It is no secret that football， with its often anonymous foot soldiers in the trenches （many without fully guaranteed contracts）， is a sport more designed for group expression. The N.B.A.， said the former commissioner David Stern， has long been a laboratory focused on the behavior of individuals.
　　由于无名球员众多（很多人没有全额保障合同），美式足球注定适合群体表达，这已经不是一个秘密了。按照前总裁大卫·斯特恩的说法，NBA很久以前就是一个专注于个体行为的实验室了。
　　It has been 21 years since the N.B.A. punished a player for refusing to stand for the national anthem. And that player， Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf， paid a much greater price than the nearly $32，000 he lost for a one-game suspension.
　　距離NBA惩罚一名拒绝在国歌仪式时起立的球员已经过去了21年。那名球员——穆罕默德·阿卜杜尔-拉乌夫，付出的代价，远比一场禁赛损失的32000美元大得多。
　　A flashy 6-foot-1 guard and the Denver Nuggets’ leading scorer for the 1995-96 season， AbdulRauf refused to stand because of personal and religious beliefs. He negotiated a fast truce with the league， acquiescing to its rule requiring players to stand for the anthem in an acceptable posture -while also cupping his hands and bowing his head in adherence to his Muslim faith.
　　身高1.85米，技术出众的阿卜杜尔-拉乌夫是掘金1995-96赛季的控球后卫，因为个人及宗教信仰原因，他拒绝在国歌仪式中起立。他迅速与联盟达成和解，认同球员需要以特定姿势出现在国歌仪式的要求——但仍然按照伊斯兰教义合掌，低头。

　　He was also traded soon after to the Sacramento Kings， and by 1998， at 29， he was out of the league. He became， in essence， a cautionary tale as Colin Kaepernick pursues a case against the N.F.L. accusing it of colluding to deny him a job over his kneeling for the anthem last season.
　　没过多久他就被交易到了萨克拉门托国王，1998年，29岁的他被迫退出联盟。实际上，和上赛季因为在国歌仪式中单膝下跪而起诉NFL串通导致他没有工作的科林·卡佩尼克一样，阿卜杜尔-拉乌夫的故事成了一个警示录。
　　Abdul-Rauf did not get much support from his peers.
　　阿卜杜尔-拉乌夫没有从周围人那里得到太多支持。
　　"If you ask most players from that era， they’d say they regretted not supporting him more than they did，" Buck Williams， who in 1996 was president of the National Basketball Players Association， said in a recent telephone interview. "He was kind of left out on an island."
　　“如果问经历过那个时期的大部分人，他们会说对没能更支持他感到遗憾。”1996年担任球员工会主席的巴克·威廉姆斯最近接受电话采访时表示，“他有点像被遗弃在荒岛上一样。”
　　That was then， a period largely defined by the soaring popularity of the famously apolitical Michael Jordan. This is now， an era of exploding social media leverage in which N.B.A. player and coaching personalities - more so than their N.F.L. counterparts —have established themselves as recognizable commentators. 　　那是一个以不关心政治而闻名的迈克尔·乔丹人气急速上升的年代。如今，则是社交媒体爆炸的年代，NBA球员及教练们在这里拥有更高的知名度——他们在社交媒体上的影响力强于NFL的同行。
　　So why haven’t N.B.A. players- at least thus far in this young season - joined those among the N.F.L.’s rank and file who have lined up behind the nowunemployed Kaepernick in taking a knee as a means of protest？
　　至少在新赛季进行至今，为什么NBA球员没有加入NFL支持如今已经没有工作的卡佩尼克那些球员，用单膝下跪的方式抗议呢？
　　It is not because they fear the wrath of President Trump， or even the punitive arm of the N.B.A.’s league office， according to Michele Roberts， the players union’s executive director.
　　按照球员工会执行主席米歇尔·罗伯茨的说法，那不是因为害怕特朗普总统生气，甚至也不是因为联盟办公室的处罚。
　　They haven’t protested collectively， she said， because they can better do so individually.
　　她说，球员们没有联合起来抗议，是因为独自抗议能起到更好效果。
　　"They don’t need to take a knee when they can communicate their messages on their own，" Roberts said in a telephone interview. "LeBron James， all he has to do is tweet and everybody knows exactly how he feels."
