2/24/2023 0 Comments Shut in full plot“I think all people had the responsibility to stand up,” Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson tells the Voice in a phone interview. This generation of activist players is getting some help from the NBA in making their voices heard. In the ’60s, Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Oscar Robertson, and countless others fought for African Americans during that volatile decade. Before LeBron James, Chris Paul, Jaylen Brown, and others led the charge against social injustice during the summer of 2020, after Geroge Floyd was murdered by police officer Derek Chauvin, some of the greatest players in NBA history had already built a foundation in social activism. Even in its infancy, during the 1940s and ’50s, the NBA sought to be a sporting nirvana when it came to racial issues, and, more recently, gender equality. Over the past 40 years, the NBA has been a trailblazer in fighting for social justice. “To be able to create a schedule where we’re not playing on Election Day and having all 30 teams play the night before is a way to help drive attention toward the importance of voting.” One of the long-term cherished values of the NBA community is encouraging civic engagement,” James Cadogan, executive director of the National Basketball Social Justice Coalition, which oversees collective efforts with the players and Players Association on voting efforts and rights, tells the Voice in a phone interview. “It’s important to make a plan for people to vote. The NBA and the WNBA have for some time recognized these trends, with an eye toward getting more young people involved. This has highlighted the importance of every national and local election, demonstrated by the fact that the past two presidential elections have seen record turnouts. Over the past half-decade, there has been a rise in violent political rhetoric and divergent philosophies that have caused a massive divide not seen since the civil rights movement. For the NBA, Election Day, November 8, won’t be just another date on the calendar-it will be a day of service. In the basketball realm, political engagement is more positive. For instance, it’s been six years since record-setting quarterback Colin Kaepernick first took a knee during the national anthem at an NFL game, to bring attention to continuing police brutality and racial inequality in America-and five years since he last worked in the NFL, a situation that can pretty safely be attributed to political pressure to keep him off the field, after the league eventually settled a wrongful termination suit with the former San Francisco 49er. In recent years, the empowerment of Black athletes has been a major source of contention in modern sports. Ball: Manuel Will BALLOT BOX BY ELEMENT 5 DIGITAL, BOTH VIA UNSPLASH RCB VV COLLAGEĮver since Laura Ingraham dismissed LeBron James’s political views on Fox News in 2018 by telling him to “Shut up and dribble,” the spotlight on athletes using their voices for activism has only been amplified, approaching proportions not seen since the 1960s.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |