As of recent the sports world has become a major platform for political conversation and social activism. Professional basketball players have been utilizing their high-profile positions to speak out on controversial topics such as: the police shooting of unarmed African American teen Michael Brown and the police induced chokehold death of unarmed African American man Eric Garner. In which both white policemen involved in these cases were not indicted after a trial in front of a grand jury. This provoked outrage and riots across the nation. Protesters have most recently been quoting Eric Garner’s last words “I can’t breathe”. Showing their support for Garner on signs, social media and t-shirts.
Although some media outlets and fans are on the fence about whether athletes should get involved in social issues, they seem essential in moving the conversation in the right direction.
NBA players are showing their support for Eric Garner and the police brutality case by donning black t-shirts simply reading “I Can’t Breathe” a reference to the final words Eric Garner uttered before he died after a chokehold was applied by an arresting police officer, have brought questions to the players wearing them.
Players such as Derrick Rose, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant have brought some clarity to the issue. The discrepancy between the significance of black lives and the power of the police has reached “a tipping point,” as Bryant called it during pre-game warm -ups.
While the league states that players must wear Adidas attire, the NBA’s official clothing sponsor, in all pre-game activities but the players will not be fined.
“I respect Derrick Rose and all of our players for voicing their personal views on important issues but my preference would be for players to abide by our on-court attire rules,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said.
“You hear the slogan ‘NBA cares’ and it’s more evident than now to show some support,” Garnett said. “Obviously we’re not on the front line of this movement, but I think it’s important being from these communities and supporting these communities.”
CBS college basketball analyst Doug Gottlieb had some harsh thoughts on players and their stance on the subject. After Kobe Bryant and the Lakers wore the shirts in the pre-game warm up before their game with the Sacramento Kings Gottlieb tweeted “Kobe Bryant lives in Newport Coast, takes a chopper to games, made $60m last 2 years.. the struggle is real #ICANTBREATH.”
I have seen many on social media scrutinizing these players for making too much money, “not even raised in the ghetto” and should stay out of it. The amount of money or where the person is from doesn’t give any excuse to not have compassion.
Fox New contributor Geraldo Rivera also voiced his opinion on the issue. “ What
if LeBron James wore a ‘Be A Better Father’. ‘Raise Your Children.’” Rivera Said. “Those difficult issues are not being dealt with by the black community, because they are so complex, they are so deep rooted, they are really so profoundly troubling that they don’t want to try…” He believes that these protests of Eric Garners death are a case of “victimized mentality.”
Rivera, making this more of a race issue rather than a justice issue, if African Americans wear t-shirts saying “Be a Better Father” instead of “I Can’t Breathe”, this will magically solve the police problem, and it’s not as if white men suffer from being absent fathers. “I think it would be a serious disservice to limit this to a race issue. It’s a justice issue,” Kobe Bryant said via the Los Angeles Times. “You’re kind of seeing a tipping point right now, in terms of social issues. It’s become at the forefront right now as opposed to being a local issue. It’s really something that has carried over and spilled into the mainstream, so when you turn on the TV and you watch the news or you follow things on social media, you don’t just see African Americans out there protesting.”
Los Angeles Lakers Forward-Center Carlos Boozer defended their action to the negative media the best, “we just, as a team, wanted to step up and show our support for the community,” “We’re not ‘promoting criminals.’ That’s not what it’s about. We’re promoting humanity. We can treat each other better, regardless of what the situation is.”
Athletes likely can’t fix all of these social issues and injustices by themselves. It’s on politicians, police, civil rights leaders and the rest of us to implement the real solutions. Athletes, though, with their high profiles, influence, and monetary
means can help to pose the right questions, which is absolutely what players like Derrick Rose, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James have done.
Works Cited
Axson, Scooby. “NBA Won’t Fine Players for Wearing ‘I Can’t Breathe’ T-shirts.” Time. Time, 9 Dec. 2014. Web. 11 Dec. 2014.
Boren, Cindy. “Geraldo Rivera’s Message to LeBron James: Wear ‘Be a Better Father’ Shirt, Not ‘I Can’t Breathe’.” Washington Post. The Washington Post, 11 Dec. 2014. Web. 11 Dec. 2014.
Cronan, Michael. “Kobe Bryant Wears “I Can’t Breathe” T-shirt in Support of Eric Garner.” Los Angeles. N.p., 10 Dec. 2014. Web. 11 Dec. 2014.
Rebecca Roy 