Imagine if all this time dedicated to basketball was allocated to Piketty's new book

[frazzled]

51. It was time dedicated to racism, not basketball

I hope you understand the difference.

The issue at stake was racism—and the breadth of its reach into American society. It happened to arise in the context of a basketball team and its owner. And it was a striking teachable moment: if even these highly paid, valuable players could be thought of in this way by their employer (not their master, not their benefactor, but their employer), think what the average citizen of color faces.

We can't have a sensible discussion of economics in this country if it doesn't include issues of race as well.

And finally: we can walk and chew gum at the same time. It's possible to have a discussion about race AND economics. It shouldn't surprise you, however, that a semi-academic book on economic theory is not going to draw all that much widespread attention. And it doesn't even have to: it needs to draw the attention of the policy makers. Like it or not, the subject of rate of return on investments is going to be pretty dull to the average American struggling to earn a paycheck. That's just how it rolls. All things considered, Piketty's book is receiving an incredible amount of (deserved) attention, given its subject matter.