Magic Johnson film: how views of HIV have changed since 'The Announcement'
| Los Angeles
Earvin "Magic" Johnson played on five National Basketball Association championship teams, was the league鈥檚 most valuable player three times, and was a 12-time all star. All of which fed the otherworldly astonishment that accompanied his announcement on Nov. 7, 1991, that he had been diagnosed with HIV and was retiring in his playing prime from the Los Angeles Lakers.
Now, more than 20 years later, Mr. Johnson narrates a documentary on the subject that includes a 鈥渨ho鈥檚 who鈥� of NBA stars past, from Larry Bird and James Worthy to Karl Malone and Jerry West. The film premiered Sunday on ESPN and is scheduled for 12 more showings through April 14.
Johnson has been applauded for being the first African-American to put a face on a disease that was initially stigmatized as being linked with homosexuality but has since spread across Africa and throughout some parts of the African-American community.
"This 20-year anniversary is absolutely a milestone. At the time, this was an absolutely unique event,鈥� says Jorge Parada, director of infectious disease and prevention at Loyola University Health System, via e-mail.
Underscoring the continued need for the awareness that the film raises, a March 8 study shows HIV rates for urban black women are five times higher than estimated. The study looked at聽six urban areas considered HIV hotspots:聽Baltimore;聽Atlanta; Washington; New York;聽Raleigh-顿耻谤丑补尘,听狈.颁.;听补苍诲听Newark, N.J.聽Overall in the US, 66 percent of the women diagnosed with HIV are black 鈥� nearly 15 times the figure for white women.
鈥淭his film couldn鈥檛 come at a more opportune time,鈥� says Amy Nunn, a medical sociologist at the Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University, who studies race and HIV in American cities. 鈥淗IV testing is the most important tool we have to fight this.鈥� Magic Johnson, by being so well-liked and respected, is helping to provide a model to youth who think it鈥檚 uncool to be tested.鈥�
In the film is footage of the historic press conference and comments by former Lakers coach Pat Riley. 鈥淚 just hung up the phone and leaned back and said, what did I just hear?鈥� says Riley in the documentary.
In a statement, Connor Schell, the vice president and executive producer of ESPN Films, explained the motivation for 鈥淭he Announcement鈥�:聽鈥淚 stress in every story to find moments that are truly cultural turning points and drill down into them and say, 'Here鈥檚 where things changed.鈥� 鈥�
The film reminds viewers that at the time, HIV/AIDS was considered a death sentence.
鈥淓ven though he鈥檚 walking there and standing in front of everyone giving this press conference,鈥� says former NBA star Karl Malone in the film, 鈥渢hey think their seeing this dead man walking.鈥�
Medical treatment has since made advances in managing HIV, and Johnson remains healthy and active as a businessman and TV sports commentator. Today, the disease has聽spread beyond the gay community 鈥� though there remains a lot of social judgment about it. In this sense, Johnson鈥檚 persona and this movie are just what is needed.
鈥淪ociety is still judging that this has happened because of a lapse of morals,鈥� says Seth Welles,聽professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at Drexel University School of Public Health. "Magic Johnson, because he is a hero in the inner cities of America, is also well positioned to spotlight the other causes of transmission."聽
