Athletes and Politics

I saw this today ("Kevin Durant says he's skipping White House visit and his Warriors teammates 'all agree'"), and it got me thinking about athletes, politics, and their “responsibility” to use their platform. Figures like Jim Brown and Muhammad Ali were quite outspoken, but you also have Michael Jordan’s infamous “republicans buy sneakers too” comment, though that story, at least in terms of how it's most often recounted, is likely apocryphal ("Republicans Buy Sneakers, Too").

Personally, I really don’t care (for the most part) how athletes use their platforms. Being phenomenal at basketball doesn’t necessarily make your voice relevant when it comes to things outside the realm of your sport. I heard an interview with Ta-Nehisi Coates, of "My President Was Black," and "The Case for Reparations" fame a while back in which he was asked if he thought athletes should be more politically active, and his response was along the lines of “No. That’s not their responsibility. When I hear people ask that, what I think they’re really saying is 'athletes should support MY political standpoint!’ and that’s not something they should be asked to do." (I'm paraphrasing, but his response certainly surprised the interviewer).

I don't follow soccer at all, but it's my understanding that, in terms of social media presence, figures like Ronaldo dwarf the likes of Durant and Lebron. 1) is that true, and 2) are they more/less vocal about social issues?

Edit: silly grammar mistakes. Whoops.

The MJ thing is funny. Everyone always pokes MJ in an attempt to get him to voice his opinion on many subjects. Obviously politics has been one of those topics they try to get out of him. For the most part he does not care and almost never speaks out on anything not related to basketball, the shoe industry, himself, gambling. That guy is not about using his name to speak on ideas or political stances, simply to sell more shoes.

Athletes are people, they can talk about politics as much as they want. It's not their fault that idiots follow their every word. Most times they are asked these questions and then people get upset when they give honest answers.

Great idea for a thread.

Tom Brady got flak last year for a MAGA hat being pictured in his locker lol. Daniel Murphy of the Nationals also got some flak over comments that he doesn't support same-sex marriage. There are plenty other examples I can think of. LeBron is an example of an American athlete who is quite outspoken. And then someone like Colin Kaepernick.

In terms of soccer, one major example of athletes giving their political views is the case of FC Barcelona. A lot of the players there consider themselves Catalonian rather than Spanish and are known for outspoken comments supporting Catalonian separatism. Pep Guardiola, Barcelona's famous manager is particularly well known for this. The politics in soccer is more at the supporters' level with fans of certain clubs being linked with paramilitary groups, right-wing and left-wing politics, and heated rivalries between clubs do tend to involve some kind of sectarian dimension whether it be around socio-economic or religious lines.

Cristiano Ronaldo is the most popular athlete in the world, for the most part (Messi is a better player, though). I don't think I can recall him ever speaking his political views.

@perfect_blue: So does FC Barcelona look for players who support their particular ideology? And if so, how much of that is legitimate? As opposed to the club saying "we'll pay you more money...but you kinda need to toe the party line on this whole independence deal..."?

I lived in Ecuador for a few years, and now that I think about it, there was definitely a socio-economic tint to a couple of the more popular teams. All my students were from the country's aristocracy, and they all wore a particular jersey (thought I have no idea what it was now). It's kind of weird that US sports don't have that. I dated a woman for a little bit who was a hard core Denver Broncos fan, like in the fanatic sense of the word. Very successful real estate executive, yet seriously talked about crying the first time she went to a Broncos game. I'm not sure if it's better or worse that it's not connected to some sort of greater ideology.

Brady is a good example. I'd forgotten about that. I put him in sort of the same category as Jeter though: wildly successful and iconic, yet unbelievably boring in terms of what he actually says. I'm not sure how much of that plays into the press the hate received.

Edit: Oh, and the Kaepernick thing is so bizarre. I'm hoping ESPN does a good 30 for 30 about him in another 10-20 years.

Only in America does some athletes feel they should speak out. It's kinda funny, And i still laugh at Kaepernick, he ruined his own career by his sick move to trample all over the flag

In europe you don't hear the same outbursts from athletes in any sport, they are luckily a lot more sensible.

Athletes and anyone else are free to voice their opinions. I always love the hypocrisy of those who say they are for free speech but then whine when someone exercises it.

You misunderstand something here.

I am not against them using their right to free speech, but there is a time and place for everything. And during the national anthem is not one of those times and i would say that no matter who did it.

Right....if they agree with you they can speak out. But not if they don't. You are either for free speech or you're not. You are not.

Again you miss the boat.

No one should disrespect the flag or the anthem considering what its symbol.

Which is luckily why the shitbag who did is without a job and no team wanting to hire him.

No I do NOT miss the boat. You clearly did and landed squarely in the water while trying to board.

Free speech is free speech. Whether you agree with the statements or not. Period.....end of story. Stop being hypocritical.

Do you love missing the boat again and again?

Free Speech is free speech, but that does not mean you can leave your head and just speak up whenever you want.

