ABSTRACT Title of Dissertation: WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN: THE
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ABSTRACT Dissertation: Title of WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN: THE MEDIATED LIFE AND AFTERLIFE OF LEN BIAS Justin Bernard Hudson, Doctor of Philosophy, 2018 Dissertation directed by: Professor Susan D. Moeller, Philip Merrill College of Journalism This dissertation considers the role of sports journalists, politicians, activists, and other mythmakers in constructing the posthumous legacy of Len Bias, a black college basketball star who died of a cocaine overdose two days after being selected second overall by the Boston Celtics in the 1986 National Basketball Association Draft. Guided by previous research on myth, collective memory, and the intersection of sports media and race, I analysis Bias as a cultural text that reveals both hegemonic and counter-hegemonic views of black masculinity, crime, drugs, and sports. Journalists lauded Bias during his career at the University of Maryland for being an exemplary scholar-athlete, and the antithesis of the wayward black athlete and black drug-dealer that increasingly appeared in the media during the mid-1980s. After his death, however, journalists, university presidents, sports administrators, and politicians used Bias’ death, erroneously linked to crack cocaine, to call for anti-drug reforms in American sport aimed at black athletes and tougher legislative measures to combat the threat of crack, a cheap form of powder cocaine that originated in poor, black inner-city communities. During this anti-crack frenzy, Congress passed the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986, which established harsh penalties for drug offenders found with crack cocaine. After the initial frenzy dissipated, Bias’ death still shaped discussions about the criminal justice system and sports. Bias was blamed for the decline of the Boston Celtics and Maryland basketball program. Professional sports leagues and college teams changed the way they screened potential draftees and monitored current players. Reporters, columnists, and politicians also frequently invoked Bias as a cautionary tale, a symbol of the dangers of drug use and poor decision-making. The creators of these dominant narratives justified the increased surveillance of black athletes and young black men in general, signaling an ongoing crisis of black men in America. On the other hand, activists, sports journalists, and fans of Bias have used counter-narratives to both signal the damage done to black men due to the politicization of Bias’ death and to reposition Bias as a sports hero. WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN: THE MEDIATED LIFE AND AFTERLIFE OF LEN BIAS by Justin Bernard Hudson Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Maryland, College Park, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2018 Advisory Committee: Professor Susan Moeller, Chair Professor Sarah Oates Professor David Andrews Associate Professor Kalyani Chadha Professor of the Practice Kevin Blackistone © Copyright by Justin Bernard Hudson 2018 Dedication To Lizzie Hudson, my first fan. ii Acknowledgements This dissertation represents the culmination of a long journey. That journey began for me as an undergraduate at Rice University. As a part of the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship, I was encouraged by provost Roland Smith to pursue a doctorate degree. While completing my master’s degree at UC Berkeley, my program director Derek Van Rhennan also encouraged me to pursue a doctorate degree and suggested I tackle the issue of media stereotyping and the African American male athlete. Thank you to both Dr. Smith and Dr. Van Rheenen for their early encouragement and belief in my intellectual abilities. I like to thank my dissertation committee for their guidance through this long process. My advisor Susan Moeller helped me tremendously in getting over years of paralyzing doubt and fear to find my academic voice. I am a better teacher and scholar thanks to her guidance. Sarah Oates has long been one of my biggest advocates and often was there to encourage me at my lowest moments. Kevin Blackistone has been a great mentor and friend since I entered into the Ph.D. program seven years ago. Thank you for continually showing me the importance of my scholarly work. David Andrews and Kalyani Chadha are two of the best teachers I’ve ever had and helped tremendously in my journey to find my intellectual path. I will always appreciate the advice and administrative support I received from other faculty and staff at the University of Maryland such as Carl Stepp, Rafael Lorente, George Solomon, Clint Bucco, Krishnan Vasudevan, Clint Bucco, Anne Rosen, Ira Chinoy, Vanessa Nichols-Holmes, David Watson, and Caryn Taylor- Fiebig. iii I am grateful for the opportunities Dr. Damion Thomas of the Smithsonian Institute and Dr. Travis Vogan of the University of Iowa have provided for me to advance my academic careers. I have learned a lot about what it takes to become a successful academic through their outreach and support. Thank you to my friends from the University of Maryland, and the Rice and UC Berkeley alumni clubs of Washington D.C. for their support through my graduate studies. I like to especially thank friends such as Kim Griffin, Robert Bland, David Wei, and Zach Eldredge for acting as a sounding board and sharing their own experiences at the graduate level. Nicole Martinez has supported me through the ups and downs of the writing process for the last two years. I doubt I would have finished without her support and unconditional love. I cannot wait to see where life takes us next. Finally, I would like to thank my parents, Vearlean and Woodrow Hudson, for their love and support through this process. I will always be eternally grateful for the sacrifices they made so that I can receive a quality education. This degree is as much their degree as it is mine. Love you both. iv Table of Contents Dedication ..................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents .......................................................................................................... v Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1 Methodology ......................................................................................................................... 7 Research Questions .............................................................................................................. 9 Literature Review ............................................................................................................... 10 Trauma, death, and journalism ....................................................................................... 10 Collective memory ......................................................................................................... 13 Journalism as a site of memory ...................................................................................... 14 Collective memory, sports journalism, and race ............................................................ 16 Collective memory and reputations ................................................................................ 17 Race and Mediated Afterlife .......................................................................................... 20 Myth ............................................................................................................................... 20 News and myth ............................................................................................................... 21 Sports and Myth ............................................................................................................. 23 Race, Media, and the Rise of Reagan ............................................................................. 26 Media Coverage of War on Drugs ................................................................................. 27 College Athletics, Race, and the Media ......................................................................... 29 Race and the NBA .......................................................................................................... 32 Chapter Summaries ............................................................................................................ 34 Chapter 1: A Budding (Black) Star In Reagan’s America .......................................... 46 The Rise of the Televised Black Athlete ............................................................................ 49 Prop 48 And the Crisis of the Black Student-Athlete ......................................................... 53 Len Bias and The Myth of the Black College Basketball Player ....................................... 59 Race, Drugs, and the Media ................................................................................................ 64 Len Bias, Race, Drugs, and the NBA ................................................................................. 67 Chapter 2: The Death of Len Bias and the Escalating War on Drugs ........................ 77 To an Athlete Dying Young ............................................................................................... 81 Searching for the Real Len Bias ......................................................................................... 82 Bad Company ....................................................................................................................