Posted on 05/06/2010 8:06:52 AM PDT by C19fan
In a wide-ranging news conference before the Lakers' 111-103 Game 2 victory Tuesday over the Utah Jazz, Lakers Coach Phil Jackson provided some clues on what his coaching future entails. .......................................................
Jackson had campaigned for Sen. Bill Bradley in 2000 and donated to the Obama election campaign, but he argued, "I don't think teams should get involved in the political stuff."
"I think this one is still coming out to the balance in how it's going to be favorably looked upon in our audience and our public," Jackson said. "If I heard right, it's that the American people are for stronger immigration laws if I'm not mistaken. Where we stand as a basketball team, we should let that play out, let the political end of that go where it's going to go."
(Excerpt) Read more at lakersblog.latimes.com ...
It’s called smart business. The Suns however, are terminally stupid. They shot themselves in the foot and now everyone is laughing at them.
We shouldn’t kid ourselves. The Phoenix Suns are looking at the pressure that the Arizona Diamondbacks are coming under & they buckled. I hope the Governor of Arizona stands tall on this. She’s going to feel awfully lonely in terms of public support as expressed through the News Media.
The powers that be will pick peripheral battles (boycotts) to grind away at public support for the immigration law. If they can get it down to 50% they’ll likely be able win the political argument by defeating the sitting governor.
I look for the NBA & MLB commissioners to come under pressure to take a stand against the Law. Watch.
Los Bums I think may see a drop in fans. They should give free tickets to illegal criminals of all types. They could even play games at AZ. State Prison.
I have no use for Pro team sports if they do this. I will not support a bunch of overpaid PC activists.
God bless you Phil.
Phil’s a brilliant guy, and he realizes what too many professional athletes and entertainment figures do not: there’s no sense in alienating half of your audience over any political issue.
well well. who would have thought a zen master would be the voice of reason here.
Gotta say that I’m really impressed with Phil Jackson on this, and I’ve never really cared for the guy, knowing he’s a big lib (supported Kusinich, for example).
My son-in-law told me that this isn’t the first year they’ve done this. He said they’ve donned these shirts before for Cinco de Myo.
You are right but the wearing of that uniform yesterday was a political statement per the orders and statements of the owner of the Suns.
Neither do I. But we should be prepared for comparisons with the '47 Dodgers. With Jesse Jackson & Al Sharpton in the mix you know that this comparison -- no matter how weak -- is going to get made.
I just wonder that nobody has figured out how much illegal immigration hurts minorities economically? IOW's JJ & Rev. Al are betraying their own constituency. (I know, I know. The Two Stooges only care about Socialism & how much they can extort in tribute.)
Good for Jackson!
The pro-illegal moonbats can have “Los Suns”, this Knick fan is rooting for America’s Team, “Los Angeles”.
I really don’t think the Suns’ management is thinking through the implications of this idiotic protest. Illegal aliens generally cannot afford high priced NBA tickets. Nearly all their customers come from the 70% of AZ residents who support 1070.
BTT
Reminds me of something I heard about Michael Jordan. Reporter asked him why he never commented about politics. He said that it isnt wise to do so because of the liklohood of offending about half of the people no matter which opinion he had.
The state prison? I think that’s where they learned how to play basketball in the first place. Jerks!
I’m officially now rooting for the Lakers. I know Jackson is a lib, but he’s right when it really matters.
As part of the NBA's first fully-integrated Hispanic marketing campaign, éne•bé•a, the NBA today announced the schedule of this season's Noche Latina (Latin Night) program, which celebrates the league's Hispanic heritage with special telecasts and in-arena festivities, including distinctive NBA team uniforms.However, Noche Latina is celebrated in March, so it is over. In this case, they are using the uniforms to promote a political cause. As I said on previous threads, The fact that they haven't even bothered to read the law which has resulted in their total ignorance of the issue suggests they need to put an "ER" on the end of their "LOS".Noche Latina, first launched during the 2006-07 NBA season, features uniforms that display the team name as spoken by the Latin population. The Miami Heat, for example, is called "El Heat"; the San Antonio Spurs are referred to as "Los Spurs."
As a side note...I am left wondering when are they going to celebrate the league's Caucasian heritage? After all, Caucasians are the minority in that sport ; )
My final word on this to any team or player that ignorantly uses their public persona to support a political cause without even understanding the issue...STFU and play ball, we'd much rather watch you dribble than drool.
Why do celebrities and businesses think that pissing off half or more of their customers is a good idea?
And what will the Arizona Cardinals do this NFL season? Will they make a similar political statement?
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