Over the years, it hasn’t been commonplace for sports and politics to collide.
The media has always been too excited to turn the cameras on athletes, particularly our Black athletes, and get their hot take on political issues. NBA star and multi-million-dollar pitchman LeBron James has often been the go-to, and he has usually been willing to give his unedited thoughts without hesitation – and not always with all of the information and background.
We’ve seen these attempts repeated during this latest news cycle that involved the senseless shooting of right-wing advocate Charlie Kirk. Let’s get this out of the way right now: Despite Kirk’s rhetoric that often had racist and anti-Black overtones, none of us wanted to see or agree with the way he was gunned down during a rally in Utah.
But let’s be honest, the way Kirk lived has made his death complicated for many of us. That includes Black athletes and the professional sports teams that employ them.
NFL football players have been asked about their feelings regarding Kirk. Most have wisely declined. Their silence has been so golden that social media has had to resort to creating fake comments from athletes like the Texans’ Nico Collins and C.J. Stroud.
The hesitation of Black athletes has everything to do with cancel culture that is being pushed by President Donald Trump and politicians like Texas Governor Gregg Abbott, who are using their platforms to encourage punishment for those who dare to be honest about the often-controversial takes Kirk delivered while spreading a conservative perspective to young voting adults.
People are being marginalized, punished, expelled and even finding themselves on the unemployment line if they don’t see Kirk as the hero and martyr that Trump views him as. It feels like that mercy game we played as kids, when your arm was pushed up your back until you screamed UNCLE!
Freedom of Speech, a fundamental right that defines America, is being trampled on as the cancel culture runs out of control.
This has been enough to concern us all, and our Black athletes and coaches have no choice but to avoid any public conversation about Kirk.
If they say the wrong thing or their complete thought is edited to a controversial soundbite, they could seriously find themselves out of a job and unemployable. We all saw what happened to Colin Kaepernick, all because he decided to kneel instead of standing for the playing of the national anthem.
These NFL owners were smart enough to allow Trump into their exclusive fraternity, but they are friends with the man occupying the White House and move at his will.
The NFL gave teams the option to commemorate Kirk’s death in some way before the games. The mainstream media’s narrative was that only a handful of teams chose to honor Kirk. There were 10 teams, but wrap your mind around the fact that a maximum of only 16 games can be played in a given week—that’s a majority and not a handful.
The Texans were among the teams that didn’t honor Kirk in name, but the team did have a moment of silence at NRG Stadium before the Monday Night Football showdown with Tampa Bay.
While the middle-of-the-road move seems a little sheepish, it’s understandable given the culture that exists in the wake of Kirk’s death.
We will never subscribe to shut up and play. Instead, it should be to be thoughtful and wise about what you say.
