"At the very least it should have been a major sports story. "
October 13, 2015 6:29 AM Subscribe
The silence over the Thabo Sefolosha trial is deafening...and mystifying.
Video of the incident, in which Sefolosha's leg was broken by the NYPD
Bomani Jones calls out the sports media's coverage (starts around 2:00)
Trial Coverage from /r/NBA
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Video of the incident, in which Sefolosha's leg was broken by the NYPD
Bomani Jones calls out the sports media's coverage (starts around 2:00)
Trial Coverage from /r/NBA
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
I'll add that links to a bunch of reddit threads is not my go to way to cover a criminal trial, but the threads are quite good and since part of the story is "hey why wasn't this covered more in the media" is one of the better resources.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 6:36 AM on October 13, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 6:36 AM on October 13, 2015 [3 favorites]
It didn't make the news because we don't even pay attention when people are shot in this country unless there are more than 3 dead (not counting the gunman).
Seriously, I watch these sorts of videos every single day. The only thing notable this time was the guy plays basketball.
posted by cjorgensen at 6:37 AM on October 13, 2015 [3 favorites]
Seriously, I watch these sorts of videos every single day. The only thing notable this time was the guy plays basketball.
posted by cjorgensen at 6:37 AM on October 13, 2015 [3 favorites]
There is something very wrong with justice in America.
That's an understatement.
posted by Thorzdad at 6:44 AM on October 13, 2015 [4 favorites]
That's an understatement.
posted by Thorzdad at 6:44 AM on October 13, 2015 [4 favorites]
This is also a different sports star being randomly beaten up by the NYPD than the one I thought it was the one I thought it was. Those guys really are assholes.
posted by Artw at 6:50 AM on October 13, 2015 [6 favorites]
posted by Artw at 6:50 AM on October 13, 2015 [6 favorites]
I live in NY and followed the case. The cops were obviously out of line, but the harder crime to accept is the DA s decision to prosecute
posted by AugustWest at 7:02 AM on October 13, 2015 [6 favorites]
posted by AugustWest at 7:02 AM on October 13, 2015 [6 favorites]
I just feel like I've run out of even ideas about this. We don't seem to have the political power to put the brakes on our little American freikorps, no matter what they do. It's just incredible. It makes me despair of our political process, when we have something that is simultaneously so widely acknowledged to be fucked up and so well documented and yet there is no authority who will listen to the public on this. It really is a sign that we live in a completely broken democracy. It's not like living under the juntas in the eighties because we're a richer country so regular people can be bought off a bit, but morally it's the same - that we just have to learn to live with paramilitary thugs as an unaccountable arm of the state. They don't even bother to keep it secret from the people who aren't directly affected anymore, because they know there's nothing we can do.
posted by Frowner at 7:07 AM on October 13, 2015 [20 favorites]
posted by Frowner at 7:07 AM on October 13, 2015 [20 favorites]
The cops were obviously out of line, but the harder crime to accept is the DA s decision to prosecute
Harder to accept, maybe, but nonetheless pretty predictable. The police and the DA's office feel they are above the law, and that the average citizen has no right to question anything they do. When challenged on this, they use every tool at their disposal to make the citizen pay, knowing that even if the case doesn't result in a guilty verdict, the very fact that they brought it will help to keep others in line in the future.
posted by tocts at 7:08 AM on October 13, 2015 [8 favorites]
Harder to accept, maybe, but nonetheless pretty predictable. The police and the DA's office feel they are above the law, and that the average citizen has no right to question anything they do. When challenged on this, they use every tool at their disposal to make the citizen pay, knowing that even if the case doesn't result in a guilty verdict, the very fact that they brought it will help to keep others in line in the future.
posted by tocts at 7:08 AM on October 13, 2015 [8 favorites]
the decision to prosecute is really odd because this isn't an average citizen case. it's like walmart paying off tracy morgan and the others in the crash - you treat celebrities above and beyond so there's a big huge pr story of you taking care of things and then you keep screwing the regular people because that's never going to make the papers. nypd/ny prosecutors are so out of touch that they couldn't even understand the optics here.
...or, they know how fucked up sports reporting is and that they could guarantee near total silence over this...
posted by nadawi at 7:23 AM on October 13, 2015
...or, they know how fucked up sports reporting is and that they could guarantee near total silence over this...
posted by nadawi at 7:23 AM on October 13, 2015
It does seem like there's more media support for guys caught on tape beating up their girlfriends than this guy got.
posted by Artw at 7:27 AM on October 13, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by Artw at 7:27 AM on October 13, 2015 [5 favorites]
The lack of press coverage is not mystifying at all. Pro sports are entertainment businesses. They will take great pains to sanitize their image...WHEN a problem can't be hushed up or denied any more (that link has Ray Rice video stills). Once the stink over a problem dies down... it's like it never happened.
