Adam Silver vs David Stern and the New Era of Racial Reckoning in the NBA
The Authority with Dr. Sanford Richmond
Release Date: 05/16/2019
Michael Jackson Writer: Charles Thomson - Part 2
The Authority with Dr. Sanford Richmond
On this episode of The Authority due to popular demand on Twitter and social media…I welcome back Michael Jackson writer and historian Charles Thomson. We simply continue and extend our discussion from our previous interview in which we talk about the aftermath of HBO's explosive documentary Leaving Neverland in which two men, James Safechuck and Wade Robson accuse Michael Jackson of molesting them when they were children. In our first interview Thomson points out the many...many holes and contradictions of the documentary alongside attacking the credibility and integrity of Leaving...
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Adam Silver vs David Stern and the New Era of Racial Reckoning in the NBA
The Authority with Dr. Sanford Richmond
On this episode of The Authority I discuss the new era of leadership in the NBA under commissioner Adam Silver. I compare Silver’s leadership with his predecessor David Stern and the contrast of how they treated their players in a league which comprised of a black male majority. Silver by many accounts appeared to treat NBA players like partners and Stern by the observation of many appeared to treat NBA players like subordinates…some would argue (like me) like slaves. Stern had a reputation of running the NBA with an iron fist in which he stifled freedom of speech and expression. Silver...
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Michael Jackson Writer and Historian: Charles Thomson
The Authority with Dr. Sanford Richmond
So every single person who accuses Michael Jackson subsequently goes straight to a civil lawyer and tries to sue him. There is never an accuser who simply walks into a police station and says “Michael Jackson molested me what are you going to do about it?” They always go to a lawyer and say, “Lets get rich!” The day you start making that excuse for victims and saying well—we have to believe them anyway because it’s probably just trauma—we have to believe them anyway—well THAT IS THE DEATH OF JUSTICE! JUSTICE DOES NOT EXIST ANYMORE! The day you start saying it doesn’t...
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Nipsey Hussle, Michael Jackson Updates and Joe Biden
The Authority with Dr. Sanford Richmond
This episode of The Authority podcast I perform my first solo act as a host…no guest needed. I talk about things that was weighing heavily on my mind and on my heart in recent weeks. First, the sudden and tragic killing of hip hop superstar Nipsey Hussle, my favorite rapper of the past decade. I talk about the impact of his killing and the monumental tribute he received after his death which paralleled the memorials of world leaders in the past. I also discuss new updates and revelations from HBO’s Leaving Neverland documentary in which two men, Wade Robson and James Safechuck...
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A White Guy’s Perspective on Race and Politics in America
The Authority with Dr. Sanford Richmond
In this episode I interview the director, producer, founder and CEO of Network Studios here in Los Angeles Mike Casentini. The studio responsible for distributing The Authority podcast around the world. He’s the man that makes everything happen! In addition to being the CEO of Network Studios he’s also a professional comedian and a former podcast host. Mike Casentini is a person that has a lot of interesting and thought-provoking viewpoints and ideas about race, politics and just society in general. Casentini is a person whose had a very interesting life and backstory. He’s a man...
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Michael Jackson's Bodyguard Bill Whitfield
The Authority with Dr. Sanford Richmond
This episode of The Authority is about the explosive new HBO documentary called Leaving Neverland in which 2 men, Wade Robson and James Safechuck, allege that the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson, sexually abused them as children. The documentary has caused a lot of controversy in recent weeks. A controversy that’s put Jackson’s life and legacy at a crossroads even in death. The reaction to this documentary has been harsh and swift in which a selective amount of radio stations across the world have banned Jackson’s music, The Simpsons have pulled their Michael Jackson episode...
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Is Lebron James the G.O.A.T of Basketball?