Some common sense is allowed.

So how should he have protested?

He protested peacefully so what's the issue?

He should have used his status outside the national anthem, put on a shirt , speak up doing a press conference, went on a talkshow spree. etc etc. etc....

Anything but disrespecting the flag and it´s symbol.

But he is paying for his mistake and his career is as dead as doornail.

And you're still trying to curtail his free speech. Being an advocate for free speech means you accept the speech of others whether you agree with it or not. As a vet it bothers me that people disrespect the flag/anthem because to me they represent the people that fought and continue to defend this country....not just military either....they don't represent the government. But I'm not going to take his Constitutional Rights away because I disagree with how he makes his statements. Which you seem fine doing.

Nice try turning this into something black/white.

You know you can be for free speech and still have a line since we do live in a society where we all accept the basic contract, and there are certain things you have to accept. Respecting the flag/anthem is one of those things everyone has to accept, no matter what side you are on,

So i am not taking away his rights at all, he can do what he wants but as he now sees there is a price to be paid for being a moron.

In his mind, maybe the flag doesn't deserve respect. Maybe it doesn't symbolize what it's suppose to symbolize (i.e. freedom) thanks to near-authoritarian laws being passed and African-Americans being shot for no reason by officers who then get away with it. Maybe it doesn't deserve respect thanks to the massive commercialization of the flag in sports arenas that have allowed it to become trivial.

Maybe the whole point of protest is to provide a shock and allow greater discussion on a serious matter. Sort of like how MLK and the Civil Rights Movement broke the law by marching on the streets and going to Whites-only areas. Both broke social norms to get their message across and both received criticism because of it as well as people like you suggesting that they follow the law or not disrespect whatever. Problem is that following social norms while getting your point across doesn't work.

He could have done those things but it probably wouldn't have had the same impact as bending the knee for the anthem. And quite honestly, it's hard to respect a country who constantly boasts about themselves only to fall short on what they're suppose to represent, and it's hard to respect a country who refuses to improve themselves. I want the United States to be better than it once was but considering we elected a reality TV host to office, tolerate police abuses on citizens, see our education system hijacked by faux beliefs such as creationism or historical revisionism, our freedoms being diminished, and so on, does the flag really represent anything anymore?

Nice spin trying to ignore that you want to silence those you don't agree with.

You need to learn how to read.

Having a opinion that there is a time and place for using your right to free speech, is not wanting to silence someone. Would his message be any less impactful if he had done it doing a press-conference? or doing a talk show roundtable.

In fact by doing what he did, he has made himself an outcast and no one listens to a thing he says now.

They don't necessarily look for players like that but they run a youth academy called La Masia where most of their best players throughout the club's history have come from. The academy consists of local kids or children who moved to Barcelona very young. Being in favour of Catalonian separatism is a majority opinion in Barcelona in terms of their citizenry. These players merely represent the dominant local view that Catalonia should separate from Spain.

Another interesting case is the so called "Old Firm" derby between Rangers and Celtic, two clubs in Glasgow, Scotland. Both wildly successful with a lot of trophies won between them. In addition to being cross city rivals the rivalry also has a sectarian aspect to it. Rangers fans tend to be Protestants who support Northern Ireland being part of the UK while Celtic supporters are Catholics who see themselves allied with the Republic of Ireland. It's a very fascinating history that you may be interested in reading more about.

That is exactly why these athletes think their job expands beyond the field or court. People act as if the athlete is a demigod. Professional sports is something I can not support but if I did watch I would expect to see a game and nothing more.

@LJS9502_basic: I think we're actually on the same page on this thread!

Meh. Didn't take long to get to the required Kaepernick talking points.

At some point, it will be interesting to hear honest, unfiltered accounts from those around him about last season. In particular, whether or not he was prepared for the storm of stupid that quickly found him. Let's not forget it took three games for anyone to notice he was sitting during the anthem, and his comments came only after being asked about it by the media. He's certainly an imperfect messenger, but that whole "desperate grasp at the spotlight" narrative is garbage. I don't get that "People died for that flag. How dare you disrespect it!" line either. Did people die so everyone can spew banalities about puppies being cute and teachers being underpaid, or so people can use their platforms for contentious dialogue? You talk about people disrespecting the flag (and this ties into all the stuff about monuments), and what it stands for, but if you're not a wealthy white man, you don't have to look very hard for a time in US history when those sacred documents and symbols didn't apply to you.

His '12/'13 playoff game against the Packers is one of the more impressive individual performances I've seen, and while he hasn't progressed the way people hoped, that he's being ignored by the handful of teams who *need* a quarterback is baffling. Hell, the Miami Dolphins hitched their wagon to Jay ****ing Cutler when their quarterback went down in practice. The rumblings in Baltimore suggest he's not getting jobs for reasons other than his play, which I think will eventually disappear as more quarterbacks get hurt, and someone who is actually good(ish) becomes more and more desirable.