BW07122020 - Page 6

6 BROOKLYN WEEKLY, JULY 12, 2020 ‘He spent his life at the forefront’ Brooklynites looks to rename Nets, Barclays Center after Jackie Robinson �� A cadre of activists and local politicians are pushing to rename the Brooklyn Nets and Barclays Center after Jackie Robinson, the famed Brooklyn Dodger who broke racial barriers in professional baseball, saying that the time is ripe to properly honor the Brooklyn trailblazer. “You’re seeing certain individuals being criticized and their statutes rightly removed, and here’s the opportunity to do something symbolic,” said Park Sloper Arthur Piccolo, who recently reignited his years long effort to rename the Fort Green stadium to honor the legendary athlete. “What I’m proposing is an obvious idea.” Piccolo first called for Bruce Ratner to name the venue after Robinson in 2006 while Rater was developing the stadium with Forest City Enterprises — but his call fell on deaf ears. Now, amid the backdrop of nationwide protests against racism, Piccolo thought it was the perfect time to renew that effort. “I said wow, this is the time to revive that idea. Perfect timing,” Piccolo said. “We’re talking about symbolism, positive symbolism for the future about equality.” Forest City sold the arena’s naming rights to the Londonbased banking group, Barclays, in 2007 for somewhere between $300 and $400 million over 20 years — the most expensive naming contract for any indoor stadium in the US at the time, according to the New York Times. To get around the contractual obligations in that deal, the arena’s current owner, billionaire businessman Joseph Tsai, could incorporate Jackie �� This newspaper is not responsible for typographical errors in ads beyond the cost of the space occupied by the error. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2020 by Brooklyn Courier Life LLC. The content of this newspaper is protected by Federal copyright law. This newspaper, its advertisements, articles, and photographs may not be reproduced, either in whole or part, without permission in writing from the publisher except brief portions for purposes of review or commentary consistent with the law. Postmaster, send address changes to Courier Life, One MetroTech Center North, Third Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201. BY ROSE ADAMS & ADIAN GRAHAM �� Robinson into the existing name rather than swapping the name out entirely, proponents suggest. “I’d propose, the ‘Jackie Robinson Arena at Barclays Center,’” wrote Atlantic Yards watchdog journalist Norman Oder in a June 28 blogpost. The time might also be ripe to change the name entirely, since Barclays is looking to end the naming contract early, as it no longer plans on building a retail bank presence in the United States, the New York Post reported last year. And in addition, the British bank has come under fire for its former ties to the slave trade, according to the non-profit Restitution Study Group, headed by former Brooklynite Deadria Farmer-Paellmann, who commissioned the study while the arena’s name was being debated in 2007. Those ties drew ire at the time from local politicos like then-Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries and Congresswoman Yvette Clarke. But even still, the arena’s name isn’t enough for one Park Slope politician, who called for an even more grandiose gesture — saying Brooklyn’s only major sports franchise should change their name to honor the late legend. “Robinson played his entire career in Brooklyn and highlighting his legacy will remind millions of his trailblazing work,” said Assemblyman Robery Carroll. “Brooklyn is universally known as a place of diversity and forward thought — having our only professional sports team honor the spirit Jackie Robinson would be fi tting.” Carroll wrote a letter to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and Nets owner Joseph Tsai on July 7 urging the team to “fully embrace their Brooklyn roots” and consider the change — and he even suggested a handful of options, like the “Brooklyn Jackies,” the “Brooklyn Jacks” and the “Brooklyn 42s.” The name change would rebrand the team that has played under the moniker “Nets” since 1977 — but it wouldn’t be the first time the franchise considered altering the name. When they moved from New Jersey to Brooklyn in 2012, various stakeholders pushed for a new, Brooklyn-centric name like the “Brooklyn Bridges” or the “Brooklyn Attitudes” — but they ultimately decided to keep the “Nets” name after years of deliberation, which Carroll considers a wasted opportunity. “Brooklyn is a dynamic, diverse, and animated place, we shouldn’t have our team named after an inanimate object,” said Carroll. In 1947, Robinson took to Flatbush’s Ebbets Field to play first base for the borough’s former ballclub — becoming the first Black baseball player to break the color barrier, which had separated white and nonwhite athletes from competing in the same league for more than 50 years. A vocal civil rights advocate throughout his life, who often railed against injustices and appeared alongside Dr. Martin Luther Kings Jr. at rallies and marches, Robsinson lived for a time in Brooklyn and is buried in Brooklyn’s Cypress Hills Cemetery — but, Piccolo says, the borough has not properly honored his legacy. “He spent his life at the forefront. While he was in the military, before Rosa Parks, he refused to sit at the back of the bus,” said Piccolo, who runs a Lower Manhattan advocacy non-profit called the Bowling Green Association. “He has never been adequately honored anywhere, not even at his home.” Other structures across the borough bear Jackie Robinson’s name, including the Jackie Robinson Parkway, two Jackie Robinson playgrounds, a statue in his likeness in Coney Island, and the Jackie Robinson School in Crown Heights — which sits across from the former Dodgers home, Ebbets Field. Barclays Center’s plaza also features the Ebbets Field flagpole and a plaque honoring the Brooklyn Dodgers and Robinson, but Piccolo says the various tributes aren’t enough. “What an insult, that there’s some strip of highway. That’s how you honor one of the most important people?” he said, adding that he frequents Barclays Center and has never noticed the plaque. “I would not have a clue that there’s a plaque on a flagpole.” While the activists and politicians haven’t yet heard back from representatives of the Nets or Barclays Center, Carroll said they’ll continue pushing the issue to the forefront. “While our nation grapples with who we should honor and what names should adorn teams and buildings it would be fitting for the Brooklyn Nets to honor the legacy of a true Civil Rights Icon and the first African American player in professional sports,” he said. Representatives of Brooklyn Nets’ parent company, BSE Global, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Locals are pushing to rename the Nets and Barclays Center after Jackie Robinson. Wikicommons (left), REUTERS (right)