Politics and sports are frequently connected by overarching issues in society, especially when dealing with race and money. On the issue of money, I agree with J.A. Adande (ESPN’s “Around the Horn”) that sports and politics are connected in fiscal matters surrounding the public financing of sports stadiums. On the question of the Arizona Immigration Law, my question is: Should a sports team or professional sports league impact legislation of a sovereign state? Was the Phoenix Suns statement a Jackie Robinson type incident or simply a publicity stunt?
If there is any franchise, or professional sports league, that has any chance of seriously impacting the mis-guided Arizona Immigration Law, it is Major League Baseball (MLB). Almost 30% of current members of the MLBPA are of Hispanic ethnicity. The Suns has two Hispanic players on their 2009-2010 roster and the NBA as a whole as of the 2008-2009 season had 19 players from 6 different countries (not quite MLB level of ethnicity).
I get why the Suns made the statement they did (and they won last night); it was a combination of two very important reasons – conscience and money. People of Hispanic ethnicity make up about 15% of the NBA’s fan base as of 2009 and one could make a reasonable assumption that a good segment of that fan base resides in the Phoenix area.
Suns owner Robert Sarver and his team made a statement yesterday that needed to be heard, however, their actions are not even close to Jackie Robinson because the situation is different. People who make the argument of comparing Jackie Robinson with the message the Phoenix Suns sent, and or the action that MLB should probably take (just as the NFL moved the Super Bowl from AZ during the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday meltdown), do not know history and make the assumption that Jackie Robinson was trying to make a political statement.
Jackie Robinson did not cause the integration of baseball in the 1940s; one of the most important factors was money. If the MLB were to pull the All-Star Game next year, and boycott all of the spring training sites in AZ until further notice, the economic impact would be noticeable.
To the Phoenix Suns, thank you for the gutsy move. We will have to see if Major League Baseball decides to step up to the plate.
Faculty, Department of Political Science, Towson University. Graduate from Liberty University Seminary.