Advocates and Antagonists: The Issue of Free Speech in the NBA and NFL
- byfield8
- Sep 21, 2017
- 6 min read
Sports play a central role in American culture. From tailgating, to mascot races, to signature stadium songs, we’ve created a ton of traditions surrounding sports that have become known throughout the nation whether you’re a fan or not. One of the craziest phenomena of sports culture is the ludicrously high pedestal we sometimes put our athletes on. Steph Curry, Lebron James, and Tom Brady are established icons in their sports and Yankee’s rookie Aaron Judge seems to be staking his claim as the next Yankees great. These athletes and the sports they play provide an escape from the turmoil of the real world; however, as of late, it seems that not even the world of sports can free itself from the politics of the real world. When players begin expressing their political views sports’ administrations and the public take notice and make their opinions known on the players position to make political statements. Certain sports are more receptive than others, but the difference in stance on free speech doesn’t get wider than that between the NFL and NBA.
The NBA is, and has been, far more receptive to players publicly voicing their opinions than any other sports league in America. Whether it be through clothing, like the “I Can’t Breathe” shirts worn by many around the league in efforts to bring attention to Eric Garner and police brutality, or statements made during press conferences, like Dwayne Wade, Lebron James, and the Miami Heat’s comments during the controversy surrounding the shooting of Trayvon Martin. This vocality isn’t limited to players either; many coaches over the course of NBA’s history have voiced their political opinions. One of recent note is Spur’s usually terse head coach, Gregg Popovich, issuing statements that repeatedly denounced President Trump’s actions and comportment and Goldenstate’s head coach, Steve Kerr, stating that Trump’s travel ban is “really going against what our country is about and is creating fear.” The statements made by these coaches and the actions taken by players are always very explicit and clear in their messages; what is incredible about all of this though, is that NBA allows it with, more or less, open arms.
The atmosphere of free speech in the NBA comes from its administration. If the team owners, league financial advisors, and especially its commissioner were to fine or scold players who spoke their mind, this free environment would almost certainly not exist. However that is not the case; In fact, Adam Silver, the current NBA commissioner, issued a statement after players wore “I Can’t Breathe” t-shirts that he “would greatly prefer that the players use the platform they’re given, social media, press conferences, media in locker rooms, however they want to do it, to make their political points of view be known.” It is clear that Silver and the administration of the NBA have tremendous respect for a person’s right to free speech and would like to maintain that right in the realm of sports.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, the NFL tries its best to silence and admonish players who voice their opinions as well as distance themselves from players who stir up political controversy. Colin Kaepernick is, at the moment, the face of the NFL’s refusal to associate with political speech from its players. After generating controversy last season by refusing to stand during the National Anthem, Kaepernick has been blackballed by the league and hasn’t been picked up by any team. It seems that Kaepernick won’t play for the NFL again because he decided to, admittedly boldly, state his view on the countries status in the fight against social injustice. At the same time, the Dallas Cowboy’s running back Ezekiel Elliott, was suspended for only six games following a controversy involving domestic violence. Elliott’s position is not a unique one in that many NFL players have faced domestic violence charges, assault charges, and DUI’s and have been able to continue playing in the league. It boggles my mind to think that a man who is standing up, or rather sitting down, for social justice and using his right to free speech is being denied entry into the league while others who have been accused of or proven to have committed crimes are allowed to continue playing after enduring an extremely long three to six game suspension. The whole thing just seems completely backwards. Again, this culture is generated by the leadership of the league.
Roger Goodell distances himself from controversial players and politics the way Donald Trump distances himself from the truth. He’s all word play, diversions, and mystification. When asked to speak on Trump’s wall and how to build better relations between Mexico and the United States, Goodell responded by essentially advertising the superbowl:
“One of the things that we truly believe in our hearts is that the NFL really does bond communities together and can be a bridge in that way… It unites people. We’re going to see it this weekend with the Super Bowl, where millions of people are going to tune in and they’re going to celebrate and they’re going to all forget about other things for at least a short period of time and really focus on having fun and being entertained by the Super Bowl.”
Truly enlightening statement Mr. Goodell, you really made the American public feel like the NFL cares about its international neighbors more than the national media spectacle that is the Super Bowl. This is just one of many statements made by Goodell that show how little the league cares about free speech, politics, and our responsibility as global citizens to voice our opinions on social issues.
I will admittedly say that, yes, the NFL is a football league and that is its focus, football. However, if politics and social commentary make their way into this realm of culture, it is irresponsible to shove it away or trivialize it. NFL players and coaches have particular influence in American society considering football is one of America’s most watched sports. Players and coaches don’t have to use the league or their fame to make political statements, but if they choose to, the leagues administration should not fine or scold them for contributing to public discourse.
The difference in behavior between the NFL and NBA is already quite obvious, but I believe that news coverage regarding free speech in the two leagues augments the disparity in behaviors. In all of the articles I read before writing this post (especially one published by Newsweek) focused heavily on the NFL’s Trump supporters and the NBA’s Trump denouncers. Statistically speaking, there must be advocates and opponents in each league; however, if one read just news articles on the leagues, it would seem that the NBA is overrun by anti-Trump antagonists and the NFL is comprised of conservative, pro-Trump white men. I believe that the type of news coverage each league receives and the climate set forth by their respective administrations have left players and coaches of the minority afraid and unable to present their opinions. It is a situation like this that reminds us that news media and the leadership of our country, whether they be the heads of businesses or government officials, dramatically affect who can say what and in what environment.
There are a lot of factors at play when it comes to sports figures voicing their political opinions; administrative restrictions, public backlash, and career implications are just a few of the things that players and coaches consider when making public statements. The pressure that is put on these figures though is very dangerous because it either encourages or discourages free speech within the realm of sports. This problem of course extends further than the NBA and NFL; these leagues are just a microcosm of the real world’s struggles regarding free speech. The right to speak and assemble freely is a great one, however public and government actions have encouraged and discouraged certain opinions and has made free speech a controversial topic. I don’t think that the world will soon solve its issues surrounding free speech; however, I think that it is the responsibility of America’s sports leagues, as major cultural influences in our nation, to support the right to free speech and push our country in the direction of inclusion and productive public discourse.
Update
The NFL seems to have learned a thing or two from last seasons events regarding social issues and politics. During a political rally on Friday and it Tweets published over the weekend, president Trump continued expressing his disdain for the conduct of NFL players during the national anthem. Trump encouraged team owners and coaches to fire players who kneeled during the national anthem and urged fans to forgo attendance at games. Jaguars and Ravens players knelt during their game this morning; and players along with coaches linked arms in solidarity with one another as well. Players, coaches, and even team owners are expressing their disappointment in president Trump and his handling of the situation in the NFL. There is a growing contingent in the league that believe that the social issues being brought to light are more important that maintaining the polished image of their teams. As the season goes on I'm sure we will see more players, coaches, team owners, and fans protest during the national anthem.
Sources:
Update Sources:
http://www.latimes.com/sports/nfl/la-sp-nfl-players-protest-trump-20170924-story.html
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