Abstract

Contracting and possibly folding in the late 1970s, the global success of the NBA in the 1980s and 1990s is often attributed to the charismatic personalities and talents of Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Michael Jordan. The NBA’s resurgence was actually the result of successful managerial strategies that expunged the historical racial connotations that made white viewers uncomfortable with African Americans -- violence, drug abuse, and union activity (greed) - strategies that dovetailed with Reaganism’s policy of colorblindness. Although the NBA continues to employ a majority of black players, a focus on the ‘dark ages’ of 1976-1979, and the ensuing transformation, illuminates the continuing racial politics between black athletes and white fans.