Adam Silver is powerless in many ways. He can suggest and poke, but he cannot exercise his willpower in urgent matters.
He will do his best to bring up issues of diversity in the coaching ranks, knowing that billionaires will do whatever they want, regardless of public appearance.
Silver may know what having an All-Star Game in the middle of a pandemic in Atlanta will do for his league’s reputation, but he is well aware that the NBA needs it for its financial results.
The confused messages made the public question their intentions, considering that the NBA positioned itself as a bastion of morality when it is impossible to satisfy billionaires, partner with players and be aware at the same time.
But Silver manages to maximize his capital by putting players on board, or at least on the same page, with the message and the execution of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Whether it’s the biggest voice of all, LeBron James, or random players whispering or even tweeting concerns about the vaccine, consistency would be helpful. Laker veteran Jared Dudley actually stated that the FDA did not approve the vaccine – What is not true.
And James was evasive.
“This is a conversation that my family and I will have. Practically keep it a private matter,” said James. “Obviously, I saw that Adam had his comments about the vaccination. But things like that, when you decide to do something, it’s a conversation between you and your family and not for everyone. I will keep it like this. “
It is not fair or reasonable to expect uniformity, and since the NBA has aligned itself with freedom of expression, contrasting feelings among powerful figures must be taken into account.
76ers coach Doc Rivers said he would get the vaccine.
“I am a black man who needs to say this because I think it is important,” said Rivers. “We have a history of vaccines that are not very positive in this country.”
But, especially after Philadelphia 76ers stars Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid were barred from participating in the All-Star Game because a barber in Philadelphia tested positive for COVID-19, the dangers are as real as ever with the expected second half. to start later this week – and the league will have no room to postpone games if an outbreak occurs in the next two months.
The worst may well be behind the championship. Fans are slowly being allowed to go through the turnstiles, there are three approved vaccines that Americans can take and President Joe Biden said there would be enough doses by the end of May, creating the possibility of an atmospheric end to the season and playoffs.
But there is no room for maneuver. The 72 games must be played to fulfill the television contracts, the playoffs and the finals must be made in a timely manner for the NBA to send its players to Tokyo for the Olympics, and Silver hopes to put the league back on a relatively track normal for the next season to start recovering revenue.
And if you think the NBA doesn’t really need all the bread it can handle, your determination to get the lucrative day of the stars should be proof A.
It is a precarious time. States like Texas are running wild and stripped, long before it’s safe to do so. It is also reasonable to assume fatigue among people who can see the finish line, whether or not they are heading to the line to get a vaccine, cabin fever increasing after a year of restrictive protocols.
The fault line the NBA is on may fluctuate a bit, and in no way should the league feel that it has left the forest. It is only advanced to another level in the game and, just like with an old Nintendo or a new Playstation, the higher the level, the more dangerous the bets are.
Silver cannot force players to get the vaccine, although it can be assumed that he would like to nudge them politely. You don’t have Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry West and Gregg Popovich in television commercials endorsing the vaccine just because of Joe Public. There is an incentive to give players the confidence they place in these timeless and historical figures, these lighthouses, to ensure that the rest of the season goes on reasonably.
Silver positioned himself as an ally of the players during his tenure, but his title as commissioner puts him in a position of authority. The authority that Silver represents and the government in this regard are not close, but it can be used as an approximation.
It is fair to assume that there is a legitimate distrust of players in the government – the events of last year only cemented the beliefs of decades – and now they are being instructed to forget or ignore their belief system, take this needle in your arms, do it for business and to be your public spokesperson.
For some, it is a very long and unstable bridge to walk, no matter the level of confidence in Silver. From the stories about the Tuskegee Experiment to the different treatment that blacks have received in the health care system and their own personal experiences in the athletic world, there are barriers that need to be broken.
“For those who hesitated, I think that since tens of millions of people now in the United States have received the vaccine, people are seeing at least in the short term what the impact is and are hearing about how incredibly effective these vaccines are,” he said. Silver on Saturday. “My guess is that most players will ultimately choose to get vaccinated.”
The vaccine’s launch was of poor quality, especially in black communities. But, according to the Civiqs survey of registered voters, 57% of blacks who have not yet been vaccinated plan to do so, more than Hispanics (56%) and whites (41%).
If there is an advantage for players to do this now or in a short time, it would certainly create public trust within the black community, as well as the obvious economic benefits and possible loosening of rigid protocols.
The restrictions are not easy to follow on a daily basis, and some incentive can be useful, even though there is so much that we do not know about the long-term effects of the virus.
There is no magic solution to this complex and multifaceted problem. Silver is walking the fine line, as is his league – but it may be in your interest to profit from some of that goodwill for the good of everyone involved.
Because even though we don’t know the future, we know the alternative – and nobody wants that.
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