What no one is saying about that NBA Finals baby moment
It looked like a tender celebration. But the science says it was child endangerment in plain sight - and we need to talk about it.
It looked like a touching moment. Isaiah Hartenstein, fresh off an NBA championship win, carried his sleeping infant onto the podium to celebrate. Cameras panned. Fans cheered. But the sound levels on that stage went to 130 decibels - louder than a jet engine. That’s the threshold where irreversible hearing damage can happen in seconds. And millions of people watched, thinking this was what fatherhood should look like.
On top of that, Hartenstein held his infant with one hand around the middle while gesturing wildly with the other - a position that left the baby's head and neck completely unsupported. Even teammates reminded him to support the baby's head, but Hartenstein ignored the advice entirely.
The Immediate Danger was Real
This wasn’t just an excited dad caught up in the moment. It was a deliberate choice to turn a baby into a symbol, an accessory to celebration, and the NBA gave tacit approval by allowing it to happen on center stage.
Pediatricians have warned for decades that infants should not be exposed to sounds above 85 decibels without protection. Their developing ear canals amplify sound to be louder than it sounds to adults. The World Health Organization states that exposure to 120 decibel - common in sports arenas - can cause permanent hearing loss in just seconds. Yet there was Hartenstein, holding his baby like a trophy among deafening crowds. The NBA didn't just allow it. They featured it.
The NBA's Missed Opportunity
The NBA has implemented comprehensive concussion protocols and zero-tolerance policies for domestic abuse. Yet when it comes to child endangerment happening in plain sight, the league remains silent.
Other athletes have shown it's possible to include family safely. Patrick Mahomes' child wears protective headphones at NFL games. And Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's son wore protective headphones for the NBA semifinals. The solutions exist. Companies manufacture protective gear specifically designed for children in loud environments.
The Broader Stakes
As a society, we don't allow parents to leave children unattended in cars or expose them to other obvious dangers. Professional sports shouldn't be exempt from these basic standards.
The fix is straightforward: leagues should prohibit infants from appearing at center-stage celebrations, and children who appear must wear appropriate protective equipment.
This is about recognizing that children's safety can't be compromised for the sake of a photo opportunity, no matter how historic the moment.
Wow. I can't believe someone wrote this let alone my favorite GenX writer PT. I live in OKC, just one mile from the arena. I can't go to games because it's so ear-crushing loud. 😩 Nerve deafness runs in my family. My mom, aunt and grandfather were all deaf. Not a deafness from birth but a progressive deafness that made verbal communication nearly impossible. 💔 It was so lonely growing up with a mom who couldn't hear. 👂 She'd lost about 90 percent of her hearing by the time I was in my twenties. Sadly, we can't go to Thunder games because it's too risky given our potential for hearing loss.
I'm so happy the Thunder won. Life is very hard for so many Oklahomans. Poverty, addiction, mental illness, low wages - all rampant here. But last night I could hear joy in the streets. I wish being loud at games wasn't a value of the NBA, fans and city leaders, etc. They literally call it Loud City. I can't watch a game without thinking about all the people who are potentially damaging their ability to hear.
Yeah, this doesn’t sound like you. It’s too tidy.