Word: rauf
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...media attention reached a head when Abdul-Rauf finally confronted reporters on Tuesday, telling them that standing for the anthem violated his religious beliefs and that, "This country has a long history of [oppression]...I look at the Caucasian-Americans and I look at the African-Americans being oppressed in this country and I won't stand for that." He was suspended for that evening's game against Orlando...
Last Thursday night Abdul-Rauf acceded to NBA demands to stand with his teammates for the national anthem. But during the brief suspension statements of solidarity and condemnation amassed with great speed. The ACLU readied its forces, the American Legion cried "treason" and columnists flocked to both sides of the debate. The New York Times entered the fray on Thursday, late, but with force, rebuking the NBA for having "damaged core democratic ideals" by suspending Abdul-Rauf...
What the Abdul-Rauf affair has taught us is that the national anthem is just one of the details, part of a carefully-designed package the NBA has been selling to sell-out crowds around the nation. Just like the mandatory post-game interviews and the locker room press access, standing at attention during the anthem is a facet of the public image Stern and his colleagues have carved out for the "Professional Basketball Player...
...when the NBA responds to Abdul-Rauf by arguing that the rule about the anthem does not contain the seeds of a religious or free speech objection--that it is just a rule like any other and must be followed accordingly--they should not be interpreted as making a narrow rhetorical point. To them, the issue is one of profits and image, of catering to the appetites of the public. When they say that standing is simply one of the many duties of NBA players, they mean it in the way that it's the duty of the actress...
...course Stern and his colleagues have little interest in the status of Abdul-Rauf's sense of national pride. He can sing Islamic hymns or curse the flag for all they care. But stand, damn it, stand...