　　“当他们能够独立传达信息时，他们不需要单膝下跪。”罗伯茨在电话采访中表示，“勒布朗·詹姆斯，他只需要发一条推特，每个人就能知道他的感受了。”
　　O r h ave “E q u a l it y”embroidered on the back of his sneakers， as James did before the Cleveland Cavaliers’ season opener several weeks ago.
　　或者将“平等”写在球鞋背面，就像几周前詹姆斯在骑士赛季揭幕战里那样。
　　It is no secret that football， with its often anonymous foot soldiers in the trenches （many without fully guaranteed contracts）， is a sport more designed for group expression. The N.B.A.， said the former commissioner David Stern， has long been a laboratory focused on the behavior of individuals.
　　由于無名球员众多（很多人没有全额保障合同），美式足球注定适合群体表达，这已经不是一个秘密了。按照前总裁大卫·斯特恩的说法，NBA很久以前就是一个专注于个体行为的实验室了。
　　Asked why the league felt the need to impose a stand-forthe-anthem rule， in effect at least since the early 1980s， Stern said， "It was our minimal standard - when you come out on the court， please stand at attention - because the N.B.A. has always been something of a social cause， these great black athletes trying to work their way in what back in the day could be a hostile white environment."
　　在被问到为什么联盟认为有必要实行国歌时必须起立的规则时（这条规则至少在80年代初就出现了），斯特恩表示：“那是我们的最低标准——来到球场上，请起立——因为NBA向来具有社会诉求属性，那些伟大的黑人运动员当年在白人的敌对环境下试图拼出一条路。”
　　He mentioned outsize players and personalities like Bill Russell， Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar， with far greater visibility and impact in their comparatively intimate workplace.
　　他提到了诸如比尔·拉塞尔，威尔特·张伯伦和卡里姆·阿卜杜尔-贾巴尔这些知名球员，他们在相对更加恶劣的工作环境中拥有更大的知名度和影响力。
　　In the N.B.A.， superficial issues like hairstyles and tattoos have for decades been part of the discussion， and judgment. Kaepernick basically hid his Afro under a helmet， but as far back as the 1970s， Julius Erving’s could excite or aggravate. 　　在NBA，发型，文身这些肤浅的话题几十年来一直是人们讨论和评判的焦点。卡佩尼克用头盔盖住了爆炸头，但是回到70年代，朱利叶斯·欧文的爆炸头会激发社会的激烈讨论。

　　By March 1996， when AbdulRauf was suspended， Jordan was arguably the world’s most admired athlete and the N.B.A. was enjoying exponential domestic and global growth. Still， as Williams said，"Race was the elephant in the room， and though I think David tried his best to deal with it， it was something that terrified the N.B.A."
　　到1996年3月，当阿卜杜尔-拉乌夫被禁赛时，乔丹可以说是世界上最受崇拜的运动员，NBA也正在享受爆发式的国内及全球增长。尽管如此，正如威廉姆斯所说：“种族就像房子里的大象，尽管我认为大卫已经尽全力了，可那件事还是吓到了NBA。”
　　Although Stern said he didn’t believe Abdul-Rauf had been shunned by the league for his stance， and pointed out that he did return briefly with the Vancouver Grizzlies in 2000， Abdul-Rauf apparently believes otherwise.
　　虽说斯特恩表示他不认为阿卜杜尔-拉乌夫因为立场问题被联盟排除，而且指出后者2000年时曾短暂在灰熊打过比赛，但阿卜杜尔-拉乌夫却不这么认为。
　　Playing in the inaugural season of the Big3 league this year， his hair and beard speckled with gray， Abdul-Rauf， 48， continued to bow his head， close his eyes and pray during the playing of the anthem， which he maintains symbolizes oppression. In 2016， he told ESPN that he was at peace for keeping with his principles， despite career sacrifices.
