Support the Movement

For the Grizz nation, MLK day has always been a special one.

Earlier this evening, our Grizzly bears made many into believers. In front of a sellout crowd and a national TV audience, the guys in Beale Street Blue beat another playoff team. And strangely, it didn't feel that unique. This team can play with anybody.

As I pondered the significance of this win within the context it was placed, I happened to look up to see my Grizz posters on the walls. One reads, United We Slam, another, Viva Los Underdogs, and another Support the Movement.

Support the Movement. Isn't that what MLK was saying years ago? He was calling many to a movement of non-violence and love. Heisley and Co. are calling many this year to a movement-one of enthusiasm, support, and hope.

I'll go further. Let's look at the civil rights movement. Did it not take time to develop into a force? Surely, a movement revolving around forgiveness could not have been easy to support for many African-Americans who had been affected by the slavery of the South. Secondly, at the time of MLK's movement there were other movements, such as Malcolm X's and The Black Panthers'. These were surely more attractive to some African-Americans who desired instant change. And finally, to fuel the movement, MLK constantly cast vision for the people following him (see, "I have a dream").

For the Grizz nation, "supporting the movement" has great implications. We, like those who fought for racial equality, are fighting for NBA relevancy. (My OJ Mayo poster reads, Join the Fight). We, like many who marched with Dr. King, are often told to give up and go home, hearing that this franchise is hopeless and should be in Seattle. It is not easy to support this movement, just as it wasn't easy to support Dr. King's. And finally, this movement of ours is fueled by vision, by a dream, just as civil rights movement was. "The three-year plan" comes to mind. So does Lionel Hollins saying, "This is what the playoffs are all about-and we can do that."

So, to the Grizz nation out there, whether you're in a castle on Cherry Lane, a dorm in Winston Salem, or a log cabin in Vancouver, Support the Movement.

That's what Dr. King said years ago, and that's what I and the brilliant Grizz marketing team are saying now.

I live the GrizzLife and love it,

Paul