By Temple A. Stark, Casa Grande, AZ
No.1, he deserved it, but really he got the edge because he's white.
I know, how completely stupid is that statement, anyway?
Here's how stupid.
Monday night Charles Barkley (in one of his better moments - coherent even) brought forward for all to ridicule a desperate column by Miami Herald writer Dan Le Batard.
Titled, "Unprecedented choice for MVP begs question" his sorry column's first sentence was: "How much of this has to do with race?"
How much of this has to do with race?A lot?
A little?
Or "zero," as Miami Heat president Pat Riley said before the little white guy beat the big black guy for MVP?
I don't pretend to know these answers. There is no good way to do these measurements with science or math. And I, too, am tired of seeing racism thrown like a Molotov cocktail into discussions where racism doesn't exist.
But don't you have to ask these questions when confronted with something unprecedented?
Or do we just continue laughing and making noise at our playoff cocktail party while ignoring the pinkish elephant standing in the middle of the room in a Nash jersey?
No one who looks or plays like Steve Nash has ever been basketball's MVP. Ever. In the history of the award, a tiny, one-dimensional point guard who plays no defense and averages fewer than 16 points a game never has won it. But Nash just stole Shaquille O'Neal's trophy, even though O'Neal had much better numbers than Nash in just about every individual statistical measurement except assists, so it begs the question: Is this as black and white as the boxscores that usually decide these things?
If the connection's not, yet, made Miami is the home of the Miami Heat, where Shaquille O' Neal headed to this year after many successful years as a Los Angeles Lakers.
O' Neal finished second in the MVP balloting in one of the closest races in years.
You know what though? The words "race" "white" and "black" did not even enter my head when I heard the announcement. I don't think I'm atypical. Not until Barkley, relaying Le Batard's column, brought it up. And, as Barkley said on the TNT broadcast before yesterday night's game, "It pissed me off."
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Matt Sussman
It may be insensitive to say "Nash won because he's white" in modern day. But it's the first time a white guy won the MVP in a while, and why can't a columnist just cut through the PC red tape and just say it?
Did he also mention how he's Canadian? And has long hair?
2 - Temple Stark
Um because it had nothing to do with winning?
3 - bhw
King Kaufman wrote an interesting column on this subject today.
Here's are some King quotes:
But it's almost always about race at least a little bit. You can't have a white guy win the MVP in an overwhelmingly black league without putting up MVP-type numbers and say it's not about race. And Nash didn't put up MVP-type numbers.
and
One of the most prominent arguments in Nash's favor has been that the Suns added him and improved from 29 wins to 62, the third-best improvement in league history. The Miami Heat, meanwhile, added O'Neal and only improved from 42 to 59 wins.
Pretty silly argument. For one thing, who cares what happened last year? For another, if you do care, what about the teams those two left? The Mavericks lost Nash and improved from 52 to 58 wins. The Lakers lost Shaq and went from 56 wins to a 34-win nightmare.
I haven't followed the NBA enough to say one way or the other, but it looks like race could have been a factor.
4 - Mark Sahm
I thought Stan Van Gundy's comment about comparing Shaq and Nash has some validity though--- how has each team fared that the two players left? The Lakers were a terrible mess with Shaq gone, whereas Dallas actually improved by a few wins after Nash left.
5 - sal m
Great item and I'm glad to see some more sports stuff showing up here.
This story by Le Batard kills me. What a cowardly way to bring up the subject. I could at least respect what he did a bit more if he just had the balls to come out and say that race had something to do with Nash winning the MVP...But he chose to be a mouse.
He chose to act like the water cooler gossip who says "I'm not saying Margo is a whore, but really is she a whore?"
And as a matter of fact, people like La Batard who see everything in terms of race are themselves practicing racism.
"A white guy won, gee it must be because he's white, since black guys are much better basketball players." That my friends is racism.
6 - Mark Sahm
Race is indeed irrelevant. The real argument between Nash and Shaq is their skill versus their size.
Would Shaq be any good if he was 6'6" and 260? Nope. Shaq can't even make a free throw half of the time. And he's made like two 3-pointers in his entire career. He's only dominant because he can bully opponents with his size.
But would Nash still be able to pass like he does if he was bigger? Yes. And it all certainly has nothing to do with skin color between either of them.
7 - Temple Stark
And sorry Marc, I was a little hasty before - heading out the door. It's about winning - and of course the voting.
Still, who are the racist voters, considering the MVP history?
Ultimately it is pretty subjective - but you usually have a handful of standouts each year
The Suns so far this year are a charmed team. Their coach was just named NBA Coach of the Year. They all but swept the All-star game contests.
Look at the numbers; look at the stats.
And thanks Sal. Pretty much the only NBA here is RJ and I. The only time baseball is mentioned is in relation to sterorids.
There could be more. Judging by response though - not many others around this site are sports fans - which is great, it's just the way it is.
This story sits on the Google News front page and at the top of the Google sports section, so maybe it will bring more sports fans in.
8 - Temple Stark
Matt matt matt. Jeez, can't get the names right. :-0
9 - Matt Sussman
No offense taken. Common names are boring and hard to remember anyway.
Upon further reading I see that Le Batard is just pointing to the tin foil hat and saying "Hey, maybe race is a factor."
