By Robert Kahne, RP Staff, on Wed Jul 6, 2011 at 3:30 AM ET
The Politics of Basketball
I write about basketball in this space every other week. I do this because I enjoy basketball a lot–and I am extremely distraught at the prospect of not being able to enjoy my favorite sport being playing professionally over the next year.
If you haven’t heard, the NBA officially went into a lockout last week. The Association joined the National Football League in such a move, meaning that two out of the United State’s four big sports are now not actively operating. The NFL lockout is pretty easy to explain: there is a huge pie, and the owners don’t want to share it. The NFL lockout will end as soon as the owners realize that losing the good will they have built since the advent of fantasy football would be an incredibly bad idea.
The NBA lockout is a little bit more complicated. On paper, some NBA franchises are losing money. Many NBA owners also own NHL franchises, and remember the 2004-2005 hockey lockout (which eliminated an entire season) as something that bred a more profitable, more fun league. Lots of basketball players who also aren’t very good (relatively speaking) earn way too much money. This all potentially points to a work stoppage which could eliminate a significant chunk of next season. Michael Wilbon sure thinks so.
Though at first glance owners of NBA franchises seem to have many good points about the problems facing the league, many of their points don’t hold up under scrutiny. Matthew Yglesias, a blogger for the left-leaning blog Think Progress, has actually compiled some very interesting and informative posts about the NBA which lead readers to believe that the problems of NBA owners aren’t as big as they would make you believe. Chief among his points are that NBA owners have all increased their utility by owning an NBA team, and that the reason for financial difficulty does not rest with the players. For his justification, read his posts. Seriously, they are good.
Then, Deadspin uncovered some financial documents about the New Jersey Nets which really drove the point home that the NBA probably isn’t actually losing money. It involves a ridiculous concept called the “Roster depreciation allowance.” Again, this post is amazing for explaining how brazen NBA owners actually are and you really ought to read the whole thing.
However, despite whether or not NBA teams are losing money or not, and whether or not owners are suffering or not, they state that they are (and on paper they certainly are). But, the reason that they are is entirely the fault of the owners themselves. In 2004, when the Memphis Grizzlies offered a mediocre Brian Cardinal $37 million for six years, or when the Pistons offered the incredibly mediocre tandem of Charlie Villanueva and Ben Gordon $35 million and $55 million respectively, what were these men supposed to do? Not take the money? When businesses make bad decisions, we all know what happens–that business loses money. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing as much as it is an opportunity–an opportunity to get new leadership and make better decisions. The NBA ought to operate on that principle–just like the rest of America does.
But it doesn’t. Owners (who aren’t actually losing money) state that they are losing money because they make bad decisions, and then blame the players for their contracts which management offered to them. And this is the reason why basketball might be canceled next year. I hope not, but this is nothing but a big barrel of frustration.
By Zack Adams, RP Staff, on Tue Jul 5, 2011 at 3:00 PM ET
The Politics of Tech
It’s now official that Google has launched its newest social networking venture: Google+. The makers of the world’s most popular search engine have sputtered a few times while trying to dive into the social networking market. However, this looks to be a very promising idea. Google already has more users than than Facebook, so why send people to some new service or website? This time they aren’t. Google+ will be integrated into the service that billions already use: Google search. [The Official Google Blog]
Here is an artist’s representation of the organizational structures of some of the largest tech organizations in the world. [comic]
Did you know the cable box under your TV more than likely uses more power than your refrigerator? It totally does. [MSN]
More from the world of Google! Several weeks ago I told you to keep an eye on Google attempting to make driverless cars legal in the state of Nevada. That has now become a reality. Assembly bill no. 511 has passed! [inhabitat]
By Sandra Moon, RP Staff, on Tue Jul 5, 2011 at 1:30 PM ET
The Politics of Faith
Fourth of July Spirituality: One church leader suggests six spiritual practices for this holiday. The goals of these practices are to affirm and celebrate this day of our nation’s birth, while imagining the “impossible possibility” of justice, planetary health, and Shalom for the larger world. [Patheos.com]
For many Americans, this holiday weekend involved cookouts and picnics with copious amounts of food. This article challenges us to eat mindfully as a spiritual experience to “Give[e] us a deep appreciation of all that went into the meal’s creation as well a deep understanding of the relationship between the food on our table, our own health and our planet’s health.” [Huffington Post]
Freedom of religious belief is one of the core values of the U.S. On this day celebrating our nation’s birth, however, some claim that they feel alienated and face accusations of being anti-American because of their lack of belief in God. [CNN Belief Blog]
With the Pope’s first tweet, the Vatican embraces social media. [BBC News]
By John Y. Brown III, on Tue Jul 5, 2011 at 12:30 PM ET
Two years ago I took the family to Los Angeles, CA for the first time—and for my second time in 25 years (since my sophomore year at USC).
