Sports and Politics Collide in BU Prof’s New Book about 1984 Boston Celtics
Even a stroke couldn’t stop Thomas Whalen from finishing his basketball book: Celtics lore, Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump—and his favorite player
Tom Whalen’s new book has its roots in an interview he landed with Celtics legend Larry Bird as a young high school journalist. Photo via Getty Images/Dick Raphael/NBAE
Sports and Politics Collide in BU Prof’s New Book about 1984 Boston Celtics
Even a stroke couldn’t stop Thomas Whalen from finishing his basketball book. He talks about Celtics lore, Ronald Reagan, Donald Trump—and his favorite player
Tom Whalen’s fascination with, and passion for, the Boston Celtics began in the early 1980s when he was a rookie sportswriter for his high school newspaper. He’d managed to finagle a press pass to a home game at the old Boston Garden, and before he knew what was happening, the teenager was standing next to the 6-foot, 10-inch future Hall of Fame star Larry Bird. The brief interview he scored with Celtics legend Bird (Hon.’09) began a lifelong love affair with the franchise that has resulted in two books, the latest Dynasty Restored: How Larry Bird and the 1984 Boston Celtics Conquered the NBA and Changed Basketball (Rowman and Littlefield, 2024).
For a guy whose day job is teaching and talking politics, basketball is more than a mere secondary passion behind politics for Whalen, an associate professor of social sciences at Boston University’s College of General Studies. The two are more or less equal to him, and on occasion, they even collide in serendipitous ways, as they do in his new book.
When writing about the presidency of Ronald Reagan, he also veers into the life of a then-38-year-old billionaire playboy living the high life in the early ’80s. The rise of the businessman Donald Trump, long before he became a politician, coincided with the resurrection of the Boston Celtics, which for Whalen made for some perfect and timely fodder in his research.
With his new book now out, BU Today spoke with Whalen about the NBA game then and now, politics and basketball, his favorite player, and his thoughts on today’s Celtics. Whalen had had a stroke when he began working on the book, making him uncertain if he’d finish it. “The Celtics inspired me in my recovery,” he says.
Join Whalen on Thursday, December 5, from 6-8 pm, at the Dahod Family Alumni Center at the Castle, 225 Bay State Road, for a fireside conversation about his new book. The event is free; register here.
Q&A
with Thomas Whalen
BU Today: Other than the 40-year anniversary, was there another reason you wanted to revisit this 1984 season?
Whalen: I have an ulterior agenda. This is my life. This is autobiographical in many ways. The Celtics were a really important part of my life growing up. I talk about scoring a press pass covering a Celtics game for my high school newspaper. I got to interview Larry Bird as a rookie. We were both rookies. It was a lot of fun. This was [the team’s] golden age. They had all these colorful personalities. In a way, I grew up with the Celtics. I thought, well, the anniversary is coming up. I had always wanted to write about 1980s culture. This was a perfect vehicle to do it.
BU Today: Most experts say the 1986 team was actually the best Celtics team ever. What was it about the 1984 team that you wanted to focus on?
They came into the season a complete mess, with ownership changing, a coaching change, not living up to their potential. They were swept in the playoffs the previous year by the Milwaukee Bucks. They were underperforming whiners in many respects. They overcame tensions on the team and were able to put it all together. They led the league in wins, dominated the competition. The NBA was still coming into its age. Games were on tape delay. The new commissioner taking control, David Stern, had a vision for the league. He saw it as a global entertainment group. His model was Disney. They had theme parks, we have arenas! What a unique way of looking at it. But in order to sell the brand, he needed to sell storylines, a narrative. And as commissioner, he lucked into the finals, with Larry Bird’s Celtics and Magic Johnson’s Lakers. The NBA never looked back.
BU Today: I hate to mix politics and sports, but in this case it’s impossible to avoid. We just experienced an earth-shattering election. You write about the 38-year-old Donald Trump in your book, describing him as “a poster boy for this new age of soulless materialism” and “a brash, profane, and narcissistic real estate mogul.” Republicans today often hark back to the presidency of Ronald Reagan, and I’m curious if you see any similarities between the politics of 1984 and today.
The political world of the 1980s never ended. Even Bill Clinton was more Reagan than Reagan. We haven’t abandoned that era of certain policies. This materialistic nature, giving businesses freedom and downplaying regulation. Government’s role has shrunk. Clinton said big government’s days are over. He was right.
BU Today: What about Trump and Reagan? Any similarities?
Reagan was more extreme before he became president than he was as president. Trump is more radical. Far less restrained. Reagan was not a dummy; he had ideas. Trump is just making it up as he goes along. He sees himself as a strongman autocrat. Reagan worked through the system. But I don’t think you can have a Donald Trump without a Ronald Reagan first.
BU Today: Back to basketball. The rivalry between Larry Bird and Magic Johnson was special. Can you think of any other sports rivalry compared to theirs?
Every sport seems to have one. Borg and Connors, Navratilova and Evert in tennis. Brady vs Manning [in football]. What [Bird and Magic] had was built-in because they met in college. And it had that compelling racial component, too. The NBA was considered too Black in the ’70s. Now you had this white superstar, in a town—let’s call it what it was—that had a problem accepting Black superstars.
BU Today: Did you have a favorite player from that era of NBA hoops?
You’re going to laugh. Julius Erving [nicknamed Dr. J, of the Celtics rival Philadelphia 76ers]. If you think of Michael Jordan as Gene Kelly, Erving was Fred Astaire. Overwhelming athletic moves. Erving would make your jaw drop—it was balletic. There was a grace and artistry that had never been equaled.
BU Today: If you could watch a great 1984 game or a 2024 game, which would you pick?
Oh, 1984. It was much more physical then. The referees would swallow their whistles. The inside game mattered. A much more interesting game.
BU Today: You wrote previously about the 1960s Celtics led by Bill Russell in your book Dynasty’s End. This book is Dynasty Restored. Does the current Celtics team, fresh off a championship, have a dynasty chance or are dynasties impossible in today’s NBA and with free agency.
They should win another one this year. But with the tax system that penalizes teams, and they are selling the team, there’s no way to keep this team together—it’s too costly. They might win back-to-back championships. If you want to call that a dynasty, fine. But financially speaking, it’s impossible to have another dynasty.
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