At the risk of riling up two very different groups (who probably wouldn’t appreciate being compared to each other), something occurred to me today while sifting through all suspension outrage. The Spurs are the United Arab Emirates of the NBA. And not just because Tony Parker hates freedom.
They’re (ostensibly) highly sanitized, the embodiment of a certain ideal of efficiency, and in possession of some inarguably enviable resources. They’re attractive to the sort of person who’d rather vacation on a man-made island where their investment is guaranteed than take a chance in a naturally exotic locale. They lack true character, but their success pays its own dividends in terms of garnering surprisingly widespread support (viz., the “That guy’s rich, he must be doing something right!” mindset).
All of this in spite of the fact that there is an undeniably ugly side to them that manifests when they’re challenged, one that shatters that facade of sterility, but for the worse and not the better. At first blush they look like they can be a safeguard and entrusted with being a good face for the league (or, say, in charge of protecting America’s ports), but in reality they stand for — and succeed by way of — some very unpleasant things. The fact that Bruce Bowen hasn’t yet cut off the hand of an opponent for posting him up (or, at the very least, kidnapped him and induced some sort of hormone therapy) doesn’t mean he’s not thinking about it.
May 17, 2007 at 3:16 am
Joey Crawford would’ve kicked out Bowen many a few times. Bring him back!
May 18, 2007 at 1:21 am
You, sir, are a fraud. How much, I wonder, do you know about the U.A.E? Or do you simply choose a nation that most of your knuckle-dragging readers are likely to be unfamiliar with? In my day, a person travelled to a nation before they attempted to draw abstract comparisons to professional sports teams and that country. Suppose you were given a gold star and a map of South America. Would you be able to pin-point U.A.E? I would argue yes, because to you, the U.A.E represents everything that is different. Everything that is not what you are comfortable with. My advice? Seek Help.