JEREMY ERMAN
Special to The Leader
Today, more than ever, athletes are seen as more than just someone who plays a sport.
Half a century ago, athletes starring in movies and speaking on social justice was rare, and in some cases, taboo. Kareem Abdul Jabbar starred in “Airplane” in 1980, albeit in a small role.
In 1968 at the Mexico City Olympics, Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their fists on the podium as a form of protest against racial injustice.
Moments like these used to only occur once in a blue moon, but that’s no longer the case. Today, many professional athletes have their own apparel brand, charities in their name or other ways to expand themselves beyond the court, field, ring or track.
Lebron James is one of the most outspoken athletes today.
Two years ago, he was involved in a public argument with Laura Ingraham, a FOX News host at the time, who ignorantly told James to “shut up and dribble.”
Now, he is going against another athlete, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, over the same topic. Both athletes are viewed as some of the greatest in the world.
Lebron James, 36, is arguably the greatest basketball player of all time, with many records in the NBA and a handful of MVPs and three Final Championships to show as well.
Ibrahimovic, 39, is also at the top of his sport’s world, regarded as one of the best soccer strikers of all time. He has won over 30 trophies in his career and scored more than 570 goals.
On Saturday morning, Ibrahimovic told James to “stay out of it” when it comes to politics.
In response, James said, “I will never shut up about things that are wrong. I preach about my people, equality, social injustice, racism and systematic voter suppression.”
However, some have branded James a hypocrite, citing his response to former Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey, who tweeted support for the protests occurring in Hong Kong last year.
In response to his remarks, China retaliated by declining to broadcast some games in China, cancelling the Rockets’ coverage and all NBA preseason games. Some Chinese companies ended their partnerships with certain NBA stars. James’ response to this was that he claimed that Morey was not “misinformed” about the protests, but instead about what China’s response would be. He also stressed that Morey’s actions could have harmed people both emotionally and spiritually.
Despite this, James has made major positive impacts off the court, including advocating for political reform, speaking out against racism and even opening a school.
His school, the I Promise School, has allowed many students who were previously at risk of not graduating and obtaining an education to now not only just graduate, but to instead succeed and thrive in school.
Meanwhile, Ibrahimovic’s recent remarks would show that he disagrees with that approach.
On Saturday, he said, “I don’t like when people… go and do politics at the same time… Do what you’re good at. Do the category you do. I play football because I’m the best at playing football. I don’t do politics.”
Like James, his hypocrisy was pointed out as well.
Ibrahimovic has previously said that his personal idol is Muhammad Ali, one of the greatest boxers of all time. However, he was more than just that. When speaking of activism in sports, Ali’s name has to be brought up.
Muhammad Ali was a Black Muslim man who rose to prominence in the U.S. during the ‘60s, right around the same time that political figures like Malcom X, (whom Ali worked with) and Martin Luther King Jr. also became widely known.
Ali declined to be drafted into the military to fight in the Vietnam War on religious grounds, and because of that, he was stripped of his titles and awards.This was only one of the times that Ali would stand up for what he believed in, but his actions clearly inspired many people, apparently including Ibrahimovic, who could have chosen another non-political athlete as his idol.