(IN)EQUALITY
Shut Up and Dribble
“It’s always unwise to seek political advice from someone who gets paid $100 million a year to bounce a ball. Keep the political comments to yourselves. … Shut up and dribble.”
This was the response from Laura Ingraham of Fox News to a February 2018 ESPN interview — where LeBron James questioned how much President Trump really understands the American People. Who made her the authority on political opinion?
Passing rather than dribbling seems to be acceptable, however, as when NFL player Drew Brees criticised those taking a knee during the anthem, she said:
“He’s allowed to have his view about what kneeling and the flag mean to him. I mean, he’s a person; he has some worth, I would imagine.”
Ah, I see. Have views on anything you like — but only if they agree with mine.
Drew Brees was roundly chastised by several teammates and many in the New Orleans community where he plays. He issued an apology for his “insensitive” comments. Laura Ingraham made no such apology and continues to peddle hypocrisy live on air.
It has become common in mainstream media that every time an athlete tries to voice their opinion, they are told to stick to their sport. Speak about offside traps and three-point shooting all you want, but do not say what you think. People love to dismiss the opinions of athletes when they do not align with their own views and praise those that do. But now more than ever, we need our sportsmen and women to speak up — or many stories will never be heard.
Colin Kaepernick was ostracised from the NFL when he chose a silent protest — taking the knee during the national anthem — against the severe mistreatment of black people. Today the attitude towards his actions are sheepish and apologetic because he was right.
In 2014, NBA players wore a t-shirt with the words “I can’t breathe” written on them — in reference to the last words of Eric Garner: a black man who died via chokehold from a police officer. Six years later, George Floyd was murdered in the same way, again by police. The NBA players went on strike last week following the shooting of Jacob Blake by Kenosha, Wisconsin policeman Rustin Sheskey, a seven-year veteran. Jacob Blake has been hospitalized after surviving several shots from close range in his back. His father says doctors told him that his son would likely be paralyzed from the waist down. The stakes are higher now.
When Kyle Rittenhouse, a 17-year-old, brought a gun from out of state and opened fire at the Kenosha protests, he was not brutalised by police. He apparently did not possess the same danger that Jacob Blake, a man who may or may not have had a knife somewhere in his car, did. Rittenhouse got to sleep in his own bed that night, and America’s very own president defended the teenager’s despicable actions. What a world we live in. Crazy, but also totally predictable. Same movie, different cast.
Black athletes across America have families and roots in places like Minneapolis, Kenosha, and Louisville. This does not mean that they themselves are immune from the same treatment. Sterling Brown is an NBA player participating with the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA playoffs. In 2018, he was assaulted, arrested and tased while surrounded by at least seven police officers — merely for parking illegally across two handicapped spaces. Had he not been recognised by one of the officers, he may well have been killed as well. Only one out of the several officers were subsequently fired after the incident, but even this was more justice than most men and women of colour tend to receive.
Whenever influential individuals speak out about race, they are told to “stop making it political”. How is constant brutalisation of black people across America (in particular) a political issue? Wanting equality across all races is not making it political. People ask, why is LeBron James speaking out about racism but not about China or Nike. These people never cared about China or Nike. They have done nothing themselves to raise awareness about the issues they mention, but rather use them as an excuse to downplay a powerful message from a black athlete speaking from the heart and from personal experience. Whataboutery and politicisation of racism is a clever but obvious way to deflect away from the real issue. Anything to stop discussion on the matter at hand, because even the most blatant bigot cannot directly defend racism.
In the English Premier League, footballers have been taking a knee to raise awareness and show respects for black lives that have been unjustly taken. Young English superstars like Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford have done fantastic work to raise awareness. But for years, Sterling was vilified by the media — classic race-baiting led by rags like The Sun and the Daily Mail but solidified by more “reputable” outlets too such as Sky Sports. Only at the end of last year, after Chelsea player Antonio Rudiger suffered racist abuse from a Tottenham fan, did Sky Sports and other mainstream media even start a dialogue against the racism problem in this country. Raheem Sterling (among others) had been attempting to raise awareness and demand answers for his unjust treatment for years, but his impassioned pleas fell on mainly deaf ears. Those across the country who have revelled in the slander against him would not be able to find anything he actually did wrong. Finally, the British media is waking up to the problems around them, but there is so much more work to be done.
Moeen Ali, an English cricketer, was racially abused on an Ashes tour by an Australian player who called him “Osama” — a disgusting reference to the former Taliban leader, based solely on his race. This was a matter that flew in and out of the media in no time, and after the initial undersized uproar, was brushed under the rug as seemingly “harmless banter”. This year, England’s World Cup hero Jofra Archer reported racial abuse on social media from fickle cowards making repulsive comments from behind a screen. Michael Vaughan, an ex England captain, told the fast bowler to “develop thicker skin”. No words. It’s absolutely laughable from Vaughan — if a fellow professional cannot back our current generation of diverse superstars, then the rest of the country will gleefully follow suit. This problem is very real.
The examples in this piece are simply a few incidents occurring in sports that I love and follow — there are countless other instances across sports and countries which I have not even touched on. Some are heard, most are unheard and ignored. This is why our athletes today need to be louder than ever: discrimination is a toxic cycle that appears almost immune to change. Without the role-models of today speaking up with words and actions, would we even hear the cries of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and countless others?
It might be slow, but thanks to LeBron James, Raheem Sterling, and a plethora of other talents who are using their platform to make a difference, change is coming. They may well be superstars on the field, but it is off the field where the world truly needs them. Let them continue to shine. We need all of their voices — louder than ever before.
