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Thursday, March 28
The Indiana Daily Student

opinion

COLUMN: Social advocacy from pro athletes is a breath of fresh air

Last Wednesday, ABC aired ESPN’s Espy Awards, an annual event to honor outstanding accomplishments in the realm of sports. Amid the celebrations of superhuman feats of athleticism, shattered records and inspiring figures, NBA players LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony were the centers of attention, and not for anything they did on the hardwood.

The award show began with a sobering message delivered by the quartet of NBA All-Stars concerning the high-profile police killings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. Their sentiment largely echoed the reactions of distraught Americans to the deaths of black men during the course of the past several years, but the desperation in their pleading tones truly brought the issue to life.

“The endless gun violence has to stop ... enough is enough,” said Wade, of the Chicago Bulls.

In a day and age where athletes are sometimes known for their boneheaded antics, the Espy speech was like a breath of the freshest air imaginable.

It’s comforting to see these men use their pedestal as a springboard for social advocacy rather than a means to promote their brand or sell a product.

The speech rebuked racial profiling and the shoot-to-kill mentality of some policemen while still recognizing the “hundreds of thousands of great officers serving this country.” The speech was eloquently put and the four spoke with conviction and strong credibility on the issue.

James appropriately offered a tribute to one of most prolific athletes to advocate for social change, Muhammad Ali. “Tonight we’re honoring Muhammad Ali,” said James. “But to do his legacy any justice, let’s use this moment as a call to action to all professional athletes to educate ourselves. Speak up, use our influence and renounce all violence.”

This display of activism, following in Ali’s footsteps, transcends being a role model for the children who admire them. It was about using their positions as public figures to bring about institutional change in an area where a large number of people feel change is sorely needed.

Though NFL burnout Johnny Manziel is going on drug- and booze-fueled binges, James, Anthony, Paul and Wade are using their immense influence to capture the attention of kids and other groups that might not otherwise be convinced of the dire nature of racially-influenced violence in the United States.

The speech was even successful in prompting a dialogue between police and the community. “We’d like an opportunity to speak with them about how we can work with them to improve communication and interaction between police and the community,” said Jim Pasco, executive director of the Fraternal Order of Police.

Peaceful protesting and public demonstration is an effective way to bring about change, but hearing these words spoken by the athletes who unite us in our admiration of them adds weight to the message. In the future, more athletes should emulate these four in using their position to bring about the change they wish to see in the world. It’ll be a better place because of it.

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