The biggest picture in the NBA Press Conference
Stealing the spotlight Stephen Curry’s two-year-old daughter stole the spotlight on Tuesday night when she told her father to ‘be quiet’.
By D’Joumbarey A. Moreau
Who hasn’t participated in Take Your Child to Work Day?
The NBA is starting to adopt the same philosophy and it couldn’t be a brighter spot for the league itself. You can argue until you’re blue in the face about if children should be allowed into the post-game press conference or in the NBA workplace for that matter. On some levels your argument might even be correct because a podium at a press conference isn’t the most attention friendly place for children.
On a deeper surface though you’re completely missing the point on why it’s a good thing.
Who can actually remember the first time a child appeared with their superstar father athlete in a press conference? Who knows? Most recently though, the NBA’s MVP Stephen Curry has been stealing the show.
Well, his daughter Riley actually.
Stephen’s daughter Riley is adorable, joyful, intelligent and entertaining to watch. She’s being herself and everyone in the room can’t help but love her. Even the people watching the press conferences on the tele-vision and thought in the #Twitterverse get a lot of enjoyment from seeing the strong bond that Curry and his daughter have. That’s where most people are missing the bigger picture.
Fatherhood in the African-American community is a concept that should be celebrated, shoved down our throats and replayed a number of times because it’s beautiful to raise your children.
Although it’s not the story for every player in the NBA, a lot of the players in the league come from single-parent back-grounds where they were being raised by mothers. You’re favorite players in the league, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, John Wall, and Derrick Rose, all have different testimonies of not growing up with their fathers due to death or abandonment.
When we get to see Curry and other NBA players with their children it’s a breath of fresh air.
The effects of seeing children in stable homes from millionaire athletes will play a positive effect in local communities. Because of slavery we got to see the huge effects in the way that African-American families are constructed during the 21st century. Because of the horrific treatment that slaves had to endure being split up with their families, it systemically trickled down into our generation.
Because the NBA hasn’t done anything (nor should they) about children being allowed at the press conference it’s helping to promote to the African-American community that having a family is not a burden, but a blessing.
Back in 2005 when the commissioner David Stern helped change the image of the league from throwback jerseys and baggy jeans, into button up suits, blazers and dress pants, it’s helped the maturation process of the millionaires in the league to mature and to realize that they are held to a different standard, their the example for the children that emulate them.
Think of the young children who watch Curry, Chris Paul, Kyle Lowry, Rose and Kobe Bryant parade their children to the world and try to envision how they feel. Think about those who are growing up in single parent homes like James, Rose and Anthony and the way that they feel when they see their favorite athletes’ families.
It’s okay for the media to get upset about the lack of control having children running a-round in conferences when they’re trying to work, it’s understandable.
The NBA doesn’t need to police children, though they should help regulate their involvement. In fact, there should be more parading of the children.
When each player walks into the arena how wonderful of a shot would it be to see your favorite player holding the hands of his kid before he takes battle.
The family culture in the NBA isn’t a problem. It’s a problem that people are starting to think that it is.
