Phoenix Suns Make A Statement Against Arizona Law

From J.A. Adande of ESPN:

The “Los Suns” jerseys the Phoenix Suns wear annually for the NBA’s “Noche Latina” program just went from marketing gimmick to political statement.

And a playoff series with a narrative already worthy of The History Channel just added a subplot that would make for a rowdy segment on Fox News Channel.

In announcing the Suns would wear their Spanish jerseys for Game 2 against the San Antonio Spurs — which falls on the Mexican holiday known as Cinco de Mayo — Suns owner Robert Sarver went out of his way to knock Arizona’s controversial immigration enforcement law known as Senate Bill 1070.

Good for Sarver. The only time we’re used to seeing pro sports team owners take a public stance on a political legislation is when there’s a stadium funding bill on the ballot. But something has gotten into Sarver. In the Suns’ 111-102 victory over the Spurs in Game 1 on Monday night he was on his feet, exhorting the crowd to make more noise. Now he’s jumping into this divisive issue.

The bill was signed into law last month by Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer. It makes it a misdemeanor for immigrants to be in Arizona without proper documents and allows police officers to request proof of status if there is a “reasonable suspicion” that the person is in the country illegally.

We need to crack down on the illegal immigration problem, which is why many welcome the tougher legislation. It is the potential racial profiling and abuse of the reasonable-suspicion clause that make this law suspect. It’s not too hard to guess who will be asked to provide their papers (Hint: They’re more likely to look like Leandro Barbosa than like Steve Nash). If Americans are regularly stopped and asked to prove they’re American, then America feels less like America.

In a news release from the team, Sarver said, “Our players and organization felt that wearing our ‘Los Suns’ jerseys on Cinco de Mayo was a way for our team and our organization to honor our Latino community and the diversity of our league, the State of Arizona, and our nation … “

The next paragraph was when he teed off on the politicians.

“The frustration with the federal government’s failure to deal with the issue of illegal immigration resulted in passage of a flawed state law. However intended, the result of passing this law is that our basic principles of equal rights and protection under the law are being called into question, and Arizona’s already struggling economy will suffer even further setbacks at a time when the state can ill-afford them.”

Businesses and unions have already announced they will boycott travel to Arizona. The University of Arizona says it has already received notices from out-of-state students that they won’t be attending school there in the fall because of the law. There are calls for Major League Baseball to move the 2011 All-Star Game from Arizona, as the NFL once did with the Super Bowl after the state refused to honor the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Click here for the rest of the story.

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