Black Ball. Theresa Runstedtler.

 

Black Ball.   Theresa Runstedtler.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Spencer Haywood, and the Generation That Saved the Soul of the NBA. 

If growing up in the 1970’s, the troubles that the players and management endured during the decade was not so readily or immediately apparent.    Many of the games were not televised and if they were it was often on tape delay.    Only so many cities and regions were represented at that time.   Thus, in Black Ball, authored by Theresa Runstedtler, this is the story of how a generation of professional basketball players persevered in acquiring richer contracts for themselves, augmenting their value via free agency as well as continuing to advance the game as a major sports entity in this country. 

While the sub-title of the book mentions noteworthy players of that era including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Spencer Haywood, many other important characters, players, and administrators, are covered prominently as well.   The story starts with Connie Hawkins and his emergence in the new start-up league (ABA) which rivaled the more established NBA.    Runstedtler, a one-time dancer in the league and current historian, introduces several characters in this story including Oscar Robertson, Darryl Dawkins, Kermit Washington, and Julius (Dr. J) Erving in addition to Abdul-Jabbar and Haywood.   Each are noteworthy players featured prominently for their playing ability or other actions on the court.   The influence of both NBA commissioners serving in the 1970’s is thoroughly addressed in the manuscript along with Simon Gourdine, the organizations first black league executive.  

The strength of the book may very well be its ability to dissect what the three main issues were among the players and within the leagues as the seasons pressed on that decade.   It is evident that in some cases management (franchise owners) took advantage of young, unsophisticated players.    This is so in the contracts issued to players, particularly the terms and fine print included in the contract details.    Spencer Haywood’s ordeal with the Denver franchise was a prime example of how an owner took advantage of a young player.   The contract, according to several sources, well after the fact, was not a good one for the player.    The terms were drawn out to the next decade and contained stipulations and payment plans that were unlikely to ever be realized.

Drug use and in-game altercations were the other principal issues plaguing the popularity and growth of the National Basketball Association.    It was no secret that professional athletes were prone to the ills of alcohol and substance abuse in the 1970’s.   The NBA problems were proliferated by the reported use of marijuana and eventually cocaine.   Further compounding the matter was the frequent outbreak of fighting in games.   The infamous, and nearly debilitating, punch of Kermit Washington to an opponent generated much public outcry at the time.   Certainly, drug use and fighting were harmful to the image of the league.       For a still mostly white audience, the idea, even if uninformed and inaccurate, that too many black players were demanding brazen amounts of money and now coupled with out-of-control behavior, on and off the court, was off-putting.  

The book is well written, researched, and thorough in sharing important details about the characters and the times they were experiencing.    There is a noted slant towards the perceived way that African-Americans were treated from the start of the decade and well into the next one.   However, it would not seem to be a stretch to hold some players accountable for their actions in those days.    An example could once again be traced to the saga of Spencer Haywood.       He once claimed “I was probably the only player in the NBA to be thrown off a team because of drug problems, with no testing, no warning, no second chance.”   While he was undoubtedly taken by the (ABA) franchise management early in his career, some of his decisions contributed to his up and down circumstances including team suspensions and fines.  Afterall, he had been in the league for 10 years prior to this statement.   Haywood had been benched during the playoffs and fined substantial money for his behavior prior to the dismissal from the Los Angeles Lakers.  

Assessing the evolution of professional basketball in the 1970’s is a pretty good book idea long overdue for clarification.  Younger fans not alive or way too young during this era can learn and glean quite a bit about how players of that generation endured the slow change of national attitudes and professional ethos to eventually form a greater, broader league.   One that today is among the most liberal and forward thinking in professional sports. What is more, readers gain a greater understanding of how the business worked in those days particularly with respect to competition.   While the owners wanted to squash the rival ABA league to keep the bidding prices for players from rising, the players association was a strong supporter of keeping both leagues for the inverse reasons.  The 280 pages are filled with history, intrigue and occasionally outrageous tales making this a worthwhile reading investment. 

 

• You might like to read this book if you are a new or older fan of the NBA.
• You might like to read this book if you follow the sport of basketball in any capacity.
• You might like to read this book if you seek topics connecting sports to race, economics and business.
• You might like to read this book if you like to read about 1970’s American sports history.  

 

Read more about the author on twitter:    https://twitter.com/DrTRunstedtler