The more I think about this issue, the more I come around to the idea that the NBA - and the other sports leagues - actually haven't gone far enough.
The USA is facing an existential crisis, and a huge chunk of its population is totally ignorant about it. The racial justice issue is just one tear in their social fabric, and there are people with shears lining up to cut their society and institutions to ribbons.
One of the biggest barriers to civic engagement to both educate themselves and take action on these issues are the first world comforts that allow people to sit comfortably on the sidelines, content that things are going okay for them, and that the problems in society aren't that many, that bad, or their problems.
Sports is one of those social luxuries that distracts from and obscures the issues American society is facing. Players kneeling for the anthem causes a blip of confusion or annoyance. The cancellation of a game or two causes a few people to discuss and pay attention to the issues for a moment, but simply infuriates others. Either way they go back to being distracted when the games resume, coming away either somewhat enlightened, or increasingly hostile to the issues that briefly cost them their valued entertainment.
With two months and a week to go until the US votes for its next president, it actually makes sense for all sports to simply stop. Broader social actions - like the shutdown of transit, streets, or private businesses - are likely to stir up social unrest and violent confrontations. The shutdown of sports does not: it simply eliminates one of the things that prevent people from paying attention to the very real crisis they are in.
Basically, the water is coming to a boil, and sports are just one more thing that's keeping the frogs from noticing it.
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