So I'm not surprised at all that this story has no traction in the sports press. Entertainment businesses have a symbiotic relationship with the entertainment press: follow our lead, play our tune, or you'll lose access. The Sefolosha story isn't about sports, and it uncomfortably questions the status quo, and the NBA and their sycophantic media want nothing to do with it.
Here's the dream outcome from the perspective of the sports world: pro athletes of colour will be issued secret safe-words so when a police beatdown is imminent, the safe-word will stop the proceedings and get them quietly hustled to safety.
posted by Artful Codger at 7:30 AM on October 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
So I'm not surprised at all that this story has no traction in the sports press. Entertainment businesses have a symbiotic relationship with the entertainment press: follow our lead, play our tune, or you'll lose access. The Sefolosha story isn't about sports, and it uncomfortably questions the status quo, and the NBA and their sycophantic media want nothing to do with it.
posted by Artful Codger at 7:30 AM on October 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
Just want to point out that the narrative of "silence" started on day 1 of the trial when the redditor in the courtroom posted that no stories had be written about the first day of the trial, which was... jury selection. By the next day when actual newsworthy things were happening, the New York Times, Atlanta Journal Constitution, AP, Buzzfeed Sports, and if I recall correctly both the Post and NYDN had reporters in the courtroom, filing daily stories.
Of course that doesn't excuse ESPN from failing to send someone to report personally, or addressing it repeatedly on its numerous platforms. But what little coverage ESPN did have was solidly in Sefolosha's favor. It wasn't an ideal ESPN story because it didn't have two sides. Nobody could reasonably argue that Sefolosha should be found guilty, making it a bad fit for ESPN's culture of inane disagreement. The civil case will hopefully spark more disagreement and thus have more coverage.
posted by acidic at 7:37 AM on October 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
Of course that doesn't excuse ESPN from failing to send someone to report personally, or addressing it repeatedly on its numerous platforms. But what little coverage ESPN did have was solidly in Sefolosha's favor. It wasn't an ideal ESPN story because it didn't have two sides. Nobody could reasonably argue that Sefolosha should be found guilty, making it a bad fit for ESPN's culture of inane disagreement. The civil case will hopefully spark more disagreement and thus have more coverage.
posted by acidic at 7:37 AM on October 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
just as a note for anyone who wants to avoid it. - Artful Codger's first link is to the ray rice domestic abuse story and there's the video of him knocking janay out, with the image on the page displaying that moment.
posted by nadawi at 7:39 AM on October 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by nadawi at 7:39 AM on October 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
yes. Sorry. Mods please add a warning if appropriate.
posted by Artful Codger at 8:43 AM on October 13, 2015
posted by Artful Codger at 8:43 AM on October 13, 2015
the decision to prosecute is really odd
Not really, there seems to be a mechanical aspect to the judicial system, especially since the drug wars, three strikes you're out and mandatory minimums. Once an individual enters the system due to being bad or being in the wrong place at the wrong time there is no exception in the system. Paperwork is dropped onto a conveyor and grinds on slowly until resolution. Look at folks that are in prison with evidence in hand that proves innocence, does not matter, everyone may agree to the proof but there is no mechanism to turn a key.
posted by sammyo at 10:34 AM on October 13, 2015
Not really, there seems to be a mechanical aspect to the judicial system, especially since the drug wars, three strikes you're out and mandatory minimums. Once an individual enters the system due to being bad or being in the wrong place at the wrong time there is no exception in the system. Paperwork is dropped onto a conveyor and grinds on slowly until resolution. Look at folks that are in prison with evidence in hand that proves innocence, does not matter, everyone may agree to the proof but there is no mechanism to turn a key.
posted by sammyo at 10:34 AM on October 13, 2015
The converse benefit to the mechanistic nature of the law is that it probably prevents even worse arbitrary abuses if the various players could decide if a bad guy is "friends" (see Whitey Bulger) or just fodder (many many more Sandra Blands).
posted by sammyo at 10:38 AM on October 13, 2015
posted by sammyo at 10:38 AM on October 13, 2015
Once an individual enters the system due to being bad or being in the wrong place at the wrong time there is no exception in the system.
