You planned to have a smoke, maybe walk the dog before the ESPYs got in full swing. Figuring that ESPN would at least recap some of the year in sports before putting on display their craven and gratuitous sellout to radical, racial activism.
Well, you guessed wrong.
NBA stars Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Dwayne Wade, and LeBron James derailed the evening of expected jockular festivities, instead redirecting the crazy train that ESPN has become down the tracks of athlete activism:
Tonight is a celebration of sports. Celebrating our accomplishments and our victories. But in this moment of celebration, we asked to start the night this way. The four us of talking to our fellow athletes with the country walking. We can't ignore the state of America. Putting a spotlight of the injustice. The violence is not new, and the racial divide is not new. But the urgency to create change is at an all-time high.
We stand here accepting that our role is to be the example you need. Husbands, brothers, fathers, husbands, and an an African-American man, and with an uncle that's a police officer. But Trayvon Martin. Michael Brown. Tamir Rice. Eric Garner. Laquan McDonald. Alton Sterling. Philando Castile. Athletes like Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Arthur Ashe, and countless others, we choose to follow in their foot steps.
The racial profiling has to stop. The shoot to kill mentality has to stop. Not seeing the value of black and brown bodies has to stop. But also the retaliation has to stop. The endless gun violence, in places like Chicago, Dallas, not to mention Orlando, it has to stop. Enough. Enough is enough. Now, as athletes, it's on us to do even more than we already do in our own community. The conversation can not stop as our schedules get busy again. It won't always be convenient or comfortable, but it is necessary.
We all feel helpless and frustrated by the violence. But that's not acceptable. It's time to look in the mirror and ask ourselves, what are we doing to create change? I know tonight, we're going to honor Muhammad Ali, the G.O.A.T. But to do his legacy any justice, let's use this as a call to action to educate ourselves, explore these issues, speak up, use our influence, and renounce all violence. And go back to our communities, invest our time, our resources, help rebuild them, help strengthen them, help change them. We all have to do better. Thank you.
John Calipari has nothing on this nakedly craven recruiting drive. These four athletes are now the Four Horsemen of the Jock-Pocalypse. Racial profiling must stop? How did racial profiling have anything to do with Michael Brown or Alton Sterling? Michael Brown was approached by police for walking down the middle of the street, blocking traffic, not because of profiling. Alton Sterling was approached because he had 911 called on him.
The shoot to kill mentality? Must not be catching on considering black deaths at the hands of the police are down 75% since 1999.
And the devaluing of black and brown bodies? Does that devaluation factor in that more white bodies are shot by the police than black every year?
It’s a dumb, dumb time to be alive my friends.
