Earlier this month, LU contributor Rusty Weiss informed readers that the National Basketball Association was considering doing away with the word owner (as in “team owner”) because it can be construed by some as “racially insensitive.” On Monday the change became official. CBS News reports:
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said the NBA will look to move away from the use of the term “owner” to describe those with controlling interest of teams in favor of terms like “Governor of the team,” “alternate Governor,” or even “Chairman.”
[…]
“I don’t want to overreact to the term because, as I said earlier, people end up twisting themselves into knots avoiding the use of the word ‘owner,'” Silver said, via TMZ Sports. “But we moved away from that term years ago with the league. We call our team owners ‘Governors’ of the team and ‘alternate Governors.’ So I think it makes sense. As I said, I don’t want to overreact … but I’m sensitive to it and I think to the extent that teams are moving away from the term, we’ll stick with using governor.”
He doesn’t want to overreact? Who wants to tell him that ship has sailed. Rather than contorting the language to a point of absurdity, Silver could have patiently explained to Golden State Warriors power forward Draymond Green, who opened this can of worms, that the term owner is common in the world of business. As Dallas Mavericks owner (er, governor!) Mark Cuban said in reaction to Green’s assertion that owner has racial overtones, the term designated an individual who runs the organization like a business, not someone who owns players.
But alas the die is cast. From now on I will refer to myself as a car governor.
Will this presidential election be the most important in American history?
(h/t Randy Savage)
