It was perhaps nice to hear the commentators acknowledge the (alleged) Tyre Nichols state-sanctioned lynching at the beginning of the Memphis Tigers v. Temple Owls game, at least initially—but then they really missed the point.
First, Memphis is more than just the (alleged) state-sanctioned lynching of Tyre Nichols; we are also the voice of an active movement for real police reform. Second of all, the object goal of such an acknowledgement should not be that “these young men” need to “learn to be respectful” when dealing with police.
It’s hard to be “respectful” when you are obeying all orders and are nonetheless pulled from your car and beaten to death.
We understand that the commentators were initially referencing how Penny has discussed the (alleged) state-sanctioned lynching with his players, noting the tragic reality that all one can do is let young Black men know that best chance of survival during a police encounter is to be as polite as possible. Penny clearly wasn’t saying that was the problem or solution; it’s just all that can be done. These lack-of-nuance, white talking heads clearly didn’t get it.
While we all appreciate the maintenance of this difficult but necessary conversation, especially as means to just continue to raise consciousness, commentators should keep their sheltered, white mouths shut if they do not know how to properly address such a sensitive issue.
Commentators too often fail to even give insightful reflection on the game in front of them; they definitely don’t understand the games taking place on the streets of Memphis. We get that they maybe didn’t mean what they said, but they need to be careful: know exactly what you mean to say, or keep your mouth shut.
