Weighing in on the Hiring of Becky Hammon

I've always asked myself if I would recognize progress in the realm of social justice if I saw it. I tend to be hyper critical of the world around me (big surprise, I know...) so even if, lets say, in a conversation with a man who says, "In my experience, I've never heard someone say that 'boys don't cry,'" I'm not sure I would be able to believe it.

The hiring of Becky Hammon (CSU Alum!!) onto the San Antonio Spurs coaching staff marks the first time a woman has been hired as a full time assistant coach on a team in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The reaction that I have witnessed
has been very positive. Many have expressed feelings that "it's about time" that a woman is hired as a coach in the NBA.

I will say that I believe this is a representation of progress. I will also say that coded in the reaction are some very interesting talking points that I wanted to explore. It's a unique opportunity to examine how men in the sports world really feel about women in sports. 

One of the concepts that is consistently talked about is the notion of RESPECT.  If you listen to this podcast of a very popular ESPN Radio show, Mike & Mike, at about 9 minutes in and 32 minutes in, you will hear a bunch of men discuss the significance of Becky Hammon. Mike Golic goes into detail about all of the things that Hammon has done to "earn respect" and yet there's still a sense of hesitancy when it comes to "earning respect from the players". Will players listen to her? Will they "let" her coach them? Anyone with Hammon's credentials (16 year pro, has been around the Spurs, helped them out in practice, in the video room, etc) who happens to be a man would never be questioned that he has earned respect. Literally the only thing holding Hammon back in the minds of many is the fact that she identifies and presents as a woman.

Hammon definitely has the benefit of being a former player. If I had to guess, that would be a requirement for women to earn credibility in the professional coaching world. By contrast, it is not a necessity for male coaches. Here is a list of 10 head football coaches who don't have playing experience. You might notice that they're all perceptibly white men. That's significant. Which leads into my next thought.

One of the most interesting quotes from Hammon is this: 

"People ask me all the time, will there ever be a woman player in the NBA? To be honest, no. There are differences. The guys are too big, too strong and that's just the way it is. But when it comes to things of the mind, things like coaching, game-planning, coming up with offensive and defensive schemes, there's no reason why a woman couldn't be in the mix and shouldn't be in the mix"

I totally agree that when it comes to things of the mind, there's no reason why women shouldn't be at the highest level. In fact, I've heard that more diversity leads to better solutions to complex problems because there are a variety of perspectives that contribute (if I find the studies, I will be sure to post them!). But if being cerebral is one of the requirements for women to be hired as professional coaches, then I feel like Hammon has the advantage of being White in this particular situation. She has less to prove intelectually as a White person than a person of color. This is the result and lasting legacy of the American Eugenics movement (a whole different story, but incredibly important to understand race relations in the US). It's an unfortunate reality (complete CRAP in my opinion) so it will be interesting to observe the reaction if/when a woman of color is hired as an assist coach in the NBA.

I also think it's interesting that there's a lot of emphasis that it is the San Antonio Spurs organization that is the one breaking the barrier. The Spurs are heralded for their humble, nose to the grindstone approach. They aren't flashy and basically hate the media. So in a lot of ways, Hammon's position is further solidified because of the nature of the Spurs reputation in the sports world. I think this is a great model for being an effective ally. The Spurs didn't necessarily create this identity with the intention of breaking gender barriers. But because they stick to their values, consistently do the right thing, and change with the times, hiring Hammon is more easily viewed as an enhancement to their organization and not just a PR stunt. 

As members of Men in the Movement, this is important to keep in mind. We're here because we believe in doing the right thing. It's not about public recognition or awards. We aren't a PR stunt. To disrupt rape culture, we need to model the culture we want to see so that when big change happens, we can acknowledge that it happened and continue to progress as individuals and as a community.