The U.S. Olympic basketball team—the redeem team—has a job to do at the Beijing Olympics that might be more important than bringing home the gold medal in the most American of sports: Beat Spain tomorrow in the quarter finals. Why? Because these Europeans think it’s funny to make fun of the Chinese by taking a team picture smiling while using their hands to slant their eyes, a clearly bigoted and inappropriate gesture.

And it didn’t stop with the Spanish hoop team. The Spanish Tennis team (minus Rafael Nadal—the worlds number one player and gold medal favorite) took a similar photo.

Spain has a history of racist actions aimed at African soccer players as well.

We have to show Spain that they can to get their asses whipped and dunked on, for the racist disrespect. That is Black people’s role in the Olympics from Jesse Owens defeating Nazism and Hitler in the ’36 games to Juan Carlos and Tommy Smith raising a black fist for the wretched of the earth in the ’68 games.

It was already a forgone conclusion that the hoop squad featuring Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Dwayne Wade MUST win the gold medal after suffering embarrassing defeats in 2002 World Championships, the 2004 Olympics and the 2006 World Championships—Spain won that tournament. These dudes better not come home without the highest level of Olympic bling—thus the moniker, “redeem team.”

Ironically LeBron James flirted with the idea of speaking out against China on the issue of Darfur. Days before the games King James and other members of the team, made sure they all towed the same old “this is about sport and not politics” line, steering clear of potential distracting controversy.

Gladly history/destiny stepped in to force these cats to make a statement for the Chinese and all those put down by European arrogance/ignorance. After the news broke of the Spanish team photo—Jason Kidd, at 36 the old man on the team and an Olympic gold medalist already, claimed that if team USA did something similar they would be suspended, or worse. (The Spanish team features NBA players Paul Gasol,—Kobe’s teammate with the LA Lakers—and Jose Calderon formerly of the Toronto Raptors – no word from the NBA on whether action will be taken against Gasol.) He’s right and they’d deserve it.

The Spanish hoopsters apologized but that’s almost as hollow as Congress apologizing for slavery. Naw, they have to lose—hopefully by a blow out—that’s being sorry.

For all the bemoaning about political correctness – America has one thing over the rest of the world, we have free speech – but you better watch what you say. Saying the wrong thing, or making the wrong gesture can get your ass kicked in the wrong company. The all-black, millionaire USA Basketball squad has to represent for all of the minorities in world that are regularly ridiculed and marginalized by the dominate culture, whether they want to or not, it’s what we – black people – are there to do.
—Kevin Weston