TMZ sports recently reported that multiple NBA teams are ditching the term “owners” given to majority stakeholders, due to the negative connotation that comes with the word.
Al Sharpton was one of the big names that explicitly agreed with this move. He also had some words to say on the matter as well, stating:
“Many of the NBA players are descendants of people that were enslaved. When we hear the term owner, it’s a much different connotation than other people.”
But, there are people on the other side, too. Claiming the word is used solely to describe the person in charge and that the NBA is just nitpicking.
Sharpton disagrees, saying the people are wrong and any league that’s 75% black should do it’s best to care about what it’s employees think.
“I think that if you want to respect people that are making you a lot of money, you ought to be sensitive and how they are relating to you and how they want a title that doesn’t make them uncomfortable”