Page 8 Portland Observer, April 22, 1982
"Playoff ready." Jack Si km a shows his true form on this shot in
action against the Portland Trailblazers. Even though Seattle lost,
the Sonics will face Houston in NBA playoff action.
"Late season m agic." Bates brings the crowd alive once again
with a slammer over Seattle's James Donaldson. Portland pulled
out a win in their final season game, beating Seattle 119-114.
Racism in the NBA
bv Ron Sykes
There have been numerous a rti
cles w ritte n , many words spoken,
argum ents and fis t fig h ts galore
over whether the N BA is laced with
racial bigotry.
T o gather more inform ation on a
hot topic we decided to visit a few
local pubs where sports interest runs
high. Our first stop was on the near
East side. The place was filled w ith
Blazer fans watching their favorite
team struggle against the Seattle Su
per Sonics in a game that they would
eventually lose and also put to rest
their playoff hopes fo r this season.
We asked several fans what the
Blazers needed m ost to become a
p la y -o ff team. The most prevalent
‘ -fe e lin g was a big center. W hen
asked w ho m ight be ava ila b le or
who they would like to see in P ort
land, the name that came up the
most was Rick Robey follow ed by
B ill Laim beer, both 6-10 back-up
men fo r the C eltics and the
Cavaliers, respectively.
When asked to name the Blazer
M VP Jim Paxton won going away.
We thanked them politely, chug-a-
lugged and headed for a North Port
land establishment.
U pon our a rriv a l we asked the
same questions, but the names we
heard were different. Moses Malone
won hands down here and Mychal
Thompson got most votes for M VP.
It stands to reason that the first es
tablishment was white while the sec
ond was frequented by blacks.
This is the problem that the NBA
must deal w ith. The o ffic ia l league
stance is that no problem exists. But
then P ortland P ublic Schools feel
the same way.
C om m issioner L a rry O 'B ria n
continues to take the ostrich stance
on the N BA. He prefers to stick his
head in a hole when the problem
swirls all around him.
“ I don’ t accept the co n te n tio n ,"
O ’ Brian says, " th a t i t ’ s adverse to
the league and its fu tu re because
there is a preponderance o f blacks. 1
just don’ t . ”
O ’ B rian is a good and ju s t man
and he very well may believe that.
But a ll he needs is a tr ip to the
famed Boston Garden to bring him
in touch with the realities o f bigotry
in the NBA.
It is com m only known that Bos
ton fans are the most racist in the
NBA. Racial slurs are just as evident
in Boston as the cham pionhip ban
ners that hang from the Garden ra f
ters. These slurs are directed at the
Black p layers— w hether they be
home team players or visitors.
L a rry B ird and Kevin M cH ale
and even D anny A inge are w o r
shipped by B oston’ s w h ite fans
w hile C ornbread M axw ell, Robert
Parish and T iny Archibald are con
stantly insulted.
E valuating attitudes o f a sellout
Boston crow d is one thing. Specu
lating why the stands are empty in
Cleveland is another, because the at
titude o f people who stay away from
games is im possible to discern.
M any people believe that w inning
w ill resolve the race issue. Some say
that it is the c o lo r o f the u n ifo rm
and not the color o f the player that
is important.
We constantly hear about the de
cline o f interest in the N B A . The
N BA has gone from seven per cent
Black in ’ 55-’ 56 to seventy-four per
cent black at present. There is defin-
The way we see i t . ..
ite ly an id e n tity p roblem because
eighty per cent o f N B A fans are
white. The average black fan cannot
afford a ticket to an N BA game.
E ig h ty per cent o f the sta rtin g
players in the league are black and
w ith this identity problem , one can
easily see w hy m ost w h ite w rite rs
and announcers w ill take a L a rry
Bird and put him on a pedestal so
high th a t the B ird w o u ld need an
oxygen mask to survive.
It is a known fact that most NBA
executives would give an arm and a
leg for a legitimate white superstar.
Attendance-wise, one can easily see
how this could be a bonanza for the
fro n t office. A good white player is
a potential bonus both to his team
and to the league.
Cleveland C avaliers owner Ted
Stepien said a few years ago in a
magazine interview, "W h ite people
have to have white heroes.. . . I, my
self can’ t relate to black heroes. I ’ ll
be tr u th fu l— I respect them , but I
need white people. It's in me. And I
think the Cavs have too many Black
players. Ten o f eleven. You need a
blend o f black and w hite. I th in k
that draws and I think that’ s a better
team.”
And I think Commissioner O ’ B ri
an must s till have had his head in
that hole when he perm itted a man
like Stepien to purchase an N B A -
franchise.
Black players have dram atically
changed the game o f basketball. I t ’s
now played w ith greater ve lo city
and constantly above the rim . Are
black athletes physically superior?