The Authority with Dr. Sanford Richmond
In recent years there has been this never-ending debate on who’s the greatest basketball player of all time. On social media, sports talk shows, barbershops, sports websites and blogs there is this one burning question that sports fans in America and around the world are asking themselves: who is the greatest, Lebron James or Michael Jordan? Well in this episode of The Authority, I join this never-ending debate of who is the greatest basketball player of all-time. I try to provide stats and data versus wins and losses to make my point of who I believe is the greatest basketball player of...
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The Social Activism of Lebron James
The Authority with Dr. Sanford Richmond
This episode of The Authority is about NBA superstar Lebron James and his social activism in recent years. I discuss where he started from regarding his early years as an NBA player who was reluctant to speak out on social issues…to where he is now in which he is an unapologetic, conscientious speaker of political and racial justice. The evolution of Lebron James as a speaker of racial and political truth is more fascinating as his fame has only progressed throughout the years in which now there is a majority consensus that places him as the face of the NBA and the face of sports in America....
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The White Privilege of Cheating: The New England Patriots
The Authority with Dr. Sanford Richmond
In this episode of The Authority I tackle the issue of cheating in sports. And the featured topic is the documented serial cheating of the NFL team The New England Patriots. For almost 2 decades now they have been accused and ultimately have been found to be serial cheaters. Although it has been proven that they are serial cheaters of massive proportions... ... they have practically received little to no accountability or punishment for their multiple offences. <br/ > And in the meantime, while receiving no punishment they have become the most successful franchise in modern football...
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Colin Kaepernick and Nike
The Authority with Dr. Sanford Richmond
In this episode of The Authority, I discuss the pairing of Nike and exiled NFL star and activist Colin Kaepernick. Since Kaepernick has paired with Nike, according to ESPN, Nike’s stock has risen 6.25 percent, adding 6.38 billion to Nike’s value... Ever since Kaepernick took his public stance against racial injustice and police brutality, taking a knee on NFL sidelines on gameday Sundays, a legion of sports pundits, reporters, and figures alike have argued that Kaepernick would be bad for the NFL regarding popularity and TV ratings if he were to ever enter back into the league. But what...
info_outlineOn this episode of The Authority I discuss the new era of leadership in the NBA under commissioner Adam Silver. I compare Silver’s leadership with his predecessor David Stern and the contrast of how they treated their players in a league which comprised of a black male majority. Silver by many accounts appeared to treat NBA players like partners and Stern by the observation of many appeared to treat NBA players like subordinates…some would argue (like me) like slaves. Stern had a reputation of running the NBA with an iron fist in which he stifled freedom of speech and expression. Silver seems to be more egalitarian in his approach in how he treats the players of the NBA. Also, and more importantly, Silver appears to allow his black players to express themselves socially and politically unlike any era in NBA history, including and especially the era of David Stern.
NBA superstars Lebron James, Steph Curry, Chris Paul, Kevin Durant and coach Gregg Popovich alongside many other NBA figures seem to be on the frontline of the racial resistance in America regarding their social and political justice views alongside unapologetically attacking the repressive and oppressive policies and opinions of President Donald Trump. The question I ask on this episode is…would this freedom of expression and speech happen under Stern?
Would Stern allow this freedom of political expression and speech…or would he stifle it like he did in 1996 with Chris Jackson (now Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf) in which Abdul-Rauf refused to come out of the locker room during the national anthem because he felt the song and the flag represented a “symbol of oppression?” Instead of allowing Abdul-Rauf to express himself Stern fined him nearly $32,000 and suspended him a game.
If Stern was still commissioner would he allow his players to express themselves freely in this era of hyper racial consciousness…or does he maintain his rules of restriction, censorship and punishment? I dive into this hypothetical with national scholar on race, sports and popular culture Dr. David Leonard. He is a leading authority on race and sports in America with most of his expertise focused on the issue of race and race relations in the NBA. Leonard also wrote a book some years back focused on Stern’s controversial leadership titled After Artest: The NBA and the Assault on Blackness. You’re going to want to hear what he has to say! Enjoy the show!!