No reason for NBA to censor Powell’s ‘Am I Next?’

Toronto Raptor Norm Powell thought he had a great idea. When the NBA negotiated the soon-tostart season with its players union, the agreement allowed players to replace the name on their jerseys with a personal statement on issues of racism and discrimination.

Twenty-nine personal statements or slogans were approved by the league, such as “Black Lives Matter, Say Their Names, Peace, Equality, Freedom, etc.” Norm Powell suggested his own statement that was not one of the 29 sanctioned: “Am I Next?” The NBA said no.

Deeply disappointed over an NBA “list that was really cookie cutter,” Powell felt he was being “boxed in” and his freedom of speech curtailed. He ultimately chose “Black Lives Matter” to appear on the back of his jersey once play begins.

This episode raises issues over how much our society values freedom of expression and how seriously we take the proposition that Black Lives Matter. There is nothing wrong with the list of slogans sanctioned by the NBA; they all reflect universal truths.

But what Powell has attempted with his “Am I Next?” slogan is to personalize the message. It’s three words precisely focus upon the fear and anxiety that people of colour experience in interactions with law enforcement. Its power lies in being a message in the first person, not unlike George Floyd’s last words: “I Can’t Breathe.”

Am I Next is not a novel slogan. Several years ago, it was used as a rallying cry by activists advocating on behalf of missing and murdered Indigenous women in Canada and later by advocates for murdered women in South Africa. Hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers fearing persecution leave their homes and countries every year after asking themselves that same question — Am I Next? One wonders what the NBA was afraid of in censoring Powell’s choice. To combat systemic racism and discrimination, each one of us must find our own voice rather than being “boxed in” by prepackaged speech permitted by government and institutions.

The NBA is an American sports league and it is ironic that the first amendment to the U.S. Constitution uses language that is timeless and unequivocal — “Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom of speech.” That concept has been the bedrock of American life for over 200 years.

The NBA is not a government agency and is entitled to set its own rules, but one has to wonder when those rules stray so far from the ideals envisioned by the U.S. founding fathers. Imagine attending a demonstration where protestors are limited to holding up only 29 approved and sanitized slogans. “Am I Next” might make some uncomfortable. But any effective protest for social change is bound to ruffle a few feathers, whether it is seeing “Am I Next” on the back of Norm Powell’s jersey or watching Colin Kaepernick taking a knee.

Let’s hope that the NBA reconsiders this decision before the season starts and allows Powell to express how he really feels.