Writer James Cutler reports in a recent Village Voice piece on how politics intersect with professional sports, as well as how black athletes being empowered “has been a major source of contention in modern sports” in recent years. This covers such instances as quarterback Colin Kaepernick taking a knee while the national anthem played, and Laura Ingraham’s dismissal of Lebron James’ political views saying he should “shut up and dribble.” Cutler delves into the way leagues like the NBA now seek to embrace their newfound political power.
“Over the past 40 years, the NBA has been a trailblazer in fighting for social justice,” writes Cutler. “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. 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. In the ’60s, Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Oscar Robertson, and countless others fought for African Americans during that volatile decade.”