　　今年参加Big3联盟第一个赛季的比赛时，48岁，头发和胡子有些灰白的阿卜杜尔-拉乌夫还是会在国歌仪式时低头，闭眼，做出祈祷动作，这是他一贯具有象征意义的表达。2016年时他告诉ESPN，尽管牺牲了职业生涯，但是严守自己的原则，他问心无愧。
　　It would be na？ve to think that the elephant of race has left the room， but 21st-century N.B.A. players are riding and even steering it， Roberts said， and without much direction from her.
　　如果認为“种族”这头大象已经离开房间，那当然过于天真了。但罗伯茨表示，不需要她的指导，21世纪的NBA球员已经跟上，甚至在掌控整个趋势了。
　　When James， Dwyane Wade， Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul used measured tones at the 2016 ESPY Awards to decry violence against African-Americans as well as against the police， Roberts said she was among the last people to hear it was going to happen.
　　当詹姆斯，德维恩·韦德，卡梅隆·安东尼和克里斯·保罗在2016年ESPY颁奖典礼上谴责针对非洲裔美国人和警察暴力时，罗伯茨说，她是最后才了解到情况的人之一。
　　"I haven’t had a single player ask me， ’What should we do？’" she said. "And I’m not intimidated or fearful of how they will be judged because I know whatever they do， they will do respectfully and with compassion."
　　“没有一个球员问我，‘我该做什么？’”她说，“他们如何被人评价，我不会感到被威胁或者害怕。因为我知道无论他们做什么，他们都会带着敬意与怜悯之心。”
　　Too sweeping a generalization， perhaps. In such a volatile or hostile environment， restraint or respect is not always possible. Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors tangled on Twitter with the president over the prospect of his team’s visit to the White House， and James weighed in on the exchange rather inelegantly. 　　也许是打破泛化的固有印象。在如此多变或敌对的环境中，克制或者尊重并非必然可能。勇士的斯蒂芬·库里在推特上因为球队拜访白宫一事和总统针锋相对，而詹姆斯回应时的言语并不怎么优雅。

　　Tough rhetoric has been heard from coaches， too， such as Steve Kerr of the Warriors and especially Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs. But the residual effect， from the players’ perspective， could be that they recognize they are no longer inhabiting the island that Williams said Abdul-Rauf was on 21 years ago.
　　教练也做出了激烈的批评，比如勇士的史蒂夫·科尔，尤其是马刺的格雷格·波波维奇。从球员角度看，这些行为可能让他们意识到，自己不再被受困于威廉姆斯所说的21年前阿卜杜尔-拉乌夫受困的荒岛上。
　　Indeed， N.B.A. players share vivid memories of how swiftly and strongly Adam Silver， the current commissioner， dealt with the ramblings of Donald Sterling， the former Los Angeles Clippers’ owner， in 2014. This September， Silver and Roberts signed a letter in support of the players’ social activism.
　　確实，NBA球员能够清楚地回忆起现任总裁亚当·萧华2014年对前快船老板唐纳德·斯特林的迅速回应。今年九月，萧华和罗伯茨表示支持球员的社会活动。
　　"Adam was on the money with Sterling， and he’s been on the money today，" Roberts said. "But I don’t think the players are behaving this way because the league supports them. They’re acting based on how they feel， though they do appreciate the way the league supports them."
　　“亚当处理斯特林时完全正确，现在他也恰到好处。”罗伯茨表示，“但我不觉得球员们这样做是因为联盟支持他们。他们依自身感觉行事，但他们也感谢联盟的支持。”
　　And if somebody kneels this season during the anthem？ Silver has said he expects players to stand but declined to offer what he might do if they do not.
　　如果本赛季有人在国歌仪式时单膝下跪呢？萧华表示他预计球员们会起立，但他拒绝回答如果球员下跪他会做出什么回应。
　　Roberts was also mum， though not completely.
　　罗伯茨也保持了沉默，但不是完全沉默。
　　"I’m not going to comment on what hasn’t happened yet，" she said. "Still， I can’t imagine telling players that we support you but if you express yourself on an issue you feel strongly about， we’re going to punish you."
　　“我不会对还没发生的事发表评论。”她说，“但我没法对球员说我们支持你们，但如果你在自己感受强烈的事情上表达了自己的观点，我们就会惩罚你。”