How are players viewed by sportswriters? A combination of statistics, race, similarities with other players and reputation. Just look at Jimmer Fredette, the BYU point guard, through the lens of a sportswriter (or fan). How he is viewed and represented in the media is reflective of a system that the fuels a myth. The myth that white players can’t be successful in the National Basketball Association. By looking closely at how the media represents Fredette, we can test the legitimacy of the system used to judge players before they even play one professional game. The easiest place to start is race. Since Jimmer Fredette is white he is immediately set apart from a majority of the other players in the NBA. And no, that is not a racist thing to say. It would be hard to believe that if Fredette was black he would generate nearly as much buzz as he does. There are very few good white players in the NBA today and so whenever a white player is really good in college everyone pays close attention to see if he might be the next white superstar. Of course, most sportswriters would never openly say just how much race matters in their analysis of players. Though when pressed on the subject one can tell that through all rhetorical bullshit they really would like to admit that race is central to their opinion. When people look at Fredette’s statistics (he led college basketball in scoring, or was at least in the top three, look it up), they often dismiss his gaudy numbers by saying, “well he’s not athletic enough” and “look at the competition”. That’s a fun way of pointing out that Fredette plays in a primarily white league and sometimes struggled against “better athletes” (sportswriter speak for black players). So, in this case a player’s race and the race of his peers becomes a means of dismissing his statistics. Is this warranted? No. Fredette’s statistics are concerning because he’s a point guard that shoots 30 to 40 times a game. Sure, he makes a lot of those shots, but that isn’t the role of an NBA point guard. They are expected to facilitate and be almost like another coach out of the floor. He could move over to shooting guard, but he’s only 6’3” and most shooting guards are at least 6’5” to 6’7”. So, yes Jimmer’s statistics are very alarming, but not because he played in a predominantly white league. They’re concerning because point guards aren’t supposed to shoot and score that much. Somebody should probably tell Jim Rome that (well, don’t because he wouldn’t listen anyway).
When Fredette’s name is mentioned in regards to his professional prospects sportswriters often compare him to players like Adam Morrison and Christian Laetner. There is no reason for this. The only thing these players have in common is that they are white. Morisson was a scorer from the small forward position at Gonzaga, but lacked the ability to create his own shot and was woefully incompetent on defense. That killed him in the NBA. Laetner goes down as perhaps the greatest college basketball player ever and for good reason. He was and still is a legend at Duke, which is the most legendary basketball school, so yeah he’s kind of a big deal. He wasn’t very good in the NBA mostly because he was overshadowed by his far more famous teammate Kevin Garnett and for being a jerk. Players can get away with that in college (especially at Duke), but the NBA is relatively lax when it comes to fouling someone hard (or just smacking them in the mouth). That caused Laetner to crash back to earth. Jimmer Fredette doesn’t have to worry about these same faults. He’s a good kid, can create his own shot, and while he will be an eternal legend at BYU, BYU is no Duke. Then, why is he constantly compared to Morrison and Laetner? Easy they’re all white. It doesn’t matter that their games are all different, in order to perpetuate the stereotype the white players can’t be successful in the NBA race is all that matters. Therefore, Fedette’s media representation must be associated with less successful white players so that white signifies crash and burn.
Finally, there is reputation. In the NBA reputation is everything. Bill Russell hasn’t played in almost 50 years, but we all know that he won 11 championships. We also know that Charles Barkley never won a championship despite being an elite player... and an incompetent commentator. When it comes to Jimmer Fredette his reputation, sportswriters and especially color commentators are quick to point out that he plays in inner city games in the summer. “Playing inner city games” is a code that signifies a level of equality between Fredette and the other top rated prospects, who, for the most part, are black. Again, race comes to define Fredette, but it here that the true motive behind the “white guys can’t play basketball” myth: hope that a white player, any white player will become a superstar. There hasn’t been a white superstar in the NBA since Larry Bird and he retired in 1993. There have been many good white players, but not elite players. That drives away conscious and obnoxious fans (racists) and some other parts of the white male demographic. The NBA is a multi billion dollar industry and while it remains so without this demographic, popularity in the mainstream media and culture is nowhere near where it was in the 1980’s. By some odd coincidence the 1980’s were also the days of Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and the highly public and racially motivated rivalry of the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers.
And so, there it is. The myth that white players can’t play in the NBA is perpetuated by the media so that when the next white superstar does arrive, they’ll have years worth of material to write and report. Therefore, any white player, like Jimmer Fredette, is going to be portrayed as a player that has no shot of making it the NBA so that if he does, they’ll have a plethora of material to write about. The difference between white and black has been the backstory of some of sports greatest stories. The NBA would say day like to return to the days of Magic versus Bird and Los Angeles versus Boston. But that won’t happen without a white superstar.
PS: Kevin Love could solve this problem if he didn’t play in fucking Minnesota.
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