...except the charges against antic were dropped.
posted by nadawi at 10:44 AM on October 13, 2015
...except the charges against antic were dropped.
posted by nadawi at 10:44 AM on October 13, 2015
The "are you a cop? Okay never mind" part of the flowchart always seem to function just fine.
posted by Artw at 10:46 AM on October 13, 2015
posted by Artw at 10:46 AM on October 13, 2015
I think there is also a very close relationship between the American sports industries and the realms of law enforcement and the military (obvs). Retired police and FBI litter NFL offices and team offices, and in the case of several sports there seems to be little distinction between being a league or a USO event. To ask this industry to embrace a skeptical attitude to authority is too much. Besides, while this Sefolosha story is one that should get much more press, many athletes get special treatment from law enforcement at an early age, especially in home towns, something that many in the sports world do not want to uncover.
Furthermore, as someone who's worked in sports journalism before, the number of writers who are right wing in their personal views is overwhelming. Sports is the bastion of Manichean battles and agents of good and evil, stuff that fits right in with traditional law enforcement language. Thus the sportswriters and the people who work in sports are often loathe to question any authority, whether it be coach, owner, or police.
Part of this is also cultural. US sports ownership is oligarch driven, and things like mythologized history and nationalism run deep everywhere, so too does the myth of the Great American Justice. There are remarkably few organizations, leagues, or sports that allow for community ownership or anything resembling left-leaning participation (and even in Europe, the number of left-wing fan bases is dwarfed by the number of rightist/fascist fanbases).
tl;dr the world of major professional sports is one that is tied closely to the police, to the status quo, and to obeying authority. that is why almost no one talks about Sefolosha.
posted by Snowden at 10:58 AM on October 13, 2015 [5 favorites]
Furthermore, as someone who's worked in sports journalism before, the number of writers who are right wing in their personal views is overwhelming. Sports is the bastion of Manichean battles and agents of good and evil, stuff that fits right in with traditional law enforcement language. Thus the sportswriters and the people who work in sports are often loathe to question any authority, whether it be coach, owner, or police.
Part of this is also cultural. US sports ownership is oligarch driven, and things like mythologized history and nationalism run deep everywhere, so too does the myth of the Great American Justice. There are remarkably few organizations, leagues, or sports that allow for community ownership or anything resembling left-leaning participation (and even in Europe, the number of left-wing fan bases is dwarfed by the number of rightist/fascist fanbases).
tl;dr the world of major professional sports is one that is tied closely to the police, to the status quo, and to obeying authority. that is why almost no one talks about Sefolosha.
posted by Snowden at 10:58 AM on October 13, 2015 [5 favorites]
A certain pessimistic part of me is almost glad this wasn't a bigger story, so we didn't have to deal with "he's no angel" and "officer was justifiably afraid of hulking black man" from that certain segment of the population.
posted by mellow seas at 11:03 AM on October 13, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by mellow seas at 11:03 AM on October 13, 2015 [3 favorites]
I'm increasingly of the opinion that there's utterly no reason to ever assume LEO will act ethically, legally, or with any possibility of accountability.
Average citizens should treat any encounter with a cop just as you would an encounter with a dangerous wild predator. Sure, there might be some non-evil ones, but the downsides are such that you'd better assume the one in front of you isn't one of them.
And I say this as a relatively well-off middle-aged white dude. Double it all if you're black or brown or, god forbid, poor.
posted by uberchet at 11:16 AM on October 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
Average citizens should treat any encounter with a cop just as you would an encounter with a dangerous wild predator. Sure, there might be some non-evil ones, but the downsides are such that you'd better assume the one in front of you isn't one of them.
And I say this as a relatively well-off middle-aged white dude. Double it all if you're black or brown or, god forbid, poor.
posted by uberchet at 11:16 AM on October 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
Mod note: Added parenthetical to Artful Codger's comment. Drop us a note at the contact form if you need something added like that, we'll see it faster.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 11:17 AM on October 13, 2015
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 11:17 AM on October 13, 2015
we just have to learn to live with paramilitary thugs as an unaccountable arm of the state. They don't even bother to keep it secret from the people who aren't directly affected anymore, because they know there's nothing we can do.
How fortunate you are, then, to have a Second Amendment that lets you equip yourself to resist tyranny.
posted by flabdablet at 11:31 AM on October 13, 2015 [2 favorites]
How fortunate you are, then, to have a Second Amendment that lets you equip yourself to resist tyranny.
posted by flabdablet at 11:31 AM on October 13, 2015 [2 favorites]
LOL
posted by Artw at 11:33 AM on October 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Artw at 11:33 AM on October 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
Here's the (largest) reddit thread on the media's coverage of the trial.
r/NBA is a pretty great sub. At the same time, it absolutely bonkers to me that as far as I can tell, it is literally the best coverage available. Bomani's rant is really great, pointing out the hypocrisy in the wall-to-wall coverage when athletes screw up, but quiet as can be when they're in the right.
