Before I begin this article, I think it’s important to state that I do not have children. I have no nieces or nephews. I’m rarely in the presence of young people. That includes everyone from those racking up Disney points, to those who voted in the 2008 election. My experience with young people is limited to being a long-term substitute teacher for several months, to law enforcement, to well… that’s about it. And it’s been years since I was either one; however, spoiler alert, the acts and ways of young people don’t change. They will always do naive things without thinking.
The most recent news about the Ball basketball family isn’t Lonzo Ball’s league-worst shooting percentage, the family’s terrible reality show, or the Big Baller Brand’s latest attempt to sell overpriced sporting apparel. It may sound like I don’t like the Ball family, which is led by the Don King and patriarch of the family, Lavar Ball; but that couldn’t be further from the truth. I support Lavar Ball and his outlandish acts, even his more than over the top sound bites. History has shown that when there’s a “Puff Daddy” to the father of Venus and Serena Williams to Flava Flav, a hype man/father/loud supporter of a particular talent, said talent generally does very well. Plus, the family last name is Ball – how cool is that? It’s like a military family with the last name “Sergeant.” And yes, I’ve met a Sergeant Sergeant before. Anyway, I digress.
LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley, and Jalen Hill, all three freshmen of the UCLA Basketball team, decided to make the good (insert sarcasm) decision to steal sunglasses from an upscale and well-monitored store in China. Not Chinatown, New York City, but actual China. Not smart, I get it; however, teenagers and young people, until a real-life experience hits them, make a lot of dumb decisions.
To be clear, this isn’t about a lack of intelligence or common sense, but about the notion that young people are very naïve and arrogant at times. Mix in budding basketball stars of a premier basketball school, no life experience or knowledge regarding the nation they were in, and presto! An arrest for shoplifting, in China.
Speaking of the arrest… before anyone goes on a pious rant that it’s because “Lavar Ball is overbearing” and “poor little LiAngelo is acting out,” or the classic, these young black men with the world given to them “doing something stupid just wanna mess it up,” I’m very sure no player has ever wanted to just give back their fame and potential riches. LiAngelo and the others are doing what every other young person, I would say younger than 25, has and/or will do. That is an act depending on the opportunity, situation, person, etc., something very stupid that will either begin the process of true maturity, or will begin a negative trend of behavior sure to render a consequence that jeopardizes everything. It’s not like young people don’t possess the moral power to do right instead of wrong. But they do lack the need to understand that even the littlest wrongs can have a major impact that comes with major consequences, consequences they don’t foresee.
I will bet any amount of money these young basketball players never took into account that they were in a communist country. China’s legal system and procedures are nothing like the United States’. Another factor – they probably didn’t think they would get caught, or were important enough that if they did get caught they wouldn’t get in trouble. Yes, that has much to do with young athletes being treated like royalty early and far too often; however, that’s not that big of a deal. For the most part, most college and young professional athletes, both men and women, behave accordingly, given the circumstances they could easily act a fool.
Fortunately for the players, ole 45 made a few calls and apparently even Lavar Ball knew a few people, and the players escaped a “Midnight Express” situation.
Once the players settle back in the U.S. their consequences will probably exceed their crime. The moral joke, which is the NCAA, will likely overreach and make “an example” of them.
In the final analysis, all we can do as responsible adults is stress the importance to young people to think beyond the current, and understand their negative acts last three times longer than their positive ones. We must stress that life is mostly about decision making, and the better one’s life, has much to do with his or her choices. I think young people, including star athletes, generally understand that. This incident was a technical foul they couldn’t argue with the refs about. But it didn’t matter, because as crazy as it sounds, Trump was there to help them win the game.