Like the Venetian aristocrats in The Merchant of Venice, the National Basketball Association is remaining quiet on the issue of slavery. Venice was the pre-eminent European city during Shakespeare’s time, its industry producing ironworks, cannon, and glassware at a time when even window glass was a relative novelty in England. And Venice was a maritime power that controlled trade across the Mediterranean, the only Christian power that traded with the Muslim world. Shakespeare recognized the potential Venice had to serve as a model for England’s future as it extended the …

‘You have among you many a purchased slave’: Shylock, Slavery, and the NBA Read More »