Luke Kornet’s recent blog post aiming to “protect and esteem women” seemingly glossed over one key component: a woman’s perspective.
Former ESPN star Michelle Beadle offered a scathing review of the San Antonio 7-footer’s viral entry on Medium, which lobbied for the cancellation of the Atlanta Hawks’ upcoming “Magic City Monday” promotion, celebrating the city’s famous adult entertainment club of the same name.
The event, scheduled for March 16 against the Orlando Magic, will feature in-house merchandise, Magic City’s signature lemon pepper wings and a halftime performance from Atlanta hip-hop legend T.I.
During a recent episode of “Beadle & Decker,” the sports reporter lambasted the “White Knight” not only for misrepresenting what has been deemed an “iconic cultural institution,” but for attempting to save women from what declared would displease them.
She also underscored that he plays neither for the Hawks nor the Magic.
“As a woman, I am not offended by the idea of Magic Monday,” Beadle said. “I cannot say this enough, Magic City, for anyone who’s been to Atlanta, it’s not just a t–ty bar. I feel like that’s sort of the vibes that maybe people are getting.
“Secondly, and more importantly is, thank you, White Knight,” she added. “We don’t need this. I’ve had enough of men telling us what we can and shouldn’t and what we should want and what we should need and how we should act. No. No, no, these are not trafficked 12-year-olds, okay? We have that, and none of those people are being brought forward. This is not that. These are grown ass women who have a job. I don’t understand, are you shaming that industry as part of this blog? I can’t really understand the motivation. And most importantly, that’s not even a Spurs game, bruh. That’s Magic-Hawks. It has nothing to do with you, and he’s got like a petition. He actually wants people to sign on, and I’m just, I’m a little confused by it.”
Albeit divisive, the Hawks’ promotion honoring the well-known strip club isn’t entirely out of left field.
Just last summer, Hawks co-owner, actress, and film producer Jami Gertz produced a five-part docuseries commemorating Magic City’s 40th anniversary.
The NBA seemingly has no issue with the collaboration.
But Kornet, 30, urged league brass to rethink its stance in his blog post, claiming that allowing the themed night to go forward would make the NBA community “complicit in the potential objectification and mistreatment of women in our society.”
Kornet added that he and “others throughout the league” were surprised by and object to the Hawks’ celebration of a strip club, and he rallied others to join his appeal to “ensure that the NBA remains a safe, respectful, and welcoming environment for everyone involved.”