We arrived at night and the family was hungry. I promised a nice dinner –but first we had to go by my favorite old haunt, Tommy’s Burger. I promised “Not to ruin my dinner” and to just buy a burger “to look at” (for old time’s sake) and maybe to “take just one bite.”
Oh….the stories we tell ourselves.
My family knew exactly what would happen…and each gave their version of the play-by-play the next day. At Fatburger! (My second favorite haunt):
UPDATE: A few of you have been having trouble accessing the video above. Here is another link.
By Stephanie Doctrow, RP Staff, on Tue Jul 5, 2011 at 12:00 PM ET
Looking for some good summer reading? Twenty three acclaimed writers share their picks. [Time]
Here are five strange moments from Glenn Beck’s last show. New York magazine puts it best: aren’t there strange moments on every episode? [NY Mag]
What is Google +? The world is about to find out. [Poynter Institute]
Here’s an excellent case in media ethics. Read this story about what Princess Diana would be like if she were alive today, and draw your own conclusions. [Newsweek]
The media was happy to pounce on Dominique Strauss-Kahn when his scandal first came out, and now media coverage is finally starting to taper off. [Washington Post]
By Robert Kahne, RP Staff, on Tue Jul 5, 2011 at 10:00 AM ET
The Politics of Film
I see a lot of movies. More than most people I know. Every few weeks, I write in this space about all the movies I’ve seen, and whether or not I would recommend that you go see them also. Here is my rundown for the past few weeks:
Midnight in Paris: I have recommended that several people go see this film. It was nice, but I disagree with the people who have given it huge rave reviews. Woody Allen quit acting in his own movies a few years ago, and has resorted to using Woody Allen stand-ins in all of his films to date, and Owen Wilson doesn’t fit the mold very well. In my opinion, he is too attractive, and doesn’t come across as intelligent enough. However, the magic-realism interplay of the film was fantastic and the cameos are very enjoyable, but I had a hard time connecting with many of the characters. However, if you are looking for a film to see this weekend, this is the best thing playing at the multi-plex.
The Green Lantern: I love comic books. When comic book movies became a huge fad, I was thrilled. However, the genre has lost a lot of luster over the past few years, and this film showcases exactly what is wrong with comic book films in general. In essence, comic books are soap operas, which are totally dependent on putting well-developed characters into situations. Films, on the other hand, are a blank slate and require character development, plot, and resolution to be delivered in two hours. The Green Lanterns is the most soap-opera-esque of all comic books. This film isn’t good. It scraps the basis of the comic book, which ….es off Green Lantern fans, and the replaces the story with something terrible, which makes everyone else mad. There is a place for comic book films in the future, but they should be fan service, and try not to be cultural revolutions. Hopefully this film kills off the $10 million marketing campaigns for comic book films.
The Tree of Life: Terrence Malick is a genius. This film elevates how we talk about film. This film has drawn a lot of comparisons to poetry, but I disagree with that. This film is a wholly different medium of film than the narrative films which populate theaters. For what this film is–a non-linear narrative full of contemplation and imagery–it is fantastic. In my opinion, it is a homily on the book of Job, and it was very moving for me as a person of faith. The film’s most incredible aspect is its ability to move emotions using the elements of film, including jump cuts, voice-over, sound/music overplaying visuals, etc. The film is purely auteur, and all the problems of this film arise from that. Some elements are so dense and some visuals so obtuse that they are impenetrable–but these are common problems in auteur films, and are fairly minimized. These problems are much bigger in any Goddard or Fellini film, for example. Without a doubt, this is the best film of 2011 to date. In reality, it’s not close. I’ll be shocked if it doesn’t win Best Picture. In my opinion, I haven’t seen a better film since 2009.
