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Pro potential Johnson shows there's more than one way to make it bigPosted: Wednesday December 18, 2002 2:55 PM
Maybe it's not as dramatic as say, Jackie Robinson breaking baseball's color barrier. After all, new Charlotte owner Robert Johnson technically isn't the first African-American to own a pro sports team. Peter Bynoe and Bertram Lee bought the Nuggets for a reported $54 million in '89 before cashing out three years later. But the NBA's decision to grant Johnson the privilege to pony up $300 million for the league's 30th franchise, in Charlotte, is a watershed moment nonetheless. Johnson, the billionaire founder of Black Entertainment Television, will become the only African-American owner in pro sports. He will be the face of the franchise. He will call the shots. By choosing him over another group headed by former NBA superstar Larry Bird, David Stern and Co. may not have intended to make history. The NBA expansion committee has said all along that it would make its recommendation on the basis of qualifications alone. Apparently they decided that Johnson's business plan was better for the long-term success of the Charlotte franchise. Still, whether he likes it or not, Johnson is officially now a pioneer. According to the Sports Business Journal, he would be the only black majority owner among the 120 or so teams that make up the four major pro sports. Considering the large percentage of minority athletes in those sports, it's rather striking. Johnson will do more than try to bring NBA excitement back to Charlotte. He will bring a much-needed touch of diversity to the league's boardroom. More important, he will be a role model to African-American youth, showing them there are other ways to the NBA besides putting a ball through a hoop. Johnson, 56, is a true American success story. He graduated from the University of Illinois, then got his master's degree from Princeton. In 1980, with the help of a $500,000 loan, he started BET. In '91 he took the company public, making it the first black-owned company listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Eventually he sold BET to Viacom, and now has a fortune estimated at $1.3 billion. Forget Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant or LeBron James. Those guys are one-in-a-million talents. Sadly too many kids try to follow their path to fame and fortune, at the expense of schoolwork. Maybe now, in Johnson, those kids have a more realistic alternative, in case the NBA career doesn't work out. Maybe now they will realize that doing their homework, studying for exams and paying attention in class can pay off big time. Like Robert Johnson, they can use their education and brains to make their dreams come true. It's not a coincidence that the NBA always seems to be ahead of the curve when it comes to diversity. Nets coaches Byron Scott and Frank Johnson both praised Commissioner David Stern last month for the league's record in hiring minority coaches and said they hoped to see more people of color in management and ownership positions. Once more, apparently, Stern has heard the message. Johnson's new team won't start play until 2004, but he has already made an impact. If his presence in the boardroom convinces even a few kids to put down the basketball for awhile and pick up a book, it all will have been worth it. And if he can make Charlotte a hot NBA city once again, so much the better. Marty Burns covers pro basketball for CNNSI.com. Click here to send Marty a question or comment.
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