This type of time efficiency allows you to operate ahead of the action without having to move fast physically.
Eventually, everyone will embrace the MAB and the results will be staggering. One of these days some superfreak athlete will be a hoop martial artist as well and we'll forget all about Michael Jordan.... Imagine.
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