Basketball more than just a game

May 17, 2010 • Victor Bhattacharyya  
Filed under Opinion, Uncategorized

On Wednesday May 5^th, sports and politics intertwined. The Phoenix Suns, in a statement against the recently passed legislation 1070, are wearing their “Los Suns” jerseys in a playoff game against their rival, the San Antonio Spurs. The Suns organization came to the consensus that 1070 promotes racial profiling, which is something that the Suns don’t want to promote in their community. The bill gives police the power to pull over anyone they may suspect has immigrated illegally. By giving so much authority to the policemen, they have the ability to pull over anyone they deem “suspicious”. This bill promotes racial profiling against Hispanics, and is unconstitutional in the view of the Suns. The team issued a statement saying: “The Hispanic community have been such loyal fans to us. Its about time that we show them that we appreciate their support and look out for them”. May 5^th also happens to be the Mexican holiday, Cinco de Mayo. The making of a political statement about a controversial bill has never been so timely. The Spurs also offered to wear their “Los Spurs” jerseys, showing that they were also devoted to the cause. Though they are mortal enemies on the court, the Suns and Spurs both share the human experience, and want to improve their community. It’s nice to see that basketball is more than just a game, and that it can have a positive effect on the lives of everyday citizens.

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