It is co m m o n ly know n that in
sports that require speed, strength
and agility, black men excel. To give
any other reasons fo r black superi
o rity would be ludicrous, just as it
would be to say that whites are bet
ter swimmers for economic reasons.
New Jersey and Washington, two
evenly m atched teams, should go
dow n to a home and home series.
New Jersey should win both games
at home to take a 2-1 m ini-series
win.
A lso in the east, P h ila d e lp h ia
should get by the vastly im proved
Atlanta Hawks. This should happen
after a tough struggle, 2-0 Philadel
phia.
In the west, Denver and Phoenix
w ill square o ff with Phoenix moving
on to meet the Lakers in the semi
finals.
The toughest mini-series should
occur between Seattle and Houston.
•
The driest spot on earth is the town of Calama in
Atacama Desert of Chile; no rain has ever been re
corded there.
Contrary to popular belief, bulls do not get mad
when they see red. In fact, bulls are color blind. It's
the movement of the cape —and not the color —that
makes bulls charge.
We do not do butine*« with South Africa.
American State
Bank
History was made A p ril 19, 1982,
when the O .L .C .C . issued the first
ever D .A , license (liq u o r by the
d rin k ) to lo n g tim e P o rtla n d resi
dent, A rth u r A . Cox, Sr., owner o f
the Eldorado Lounge.
This is the first time a black busi
nessman has obtained a D .A . class
license solely on the m erits o f his
own application. Others have had to
purchase such licenses from the cur
rent owners or jo in a non-m inority
in making an application.
The commission decided to issue
the license w ith the conditions that
the applicant continue to o ffe r eth
nic food to the com m unity and to
develop, within one year, a banquet
facility on the premises.
M r. Cox h a p p ily accepted the
commission's conditions.
M r. Cox was represented before
the O .L.C .C . by John Toran, Port
land lawyer.
In the western s e m i-fin a ls , Los
Angeles should have little tro u b le
w ith the Phoenix Suns, w hile San
A n to n io and Houston w ill stage a
knock-dow n, drag-out bra w l. We
see H ouston m eeting L .A . in the
western conference finals.
In the east i t ’ s that classic co n
fro n ta tio n that we have seen so
many times during the regular sea
son, Boston vs. Philadelphia. And
just as before, Boston, the winner.
In the 1982 N B A p la y o ffs , i t ’ s
L .A . vs. Boston. Kareem Abdul Ja-
baar and Magic Johnson w ill shatter
the Celtics’ dream o f repeating. The
Lakers in six games.
RECAP TIRE
P u rc h a s e 3 re c a p tire s fo r y o u r car
a n d g e t th e 4th o n e FREE
IFrank Wade Jr
<am m »
A jP tir e t
%
J
G 78 x 15
G 78 x 15
A 78 x 13 .
JR 7 8 x 1 5
Gr 7 8 x 1 5 .
BR 7 8 x 1 5
700 x 15 . .
750x16 ..
L 7 8 x 1 5 ..
1 2 x 1 6 .5 ..
HR 7 8 x 1 4
1200 x 15.
Mounting and Balancing axtra
$39.95 aach
. $47.00 aach
. $32.95 nach
$49.00 aach
$47.00 aach
$36.95 aach
$64.00 aach
$67.95 nach
$49.95 aach
$70.95 aach
$56.00 aach
$59.95 aach
%
WADE'S TIRE CENTER
Tires are the name o f the game
AN INDEPENDENT BANK
Head Office
2737 N. E. Union
Portland, Oregon 97212
Moses Malone has dominated Seat
tle’s Jack Sikma throughout the sea
son. H ouston should win here and
move on to face San A ntonio in the
semi-finals.
In the eastern semi-finals, Boston
w ill have little trouble downing the
Nets while Philadelphia w ill have a
world o f trouble trying to down M il
waukie.
These are tw o o f the most in d ivi
dually talented teams in (he N B A .
Even with injuries to Brian Winters,
Q uinn Buckner and Junior Bridge-
man, all key players, Milwaukee still
has the talent to beat Philadelphia.
I f D r. J. is not up fo r th is series,
Philadelphia could fall.
FREE ★ FREE ★ FREE
Cox gets
firs t license
Texas is bigger than all these countries put togeth
er: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Hungary,
Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland and England.
Excitement stirs — Each time guard Qua Williams handled the ball
defensive players were on their toes to try and stop him. In an other
wise uneventful game Williams provided first-half excitem ent in
Sunday's final regular season game.
(Photos: Jimmy Roblnsonl
REGISTER
AND
VOTE
7315 N. Fessenden
286-9052
Acrota from George Park in St. Johna
Frank Wade Jr., Owner
/
286-3103