LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Last week, as the NBA was preparing for a historic resumption of the season after a four-month hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, President Donald Trump issued a warning on his account. Twitter that knelt during the game. of the national anthem would be a “sign of great disrespect” and added that the game would have “ended for me.”
I look forward to sports, but every time I witness a kneeling player during the National Anthem, a sign of great disrespect for our country and our flag, the game ends for me!
– Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 21, 2020
On Thursday, the opening day of the restart, the four teams that played – Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Utah Jazz and New Orleans Pelicans – knelt in solidarity around the “Black Lives Matter” logo on the court to protest peacefully. against racials. injustice and police brutality.
Even the referees participated in the demonstration.
Trump has a strong and considerable base, one that could follow suit and potentially cause a decline in NBA rankings.
Pelican sniper JJ Redick, a white player wearing the social justice message “Say your names” on the back of his shirt, has long been an ally of his black teammates and has expressed disdain for the injustices facing people of color in the United States. He had this response to Trump’s warning.
“First of all, I don’t think anyone in the NBA cares if President Trump watches basketball.” I couldn’t care less, ”Redick told Yahoo Sports on Thursday night after a 106-104 loss to the Jazz. “As far as his base is concerned, I think that regardless of the specificity of tweeting about the NBA, each tweet is meant to be divided, each tweet is meant to incite, each tweet is meant to embolden their base.” So [last week] it was no different. “
The NBA has been criticized by the president and by elected officials and fans for allowing players to inject “politics” into a sphere intended for entertainment. Players would argue that these problems are not political; they are a matter of human rights, inequalities that they have experienced and that have not been resolved for hundreds of years.
The tragic deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and countless other people of color at the hands of the police is what has intensified the “Black Lives Matter” movement to the point where people from all walks of life, across the country, They have felt compelled to protest on behalf of the oppressed.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver issued a statement shortly after the Jazz and Pelicans peacefully protested: “I respect our teams’ unified act of peaceful protest for social justice and, in these unique circumstances, I will not enforce our old rule that requires staying during the game of our team. National anthem.”
While kneeling, LeBron James raised his right hand with a clenched fist as a salute to “black power”. It was reminiscent of Tommie Smith and John Carlos, two African-American athletics stars who raised their fists at the medal ceremony during the anthem at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City.
James is aware that he and his colleagues will be condemned for their vocal positions and demonstrations.
“There will always be people who disagree with what you are doing,” James said after a 103-101 victory over the Clippers. “No matter what you do in life, you are always going to make people try to separate whatever you do. If you are passionate, true and authentic, whatever your cause, then it doesn’t matter. I couldn’t care less about detractors. I’ve been listening to it for too long.
In the Disney bubble, teams are expected to continue this method of peaceful protest during the anthem. For some fans, it will turn them off, while others can listen with an open mind, and others will wholeheartedly support the call for change.
The players, and especially Colin Kaepernick, have emphasized time and time again that kneeling was never about disrespecting the flag or the troops serving this country. (Even a former Green Beret suggested that he kneel before Kaepernick.) It is about holding this great country accountable for the injustices affecting the black community.
James said he hoped Kaepernick was proud of the players’ demonstration, which recognizes him as the mainstay of this movement.
In any case, the violent reaction will come. Can the NBA withstand the economic blow? We will all see it.
“Look, we want people to enjoy the NBA and we love our fans, but I think there should be a certain level of acceptance and recognition in what our league says, what our league is doing, and what is happening in this country.” . Redick told Yahoo Sports. “And people who are not willing to acknowledge that, maybe they shouldn’t be fans.”
