Almost four years ago, Colin Kaepernick lost his job and his future in the NFL when he refused to stand for the national anthem in protest of systemic racism. This caught the eye of the entire country, which created controversy and sparked protests for racial equality. Other athletes also began kneeling, causing major conflicts with those in disagreement with the Black Lives Matter movement. These athletes are unfairly judged for expressing their opinions by racist and intolerant critics who are more interested in shutting down Black voices than keeping politics out of sports.
Kaepernick’s protests of the national anthem sparked a conversation throughout the U.S. — one that led to protests and boycotting nationally as well as ignited the flame of social revolution.
In an ESPN interview the same year, LeBron James and Kevin Durant criticized President Donald Trump and talked about the struggles of being Black in America. Not surprisingly, they received major backlash from many right-wingers.
In response to James’s criticism of Trump, Laura Ingraham from Fox News told James and Durant to “shut up and dribble.” This isn’t the first time Ingraham has made a statement as outrageous as this. She has used different variants of the phrase to call out left-wing celebrities for talking about politics such as when she told Jimmy Kimmel to “shut up and make us laugh every once in a while.”
However, in a similar situation this year, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees got into political controversy of his own. Brees called kneeling and protesting disrespectful to the country. Not surprisingly, Ingraham defended Brees instead of attacking him.
“I will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country,” Ingraham said in response to Brees’s stance on kneeling.
“In a country that has a widespread issue of intolerance, we have to learn to listen”
This was to be expected, as she defended Brees in quite a hypocritical manner. She stated that Brees is “allowed to have his views” and that “this is beyond football.” But when James and Durant express their views, according to Ingraham, they should “shut up and dribble.” Both James and Brees shared their personal opinions, and yet James was the only one being told to keep sports and politics apart. Clearly Ingraham does not actually care about the separation of politics and sports. The hypocrisy of radical right-wingers demonstrates a rhetoric of a perfect U.S. despite major problems that continue to exist in our country today.
During this year’s NBA playoffs, the players of the Milwaukee Bucks refused to come out of their locker room and play in wake of the shooting of Jacob Blake three days prior in Kenosha, Wisconsin. This led to a lot of controversy and backlash, but players in leagues like the WNBA, MLB and MLS also began to protest against playing in their games. Many of these issues have personally affected a lot of athletes. Players are trying to bring more awareness to systemic racism. They are using their platform to reach a broader audience and that should be applauded rather than condemned.
Even if people disagree with athletes’ views of the country and social justice issues, attempting to suppress celebrities is part of the problem itself. Everyone should be able to express their beliefs freely. We don’t live in a perfect society. One reason why our country contains so much bottled up racism is because some people’s voices cannot be heard. Some athletes are being told to stay silent, while others are praised for their views.
In a country that has a widespread issue of intolerance, we have to learn to listen. To combat the issues in our country, we cannot ignore them otherwise these issues will simply build up.
Athletes should remember that there will be unfair treatment, and they cannot please both sides. Though this may be the case, it should not stop them from speaking up about what they believe in. I believe that they are doing the right thing, but others may not. They should tread carefully, knowing that they might be the target of hate.
People with platforms, such as athletes, should be encouraged to spread awareness rather than be criticized for sharing their beliefs.