And Dan writes in the city Shaq currently plays. It makes sense he's going to his defense.
But Steve Nash is white. Heaven forbid someone say it. It's a fact. And there hasn't been a white MVP for a while.
It's like saying Randy Johnson is the tallest (and ugliest) guy to win the Cy Young award, or Grant Fuhr is the best black goalie ever, or that there are no white starting running backs in the NFL, or that the Yankees haven't won a World Series since September 11th.
The comparisons may be irrelevant, but they're the kind of correlations that sell.
And you guys need sports copy? I just graduated from college so I have a lot of time on my hands. Getting back to Blogcritics may not be such a bad idea.
10 - Temple Stark
Baseball coverage would be good. I'm interested in following but not watching the games on TV. I need to go see the D-backs before they really suck and I lose all will :-0
11 - RJ
Look, a strong case could be made that Shaq deserved the award more than Nash. In fact, Nash himself publicly said that Shaq should have been the MVP.
But this is NOT AT ALL about race.
The NBA is a mostly-black league. The VAST majority of recent MVPs have been black. Numerous NBA coaches are black. This is NOT, in any way, shape, or form, an anti-black league!
Nash won the MVP because of three huge factors:
1 - The Suns had the best record in the NBA this season
2 - The Suns have had a remarkable turnaround since Nash has been a part of the team
3 - Nash had damn good numbers for a point guard, including leading the NBA in assists
Again, a case could be made for Shaq. No question. But he wasn't picked. And if he HAD been picked, no major sports-writer would have claimed it was about race...
12 - Temple Stark
Of course, RJ - no doubt Shaq Daddy is amazing.
good points (especially snce a lot of them echoed my post :-) )
13 - Jack
So will it still be called racism if Yao wins the MVP? In my experience the first one to pull out the race card is also the first person who is a bigot.
Bigot: One who is strongly partial to one's own group, religion, race, or politics and is intolerant of those who differ.
14 - Paul Roy
Isn't it racist that the NBA is about 90% black? I'm thinkin' we need some affirmative action for us poor short whities.
15 - Joe
I can't jump in with any degree of impartiality having been a Suns fan since I was a kid. But I would add that the argument about the Laker's record drop-off after losing Shaq neglects to address that some of that dropoff could also be attributed to another key factor to their success: Phil Jackson.
Truth is, the award is kind of like awarding the venue for the all-star game. The league gives fans variety to spread the appeal of the game as broadly as possible. If it were truly an MVP award Shaq would probably win it every year, because he's one of a kind in terms of size and ability.
16 - visualsimplicity
Joe, see that's the problem I think, as pointed out here by Skip Bayless. Skip states that:
17 - RJ
"I would add that the argument about the Laker's record drop-off after losing Shaq neglects to address that some of that dropoff could also be attributed to another key factor to their success: Phil Jackson."
Thank you!
18 - RJ
Look, Rush Limbaugh was basically FIRED from his job as a sports analyst at ESPN for saying Mr. McNabb was overrated by the media because the sports media is liberal, and therefore they want to see a black QB do well.
While his claim is certainly debatable, it is hardly baseless. (How many Super Bowls has McNabb won again?)
Now Mr. Le Batard claims Nash (a Canadian) only won MVP this year because of RACISM among the voters. But this is utter crap. The last white guy to win MVP was Larry Fucking Bird, about two decades ago.
So, Mr. Le Batard's claim is pretty much baseless.
Yet the MSM have not made a big issue of this. They have not attacked Mr. Le Batard for wading into a racial sewer. And he has not been fired from his job at ... ESPN!
Sounds like a double standard to me...
19 - Joe
I don't think Le Batard (that must have been a hell of a name to grow up with) has a gig with ESPN. Here's a good article from ESPN's website with some interesting thoughts from Rex Chapman who, since retiring from the NBA, has taken a job in the Suns' front office and has recently been stinking it up as a commentator for TNT.
20 - RJ
"I don't think Le Batard (that must have been a hell of a name to grow up with) has a gig with ESPN."
I have a subscription to ESPN the Mag. And he has a column there every week...
21 - Joe
Oh, you meant ink and paper.
Luddite.
22 - Temple Stark
Luddite??? Apparently it meant he was more informed than you :)
I thought the broadcasting team of Dean Stockton, Rex Chapman, John Thompson and Charlie Collins is the best out there.
And I'm oh so thankful I haven't had to hear Bill "I'm right, you're Wrong, I just wet my pants" Walton, yet.
INTTTS
or ICYWWINTTTS
- Temple
23 - Joe
Ink and paper? You're soaking in it...
Amen to being spared Bill "the majesty of the NBA Championships" Walton. Chapman's still a little green but with the shaved head he's sort of like a mini-me for Tom Tolbert. Doug Collins and John Thompson are pretty good, but they tend to talk up teams which jibe with their respective coaching styles. Usually, I mute the TV and listen to Al McCoy and Vinnie Del Negro on the radio anyway.
24 - MCH
"Look, Rush Limbaugh was basically FIRED from his job as a sports analyst at ESPN for saying Mr. McNabb was overrated by the media because the sports media is liberal, and therefore they want to see a black QB do well."
- R. J. (Bobby) Elliott
Look, everybody knows that ESPN fired Lardbaugh because he failed the drug test.
25 - Temple Stark
Stay on sports, please.