“Shut up and Dribble”

Abstract

This research paper seeks to explore the intersection of race, seen through the predominantly Black athletic body of the NBA, with the rise of the capitalist, consumer-oriented entertainment industry of professional sports throughout the late 20th and early 21st centuries. It will attempt to illustrate how racial identity and capitalism have reacted to one another to create one of the biggest – and one of the most complicated – entertainment entities in North America.
 To explore this issue, I will outline the social setting from which Black athletes grew to participate in spectator sports, touching on notable persons such as Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali, and Bill Russell. I will then examine the importance of broadcasted sports and race’s role therein during the 20th century to contextualise capitalist practices in entertainment. I will conclude with an examination of capitalist practice as regulators for Black identity in the NBA by focusing on its direct and indirect attempts towards regulation. This will be done through an examination of Black athletes’ participation in social justice movements as measures of regulation, using the 1992 Rodney King trial riots and the events of Summer 2020 as comparative case studies.
 While this may appear to simply be an exploration of sports history, one should consider that sports are a primary form of entertainment in both North American and global popular culture. As such, this research project goes beyond an attempt to contribute to sports history, instead seeking to delve into the complementarity of social history, consumerism, and race.