Many people often have different views on certain topics and when it comes to Black History Month in the National Basketball Association, students at Cabrini also have different views.
In 2005 Nike released its first Black History Month (BHM) collection and the tradition continues today.
The sneakers that Nike produced come in a rage of colors and patterns. The BHM sneaker collection first started with the Nike Air Force 1’s and now they come in many different styles.
“I don’t know much about the NBA but if it’s cultural appropriation I don’t think they should wear it,” Nia Alvarez-Mapp, English and political science major, said. “If it isn’t cultural appropriation and it’s just like acknowledgment I don’t see a problem with them wearing it.”
Many times these shoes are worn by African American NBA players but not all of the team members where the BHM shoes.
Some students believe that teams should always stick together and support each other in everything.
“I think every player should wear it. Just because he’s an African American does not mean he should be the only one wearing his shoes,” Thalia Ramos, sophomore psychology major, said. “You’re a team so why not have your whole team do that?”
While some students have specific beliefs on this topic, some are skeptical about the whole thing and believe it is up to the individual player to decide what he represents.
“When it comes to this, I don’t know, I guess it’s such a tough topic. I feel like some people would not want to take part in it,” Ramirez said.
Nike uses the BHM collection as a representation to honor Black History Month and while some students think that all players should participate in the honor others seem to have other opinions.
“I think the purpose of Black History Month is really just bringing awareness to the history and the discrimination that African Americans faced in the past,” Diego Ramirez, sophomore international business major, said.
As a whole, students believe that Black History Month should be recognized by all but do not believe that it is necessary for all NBA players to wear sneakers from Nike’s BHM collection.
“Absolutely I think all races should acknowledge Black History Month because black people have done a lot for this country and the world in general,” Mark DiSalvatore, sophomore finance major, said. “I think that everyone should embrace the significance of black history and any races history.”
