The NBA and NBA Players Association are committing greater than $2.5 million to HBCUs in addition to offering extra assist to honest COVID-19 care.
The NBA introduced the donation on the similar time it introduced a few of its All-Star occasions in Atlanta on March 7.
The league has been criticized for persevering with to have a modified model of its All-Star weekend throughout a pandemic. What often serves as a meaningless exhibition might now turn out to be an excellentspreader event for not solely the league however the metropolis of Atlanta.
Multiple gamers have been vocal about their displeasure that the NBA is enjoying an All-Star recreation in a 12 months the place no followers may even attend due to the virus. Just just a few days in the past, the NBA introduced that a number of groups would have to postpone video games due to COVID outbreaks, and gamers throughout the league are actually being taken out of video games due to contact tracing protocols.
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Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has already stated “this is a made-for-TV event only, and people should not travel to Atlanta to party.” But the chance of individuals listening to that recommendation is slim to none.
We’ve all seen that society has bother following directions throughout this time.
HBCUs may gain advantage from help that the league might present to assist educate extra promising younger Black folks and help in giving extra Black folks alternatives to succeed.
COVID relief is an admirable trigger throughout this time, contemplating that greater than 490,000 folks have died due to this pandemic.
But the NBA might have simply provided their hand in serving to these causes with out throwing a meaningless recreation that may trigger extra hurt for the neighborhood than it’s price. But we all know the actual finish recreation right here is making extra money from their TV companions.
The NBA did do a superb factor right here in serving to each of those causes, however you’ll be able to’t assist however assume that someplace in the league workplace they orchestrated this announcement to get higher press after making a horrible resolution to play a recreation that gained’t even rely.
They deserve credit score for making an attempt to assist these communities, however don’t lose sight of how they dropped the ball with this All-Star recreation, particularly if we begin seeing extra outbreaks in the league or in Atlanta itself.