The primary voting season is here. While many will think of the local State’s Attorney’s race or in DC, Proposition 77 – aimed at increasing the income of restaurant workers, what I think of in addition to those things is the NBA Hall of Famer and DMV icon Allen Iverson.
Stay with me.
Generously listed at 6 feet, not only was Iverson one of the most exciting basketball players of any era, but he was one of the best high school athletes the country has EVER seen. In addition to being an 11-time NBA All-Star, 2-time All-Star game MVP, and the 2001 NBA MVP, Iverson was an all-state quarterback in the talent-rich Hampton Roads area of Virginia. Three days after leading his high school to the state title in football, he made his basketball debut for the year….scoring 47 points! He was the Associated Press High School Player of the Year in both football and basketball.
Under the inch-for-inch, pound-for-pound criteria, Iverson would be very high on the list of best all-around athletes of my lifetime.
In addition to that, Iverson was iconic among the Hip Hop culture, in no small part to his refusal to modify who he was, warts and all, in exchange for commercial endorsements. Simply put in the eyes of his fans, Iverson kept it real.
I have played softball with a person for several years whom I call, “the Question”. Why? Because I never knew if he would be where he is supposed to be. Allen Iverson’s nickname was “THE ANSWER”, because on game day, regardless of injuries and being literally the smallest person on the court, you knew Iverson came to play and play with no fear. Even against the likes of Shaq, who was literally more than twice his size, Iverson would go to the hole without hesitation.
The only time you could not count on “an Answer” was during practice. He was so uninterested in it that his coach in Philadelphia, the great Larry Brown, finally called him out about the matter to the media. Iverson responded at a press conference with one of the most memorable sports quotes ever…
“We’re sitting in here, and I’m supposed to be the franchise player, and we in here talking about practice. I mean, listen, we’re talking about practice, not a game, not a game, not a game, we talking about practice. Not a game. Not, not … Not the game that I go out there and die for and play every game like it’s my last. Not the game, but we’re talking about practice, man. I mean, how silly is that? … And we talking about practice. I know I supposed to be there. I know I’m supposed to lead by example… I know that… And I’m not.. I’m not shoving it aside, you know, like it don’t mean anything. I know it’s important, I do. I honestly do… But we’re talking about practice man. What are we talking about? Practice? We’re talking about practice.”
This is why Iverson reminds me of all too many voters. The less repeated part of the quote was the fact that he knew that he was wrong and acknowledged such. However, my feeling is that rarely before had anyone actually demanded more from him. He viewed games the way many voters view elections. In addition, both have the same fatal flaw and that is the failure to realize that the work before and in between the games and elections is how best to get results from the games and elections.
Though I played multiple sports growing up, I did not fully appreciate the significance of practice until I began to coach. Likewise, though I have voted all my adult life, the more politically conscious I become, the more I realize that the critical work is ongoing before, in between, and after elections. It’s constant political education, holding both police and elected officials accountable, be they Barack Obama or the current president, and even non-electoral organizing work.
So I say to you voters as I would say to Iverson; we are not just talking about practice. We are not just talking about elections. We are talking about putting in that grind and the hard, thankless work when no one is watching. Had we been as engaged out of election season as we are during the election season, maybe we could have prevented the conditions that allowed for the election of the current President of the United States. Just as it was always about more than practice, it has always been about more than voting.
