Black Agenda Report
Black Agenda Report
News, commentary and analysis from the black left.

  • Home
  • Africa
  • African America
  • Education
  • Environment
  • International
  • Media and Culture
  • Political Economy
  • Radio
  • US Politics
  • War and Empire

Lakers/Warriors; And Knicks/Heat
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
17 May 2023
🖨️ Print Article
 Lakers/Warriors; And Knicks/Heat
1987 Lakers (Photo: Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images)

                                                                                   Lakers/Warriors; And Knicks/Heat

 

It’s fun falling into fantasy lands. Fun watching sweaty,

dripping wet, teamwork of nephew-grandson men! Brisk

Passing/sharing! Rebounding missed shots! Chasing down

loose balls…

It’s fun escaping School Shooting of The Day—and

War of the Week!

Fun forgetting Pentagon Parties, Pinocchio politicians

and their elephant excrement-donkey dung $campaigns

It’s fun purchasing ‘personal’ pizzas, local pizza place,

and metaphor-watching with working-class ‘strangers!’

Fun following brown round ball whizzing crosscourt;

‘round keys; secretly daydreaming the politically ‘impossible’

It’s fun removing my mind from War House! From W-Drone

Ranger-Boss Tweet-Ol’ Schmo biz. Off sleazy senators, corrupt

congressmen infesting Capitalist Hill. It’s fun forgetting grand

dragon governors and 4th quarter comebacks by confederates

It’s fun watching furious fast breaks of great Jazz quintets—

playing “I can’t breathe!” bent backs; hands on knees—

Substitutions and timeouts… It’s fun when “Hands up, don’t

Shoot!” is ‘bout blocking shots—Not autopsies, flowers, funerals.

Raymond Nat Turner is a NYC poet; BAR's Poet-in-Residence; and founder/co-leader of the jazz-poetry ensemble UpSurge!NYC. You can Vote for his work at: GoFundMe and PayPal.

sports
Black Sports; Politics

Do you need and appreciate Black Agenda Report articles? Please click on the DONATE icon, and help us out, if you can.


Related Stories

Wolfgang Bronner
Entertainment as Militarization: The Spectacle of the Super Bowl & WrestleMania in Nashville
06 May 2026
The spectacle of major sporting events does not simply distract from a city's crackdown on the working class.
Editors, The Black Agenda Review
EDITORIAL: After the Olympics: Buying off Protest, Harry Edwards, 1969
16 July 2025
“Racists don’t give up easily, we learned, and the racists in sports are especially dedicated.”
Roberto Sirvent, BAR Book Forum Editor
BAR Book Forum: Nathan Kalman-Lamb and Derek Silva’s Book, “The End of College Football”
06 November 2024
In this series, we ask acclaimed authors to answer five questions about their book.
OJ Simpson at his trial
Gus Griffin
O.J. Simpson and Understanding the Black Support He Never Deserved
17 April 2024
O.J.
Colin Kaepernick
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
The Karma of Kap or curse of capitalism??
21 February 2024
The Karma of Kap or curse of capitalism??
Yes! An NFL Player Can Be Exploited
Gus Griffin
Yes! An NFL Player Can Be Exploited
23 August 2023
Michael Oher’s story of exploitation is even worse than the white savior narrative presented by Hollywood.
The Super Bowl and the Trouble with First Black Symbolism
Gus Griffin
The Super Bowl and the Trouble with First Black Symbolism
08 February 2023
Whether Super Bowl quarterbacks, or presidents, or police chiefs, unquestioned admiration of the "first Black" should come to an end.
BAR Book Forum “Sports and Black Struggle”: Interview with Dewitt King
Roberto Sirvent, BAR Book Forum Editor
BAR Book Forum “Sports and Black Struggle”: Interview with Dewitt King
21 September 2022
In this feature, we interview organizers, journalists, scholars, and athletes working at the intersection of sports and Black struggle. 
BAR Book Forum “Sports and Black Struggle”: Interview with Courtney M. Cox
Roberto Sirvent, BAR Book Forum Editor
BAR Book Forum “Sports and Black Struggle”: Interview with Courtney M. Cox
13 July 2022
In this feature, we interview organizers, journalists, scholars, and athletes working at the intersection of sports and Black struggle.
BAR Book Forum “Sports and Black Struggle”: Interview with Samantha N. Sheppard
Roberto Sirvent, BAR Book Forum Editor
BAR Book Forum “Sports and Black Struggle”: Interview with Samantha N. Sheppard
30 March 2022
This week, we interview Samantha N. Sheppard. Samantha N.

More Stories


  • U.S. Sanctions Against Russia Create Unrest and Risk Hot War
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    U.S. Sanctions Against Russia Create Unrest and Risk Hot War
    07 Oct 2022
    Margaret Kimberley appeared on The Critical Hour with co-hosts Garland Nixon and Dr. Wilmer Leon. They discussed the U.S. drive to sanction Russia which is causing economic damage and…
  • Colonialism, Compradors & The Militarized Crisis of Capitalism in Africa
    Black Alliance For Peace
    Colonialism, Compradors & The Militarized Crisis of Capitalism in Africa
    05 Oct 2022
    Black Alliance for Peace kicked off the 2022 International Month of Action Against AFRICOM with the webinar “Colonialism, Compradors & the Militarized Crisis of Capitalism in Africa."
  • Congressional Black Caucus Continues Its Downward Spiral
    Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist
    Congressional Black Caucus Continues Its Downward Spiral
    05 Oct 2022
    The Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference returned with dubious corporate sponsorships and obedience to the democratic party. Joe Biden received a warm welcome which is logical…
  • ESSAY: A Case of Mistaken Identity: Antihaitianismo in Dominican Culture, Ernesto Sagás, 1993
    Editors, The Black Agenda Review
    ESSAY: A Case of Mistaken Identity: Antihaitianismo in Dominican Culture, Ernesto Sagás, 1993
    05 Oct 2022
    On the history and origins of anti-Haitian sentiment in the Dominican Republic.
  • Combat Nihilism: Revolutionary Optimism in the Age of U.S. Imperial Decline
    Danny Haiphong, BAR Contributing Editor
    Combat Nihilism: Revolutionary Optimism in the Age of U.S. Imperial Decline
    05 Oct 2022
    Optimism would seem to be counter intuitive given the many crises facing millions of people in the U.S. and around the world. But optimism backed up by revolutionary thinking is just what is…
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us