Archive for Economics
The White Guy Bias - Concluding Remarks
Posted by: | CommentsI return to blogging today by concluding my month long series on the so-called White Guy Bias in the NBA. How I have managed to make a six-part series take a month, I will not comment upon. To remind you, I have already said that,
1) Everyone agrees that there is a white-guy bias in basketball. It is a running joke and oftentimes, true.
2) Our biases are much more powerful than we realize. Part 1 and Part 2.
3) The evaluation of International talent is not as cut-and-dry as it might sound. International players may even have an inevitable advantage in their ability to reach largely untouched markets for the NBA. A sound business strategy no doubt.
4) Athleticism is sometimes an over-valued trait in the NBA. The best teams are the most diverse (though usually they have players who are both great athletes and highly skilled).
So what have I learned from all of this? Well, I don’t think I have learned anything new, but I have been reminded of something I have known for quite some time.
It is this: who ends up playing or not playing in the NBA, white or black, American or International, is a very complicated matter and one that no one, except the Lord, can fully comprehend. There are just no easy answers when it comes to this question of who makes it and who doesn’t. There are social factors, business factors, talent and team factors, all sorts of factors at work.
I have known and heard of countless players who have NBA talent, but who have ended up on the streets. I have also played against many a player who has never made the NBA, who might even have gotten cut from summer league, but who is fully capable of performing there. I have even been that one guy (and would certainly like to be him again!) who has played in the NBA and has no doubt had other players at home saying about him, ‘I could outplay him right now!’ And you know, they may have been right. But all the various things lined up for me to play in the NBA. And so it is, or is not, for many others.
The reality is that in the basketball world that are players that are truly head and shoulders above the rest. You know who they are. Most times, they just cannot help but rise above the rest. They are so good that their talent paves the way for their own ideal playing situations. Then there are the second-tier individuals who are very, very good, obviously good, but just not as great as the best. They usually make it and if things line up perfectly for them, they can become top-tier stars.
In another group, the final and fullest group, there are players from all over the world who are fully capable of playing in the NBA, sometimes at a very high level, but who just need the perfect opportunity to make it happen. The right team, the right timing, the role, etc. And the reality is, they have very little to do with whether or not they ever get that opportunity. Numerous things have to line up in order for their dream to be realized. And to be maintained.
I count myself among that group. And I count it a tremendous blessing from God to have had the opportunity to play in the NBA. As I have mentioned, I would certainly enjoy playing there again, but I realize that the fact that I have played there doesn’t mean that I am better than everyone else who has not. That’s just not true. As is the case in any business, who makes it and who doesn’t is not defined solely on the basis of talent. Numerous other factors are at work. We have taken a look at a few of those factors, but though this series has lasted a month, you can be sure that we have only scratched the surface.
In the end, I still believe the NBA is the best basketball in the world. But I also believe it can still be better. I doubt any NBA executives will be knocking down my door for advice because of these posts, but at the very least, I hope they serve any who read them by giving insight into how they view and understand the NBA game and most importantly, life itself.
Swearing to our Hurt
Posted by: | CommentsI so promise to get back to the white guys and the NBA, but I came across another article in the New York Times concerning the trend of homeowners walking away from their homes and mortgages. If you remember, I linked to an article a bit back about the same thing.
One of the things I mentioned regarding the other article was the minimal attention paid to the fact that people are failing to keep their word. The same holds true for this article, but the author is a bit clearer about the problem of banks looking to maximize their profit without seeking the good of those who borrow from them.
It seems that because many banks are not willing (or at least do not appear willing) to renegotiate the terms of their agreement with the borrower, many people choose to walk away. Though I agree that banks should do a better job seeking a win/win situation, the folks walking away from their homes and mortgages are still in the wrong for doing so (especially the folks who can afford the payments). They still have a contractual obligation to pay up. And the reality is that they are walking away simply because it seems financially advantageous for them to do so. They are only thinking about themselves.
A verse from Scripture comes to mind. I can’t remember where it is (maybe Proverbs), but it says something about a righteous man ‘swearing to his own hurt.’ That is, keeping his word even if it leads to greater difficulty for himself.
We are desperate for more people who believe in such a thing. In the banks and in the homes. Among lenders and borrowers. It’s not overstating the case to say that for the good of the whole world, we should let our ‘yes’ be yes and our ‘no’, no. Even or especially when it hurts.
Pay or Walk Away?
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Yesterday, I came across this article in the Wall Street Journal. It reports a growing trend in some areas of the country where home owners simply walk away from their loans even though they can afford the payments. Walk away, meaning, they just stop paying their loan and take whatever hit comes to their credit score, etc. Apparently, in some States, your mortgage company cannot pursue your other assets if you choose this option. Usually, people do so because their homes have drastically dropped in value.
The problem, however, is that there are only a few lines even hinting to the fact that if you simply ‘walk away’ from your loan, you are failing to uphold your end of a signed contract. I have been in countries (and in a business more or less) where contracts are often considered little more than a framework for the deal. Somewhat optional. And the effects of such a mindset are disastrous. I am very concerned about what will happen to our country if more and more people begin to adopt the same attitude to their agreements.
Can you imagine living in a world where a handshake or a simple ‘yes’ was enough to seal an agreement? Where both parties had absolute confidence that the man or woman shaking their hand or saying that ‘yes’ would uphold their end of the agreement? What a great place to live!
Well, this is how Jesus calls His followers to live. ”Let your ‘Yes’ be yes, and your ‘No’ no,” He said. And the beauty of it is that someday (at least according to the Bible), it will be exactly like that. On the New Earth, everyone will keep their word perfectly and completely. No one will be walking away. I can’t wait for that day. But until then, we are wise to uphold our end of an agreement, no matter how difficult it may be.
