Freedom of Expression for Athletes: “We Won’t Shut Up and Dribble”

On January 14, 2018, NBA superstars LeBron James and Kevin Durant starred on the ESPN podcast “Rolling with the Champion”. They discussed their future, the pressures they endure, their family, and the social injustice they encounter in the U.S. When LeBron was asked about the current U.S. president Donald Trump, LeBron said, “The No. 1 job in America, the appointed person is someone who doesn’t understand the people,” later adding that “Trump doesn’t know s**t.”

Soon after, Laura Ingraham, a Fox News anchor, criticized LeBron for publicizing his political views. She noted that he is “barely intelligible” and it would be “unwise to seek political advice from someone who gets paid $100 million a year to bounce a ball.” She concluded by saying “[athletes] should keep the political comments to themselves and just shut up and dribble” and restrain themselves from influencing the youth of American in a negative way.

Her remarks quickly became viral on the internet. LeBron James responded, “I mean too much to society, too much to the youth, too much to so many kids who feel like they don’t have a way out.” In his social media, he posted an image with the hashtag #wewontshutupanddribble, hinting that he would never relinquish his right to voice his opinions.

A myriad of people inveighed against her, commenting that her words are very racist. People claimed everyone has the right to voice his or her opinions on politics since freedom of speech is guaranteed in the U.S. However, there were also a substantial number of people who agreed with her. They commented that celebrities and athletes who are paid million dollars for simply “entertaining [us]” don’t know anything about politics this shouldn’t share their political views since naive young people would believe anything that they say.

It is undeniable that the young generation of the world is significantly impacted by celebrities who appear on social media, whether they are rappers, singers, athletes, actors, or models. By those famous people, many people not only limited to the youth but also adults are naturally induced to consume the products appearing on social media. However, would the young generation’s political views also be influenced by their celebrity idols? The argument that the youth would be influenced to think a certain way politically because of their favorite athletes or singers seem tenable.

Furthermore, Ingraham’s bold statement that athletes should just “shut up and dribble” is indeed condemnable. Being famous and influential to thousands, millions of people does not mean that he or she should lose his or her freedom of expression. No one should be deprived of the right to express his or her political views.

For more information, please visit npr.org and cleveland.com.