New American Revolution

大坂なおみの試合があと数時間後に始まりますが、このTIMEの動画は6月のジョージフロイドの事件の後を受けてのものです。昨年、彼女はTIME100に選ばれていてその一環としてのインタビューです。さらに8月にはHappyという歌で有名なPharrell Williamsが編集した黒人の問題を取り扱ったTIMEの特集New American Revolutionでも彼女が登場していたんですね。日本で発売されているアジア版では表紙がインドのCOVID-19の状況を扱っていたので見落としていました。

Mikey Williams In Conversation With Naomi Osaka: ‘We’re Young Black Athletes. We Have Spotlights On Us’

Naomi Osaka  Mikey Williams  Aug. 20, 2020     

Naomi Osaka is one of the top tennis players in the world, having won two Grand Slam titles in the past three years. Mikey Williams, a rising high school sophomore, is one of the top-ranked basketball prospects in the country and made waves recently for expressing an interest in attending a historically Black college or university (HBCU), as opposed to a traditional NCAA powerhouse. They met on Zoom to discuss being shaped by the protests this year and their long-term goals off the court.

大坂の意見表明についてのスポンサー企業の反応について毎日新聞が記事にしていましたが、この記事でも意見表明するにあたってスポンサーのことを心配していますが、言うべきことを言うことの覚悟を語っています。

NO: Personally, because of COVID and the quarantine, I was able to stay in one place for the longest amount of time I have in my life. But I actually flew to Minneapolis with my boyfriend, and we saw everything. That was a life-changing moment. I think athletes are scared of losing sponsors whenever they speak out. For me, that was really true, because most of my sponsors are Japanese. They probably have no idea what I’m talking about, and they might have been upset. But there comes a time where you feel like you gotta speak on what’s right and what’s important.

黒人であることの誇りを感じているようで、今大会では特にいい方向に作用しているようです。

MW: What is it like representing Blackness on an international scale?

NO: Because tennis is a majority-white sport, I do feel like I’m a representative—and because of that, I feel like I shouldn’t lose, sometimes. But it’s a very big source of pride. I feel like it gives me a lot of power, and I always feel more welcomed in certain cities.

企業との関係についても単なるお飾りのfigureheadになることには興味がないようです。

MW: Do you have any advice for becoming an entrepreneur as an athlete?

NO: I feel like I’m still learning a lot. Thankfully, I learned for a short while from Kobe [Bryant]. But everything that you’re interested in is an opportunity, and there’s no such thing as a stupid question when you’re in meetings. Most of the time, people don’t expect athletes to really get involved in the product. They just expect you to be a figurehead. But the newer generation is really becoming involved, trying to be investors.

毎日の記事だと否定的な反応の日本企業でしたが、一方のNikeはそのあたりをうまく取り込んでプロモーションしています。

The Future is in the Air: Naomi Osaka

Breaking The Mold

33 years ago, the Nike Air Max introduced visible air, setting new standards by shattering existing ones. This season we're highlighting the athletes, artists, and challengers who are doing the same. The future is in the Air.

The next generation of athletes are often told that to be great; they have to be made in the same mold as the greats who preceded them. Naomi Osaka has no interest in fitting into the mold, she's too busy breaking it. She went from relative unknown to one of the best tennis players in the world by doing it her way. "I got to this stage by being myself, and I should keep doing that," Naomi said.

このTIMEの特集を見てもBLMの問題の深刻さ、広がりを感じることができます。丁寧に読み直そうと思います。

about a black future - pharrell williams on TIME magazine

titled the new american revolution — visions of a black future that fulfill a nation’s promise, TIME magazine’s aug. 31-sept. 7 issue will probably make it to the books. the issue, which sees the light during, let’s say, history-making times, was curated by recording artist and producer pharrell williams and features a series of conversations and essays that discuss creating a more equitable future for black americans.

 

‘america was founded on a dream of a land where all men were created equal, that contained the promise of liberty and justice for all,’ says pharrell williams on his essay ‘pharrell williams: america’s past and present are racist. we deserve a black future. ‘but all has never meant Black people. like most Black americans, I understand that all exists only in the augmented-reality goggles available to shareholders, power brokers and those lucky enough to get in on the initial public offering. but the ongoing protests for equity and accountability that have overtaken cities across the nation have made me feel something new that I can only describe with one word: american.’

in conjunction with TIME’s special cover project, pharrell williams teamed-up with jay-z to release a new song about Black ambition titled entrepreneur. on the track, williams sings: ‘in this position with no choice/the system imprison young Black boys/distract with white noise.’ williams told TIME the song is ‘about how tough it is to be an entrepreneur in our country to begin with.’