The NBA is breaking convention to allow players to put messages on their jerseys. For many, however, the measure doesn’t go far enough.
Stripped of context, the idea is a noble one. In reaction to the anti-racism protests across the US, the NBA will allow players to wear messages on their jerseys in support of social justice when the league returns later this month. However, the rollout has not gone as smoothly as the league would have hoped. Not all players have been fully satisfied with the limited choices the league has approved and there is a growing movement to leave the space blank as a silent protest. A gesture that was meant to portray the league in a positive light instead has become a case study in the limits of corporate virtue-signaling.
The NBA’s decision to allow players to choose messages was a bigger concession than it may appear. Leagues typically want to maintain tight control on how their players dress on the field or court. The NFL, in particular, is notorious for how quick it is to levy fines for even the tiniest alterations. In allowing its players to use their uniform to comment on such topics as racism, systematic inequality and police brutality, the league is taking on a certain amount of risk. The list of 29 phrases allowed includes potentially divisive statements – in more conservative states, anyway – such as “Say Their Names” and “I Can’t Breathe.”