The sooner some combination of netflix, hbo, direct streaming streaming, and whatever else kills ESPN the happier I will be.
posted by yeahwhatever at 11:52 AM on October 13, 2015
r/NBA is a pretty great sub. At the same time, it absolutely bonkers to me that as far as I can tell, it is literally the best coverage available. Bomani's rant is really great, pointing out the hypocrisy in the wall-to-wall coverage when athletes screw up, but quiet as can be when they're in the right.
The sooner some combination of netflix, hbo, direct streaming streaming, and whatever else kills ESPN the happier I will be.
posted by yeahwhatever at 11:52 AM on October 13, 2015
It makes me despair of our political process, when we have something that is simultaneously so widely acknowledged to be fucked up and so well documented and yet there is no authority who will listen to the public on this. It really is a sign that we live in a completely broken democracy.
Frowner
I think it's even worse than that: you're wrong. The political process is working just fine. The authorities are listening to the public on this, it's just that the public doesn't care.
Or at least, not enough of the public or the parts of the public the authorities really listen to care. There are far, far too many people in this country who don't really see a problem, or support the cops no mater what, especially when it's a black guy getting beat.
I've heard enough refrains of "Well, he was some kind of thug anyway, he probably did something to deserve it" after every new instance of police brutality to have been disabused of the notion that there's some massive popular sentiment against this that the powers that be are just ignoring.
posted by Sangermaine at 1:50 PM on October 13, 2015
Frowner
I think it's even worse than that: you're wrong. The political process is working just fine. The authorities are listening to the public on this, it's just that the public doesn't care.
Or at least, not enough of the public or the parts of the public the authorities really listen to care. There are far, far too many people in this country who don't really see a problem, or support the cops no mater what, especially when it's a black guy getting beat.
I've heard enough refrains of "Well, he was some kind of thug anyway, he probably did something to deserve it" after every new instance of police brutality to have been disabused of the notion that there's some massive popular sentiment against this that the powers that be are just ignoring.
posted by Sangermaine at 1:50 PM on October 13, 2015
Bomani Jones' rant was great. I'm guessing he's going to have to update his resume.
The silence over the Thabo Sefolosha trial is deafening...and mystifying.
Not mystifying at all. It's a story that shows black men have a legitimate grievance and that cops have a legitimate problem.
posted by dirigibleman at 4:20 PM on October 13, 2015
The silence over the Thabo Sefolosha trial is deafening...and mystifying.
Not mystifying at all. It's a story that shows black men have a legitimate grievance and that cops have a legitimate problem.
posted by dirigibleman at 4:20 PM on October 13, 2015
How fortunate you are, then, to have a Second Amendment that lets you equip yourself to resist tyranny.
I know you're probably joking, but what makes that funny is that some people actually believe it (and say so unironically). It's almost as if they dream of the day where they'll rise up and overthrow the government via some kind of spontaneous small arms militia. What I don't understand is, why do they not think this is would be a huge problem? Are they delusional? Like, I don't want to have to physically and violently resist the local police (let alone the actual military). Ostensibly they work for me and every other citizen, right (up to the point where myself or one of them commits a crime)? Why would anyone ever actually follow a train of thought that goes "welp, the police have lost all accountability, time to organize a militia!"
\Mine tends to go, "welp, the police have lost all accountability, time to replace the power structure above them via the voting booth and sometimes maybe federal intervention!"
posted by axiom at 5:22 PM on October 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
I know you're probably joking, but what makes that funny is that some people actually believe it (and say so unironically). It's almost as if they dream of the day where they'll rise up and overthrow the government via some kind of spontaneous small arms militia. What I don't understand is, why do they not think this is would be a huge problem? Are they delusional? Like, I don't want to have to physically and violently resist the local police (let alone the actual military). Ostensibly they work for me and every other citizen, right (up to the point where myself or one of them commits a crime)? Why would anyone ever actually follow a train of thought that goes "welp, the police have lost all accountability, time to organize a militia!"
\Mine tends to go, "welp, the police have lost all accountability, time to replace the power structure above them via the voting booth and sometimes maybe federal intervention!"
posted by axiom at 5:22 PM on October 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
Weirdly Second Amendment types all seem to be very into supporting police brutality. Something about what those "well organized militias" actually were and who they were supposed to be pointing guns at, I guess.
posted by Artw at 5:26 PM on October 13, 2015
posted by Artw at 5:26 PM on October 13, 2015
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There is something very wrong with justice in America.
posted by Artw at 6:34 AM on October 13, 2015 [29 favorites]