Maybe I got spoiled…but I’ve shared that my first job out of college was at the NBA League office, & the “leader” of our org at the time, was David Stern. He understood time…& place…& opportunity. As someone who ran a business, he understood those things could go together, along w the promotion of social causes, so that everyone could win.
Before I worked there, in the early 90’s I was in middle school, & marveled how Stern handled the Magic Johnson/AIDS situation. At the time, AIDS was scary to the masses. We didn’t know if we could get it just by coming into contact w those who had it – breath, sweat, etc.
The day Magic told the world abt: “The HIV Virus”…Stern sat next to him on the podium. At Stern’s funeral, a # of the eulogists focused on this time period/event.
David 1) Was by Magic’s side no matter what, 2) Wanted to get the facts & show the world the realities abt the virus (which he didn’t even know at the time of the announcement), 3) Wanted to be a beacon of hope/normalization for others who struggled w the virus, that this could be overcome.
Some might say Magic had more means than others to get the best drugs back then. We’ll never fully know. But what what we do know is – David stood by Magic to play in the All-Star game that yr. To show that against the other best players in the world – contact & sweat couldn’t transmit it. Not to be scared of it.
There are many lessons I learned from David – directly & indirectly. I think his legacy is the reason why the NBA championed the Kevin Love story abt MH when it did. Even if PR motivated, the league knew it had an opportunity to lead social change.
It’s why I’m disappointed at the reaction of some of the leagues & orgs to current events that have gone on in their respective domains. One in particular being sexual abuse. Compare what I shared above, to the CYA, legal jargon going on right now, related to the Kyle Beach situation.
Compare the optics…whether there’s support, in person, of the players involved…of campaigns for change…of championing education…normalization. I don’t see it.
The world doesn’t get better by sweeping things under the rug.
