In case you didn’t notice, EQUALITY. That was Nike’s message this weekend at NBA All-Star 2017 in New Orleans, and whether you agree or not, the basic premise is the same: be nice. You don’t have to like other people or their beliefs, but be nice. Listen, talk, work together, play together. That’s as deep into politics as I get, so here was the Nike event rundown for All-Star.
First of all, it did not go according to plan. Thanks to Mr. “Wrong way, drunk at 9:30 in the morning, ran a stop sign,” our guest trainer, Idan Ravin (the guy who almost killed Stanley), was in an auto accident and could not make it. Good for us, as we divided up into teams and ran 5-on-5 for about an hour in the new Nike Basketball BHM collection (we were told we were the first ones to wear them on court. HAA!!).
The floor was built in a warehouse scheduled to be torn down after the weekend was over, but the space was shared by an art studio housing Brandan “B-Mike” Odums and some of his freaking fantastic work (find another art critic who calls it freaking fantastic). The court and walls were adorned with paintings and murals of influential leaders — it got the events off on the right foot.
The “Equality” theme permeated the city all through the weekend, especially at the House of Hoops on Canal Street in Downtown. There, a booth for pictures of visitors was available to take headshots for the Equality wall, and the shirts, both black and white, were available for purchase.
Enjoy the photos below taken by yours truly, and if you were lucky enough to be in NOLA this weekend, did you get a chance to come by the events or check the Equality spots out? Let us know below.
(Yeah, those are my feet.)
Yes because the all-star game really set the stage for equality – Gordon Hayward was the lone white guy. Not to mention there were no Hispanics or Asians. I guess as long as someone spouts the word “equality” it must be true.
Not to mention that New Orleans is a crime ridden city that is dirty and for which the hotel staffers tell guests not to go out at night because of all the crime. So the NBA moves the all-star game from Charlotte which is by far a way cleaner city and by far less crime to New Orleans which is complete opposite. The NBA has it’s values misaligned.
Many of my friends were out in NOLA at night and they had nothing but fun — no crime. “Dirty” meaning what exactly, for you? The NBA had its values, to me, properly aligned when it moved ASW from a state that was infringing on people’s civil rights — something you might care about — to state that was not. New Orleans has played host to ASW many times and it will again.
By the way, crime is DOWN across the United States. You must be believing some #alternativefacts
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/07/is-violence-in-america-going-up-or-down/491384/
Here are some real facts.
Do you add sugar to White privilege, or do you take it straight?
Equality doesn’t mean equity.
So, Nike actually invited you guys somewhere Duke? lol
Funny they are playing up equality now, especially since Phil Knight is gone. For years, Nike has promoted nothing but inequality, consumerism, silently supporting riots over Jordan product without a damned word being uttered about the stupidity of such, exploitation of impoverished countries through unfair labor, and I am not even going to get into the shoddy product that arrives at the stores that are not worth the price asked. Remastered my ass, and just like one of their now retired favorite endorsers, Nike is always late to the fucking party. Over on sites like NikeTalk and Sole Collector Nike was, and still is, protected when they fuck up. You cannot talk bad about their lack of consciousness with their continued support of stereotypical imagery, the athletes who were the exact opposite of what should be admired. Ego driven, misogynistic behaviours, even athlete’s who’ll sue their own mothers, and another who cannot even admit that he is black, while not being able to get back on a golf course for reasons other than being black. Yeah Nike, if I were reviewing shoes here, you may have one or two good reviews, yeah, but on the whole, I’d keep a foot deep in your ass simply because your whole stance up until now has been nothing but one huge Blaxploitation movie featuring Phil Knight as “The Man”.
I was hoping you would read and comment on this. One thing that was mentioned by a Nike employee working the event (I don’t know the name – they hired locals to work around the gym) was “Equality? Then where are the paintings of white people?”. That was said LOUD in an empty gym and turned some heads.
The good thing about this event – and there was a shirt I tried to but that said this- “Treat people outside these lines like you do inside” with a graphic of the court. I’ve always tried to be that way – i don’t care what race, color, or gender, if you can help me win, we are cool. It was a dope concept, let’s see if it was only for this weekend though.
LOL, I walked right into a setup! I think that with the current atmosphere in the world right about now, it is pretty clear where the hypocrisy lies. Racism, sexism, xenophobia, does nobody any favors, not even those who lay claim to benefit from white patriarchal rule. Just watched the documentary on Warren Buffet, inspirational as all hell. Instead of trying to be like the current President of The United States. and other egotistical leaders of certain companies, Buffet proves that wealth does not have to mean a lack of consciousness must reign supreme in order to be on top.
Equality means just that, equality. Level the playing field so everyone can do their thing. If you are not good enough to play, entitlement and EGO are not going to be the things that get you to be better, hard work, focus and dedication are those things that bring about success and then CONFIDENCE, which is earned. There is a reason why this election in the United States turned out as it did, ego has run amok. Well, there is only one thing that can reign ego in, and it is funny as hell to see NIKE trying to facilitate that.
Hysterical actually.
No trap, my friend. I love talking to you because even though we may not agree, we respect and listen to each other. Honestly, I think this country, right now, DESERVES Trump. When social media runs our opinions, no one listens to anyone else because it goes longer than 140 characters, and reality television stars are running this country even before the election, what else did we deserve?
WE THE PEOPLE have to solve this crap, not DC, not Austin, not NY mayor, not the senate, congress, or supreme court. WE have to learn to play nicely, all of us, before we can expect our leaders to look out for our interests and not theirs.
As far as the election, I blame the Dems. All they had to do, ALL, was give us someone likable. Instead, we got Hillary. That’s as far from likable as you can get.
Equality should mean everyone – EVERYONE – has the same fair chance, with no restrictions, not that EVERYONE gets the same results, which I know is what you said as well, but sometimes I ramble.
I was gona comment myself kinda the same way you did secular human so I’m cool, I’ll go to sleep earlier ^^
You know, once I found out he was actually ok, I was glad he didn’t show. I wasn’t in the mood to walk funny the rest of the day, especially since I had another game for foot locker that afternoon – story coming soon.