Cars 2: This film has been reviewed poorly, and I went into this film thinking that it probably suffered from baring the Pixar brand. Expectations are very high for that studio, and I thought it would be “not good for Pixar, but still good.” I was dead wrong. Pixar films in the past have been able to move people emotionally based on their characters and their plots. There are several moments in every Pixar film where anyone–man or woman, child or adult–is either holding back tears or weeping openly. This film has none of those moments, and really doesn’t even try to develop them. Every bit of the film reeks as though it is cashing in on the Cars name–even the short film preceding the film, which was entitled (and I’m not kidding about this) Toy Story: Hawaiian Vacation. The first Cars, which was to date the worst Pixar film, is easily 10 times better that this film. There is no commentary or psychological evaluation in this film, and it lack any semblance of heart. It’s just not good, and it’s far below expectations for Pixar films.
By Kristen Hamilton, RP Staff, on Tue Jul 5, 2011 at 10:00 AM ET
The Politics of Fashion
In case you were wondering, Paris is beautiful! I arrived a couple days ago and am still getting settled in, which means that, unfortunately, I have yet to explore the fashion scene. But, to make up for that, there is a special theme for this week’s Weekly Web Gem: French fashion. Hope you guys enjoy!
How perfect is this? Karl Lagerfeld maps out the ultimate tour for those traveling to Paris! While I currently take notes, you can check it out here: [Vogue.com]
During Paris Menswear Fashion Week a few days ago, Dior Homme debuted its Spring 2012 line at the Tennis Club de Paris: [Fashionista]
Lanvin Men’s also debuted its militant-inspired Spring 2012 line last week as well! Check it out: [Fashionista]
Well, would you look at this? You guys might get to shop at Zara after all! [SHEfinds]
Fashion=Tourism? In Paris and many other cities, the answer is yes! [Times Live]
By Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, on Tue Jul 5, 2011 at 8:30 AM ET
I recently attended an event for a group called Catholic Democrats in Indianapolis and then visited Thomas Merton’s monastery in Kentucky. In just a few days, I moved from the excitement of current politics to the more tranquil world of contemplation and theology. This inspiring week reminded me that Catholicism is not a narrow-minded religion but a universal church encompassing many ways to reach God.
The event I attended in Indianapolis was a joint fundraiser for Catholic Democrats and the Democratic candidate for mayor, Melina Kennedy (no relation). Now 16,000 strong, Catholic Democrats was founded by Patrick Whelan, a rheumatologist at Massachusetts General Hospital. Like me, he felt that Catholics who were focused on a single issue—abortion—were eroding the Church’s tradition of working for the common good.
For the past 20 years or so, it seemed that the Church hierarchy was in cahoots with the Republican party, insisting that good Catholics vote Republican. In 2004, some bishops came out and said it would be sinful to vote for John Kerry, given his pro-choice views. When I campaigned in Iowa during the 2008 presidential primaries, high school students told me that they felt they’d have to go to confession after voting for a pro-choice Democrat.
This inspiring week reminded me that Catholicism is not a narrow-minded religion but a universal church encompassing many ways to reach God.
Since then, a number of groups have begun to protest the hijacking of Catholic teachings by the conservative right. In May, when John Boehner gave the graduation address at Catholic University, more than 75 prominent Catholic academics sent him a letter that said, “From the apostles to the present, the Magisterium of the Church has insisted that those in power are morally obliged to preference the needs of the poor.” They added, “Your record in support of legislation to address the desperate needs of the poor is among the worst in Congress.”
Read the rest of… Kathleen Kennedy Townsend: America’s Progressive Catholics
