Essay on African American Athlete: Their Role in American Culture

LeBron spoke out on a bunch of things, during the pandemic this year when the cops were killing innocent black women and men he took a stand by voicing his opinion. When many people saw that he and a bunch of others were finally sick and tired of the police brutality, that impacted people who thought this is wrong. People were influenced to take a stand and live for what's right, in my opinion from a political standpoint and non-basketball related I think LeBron James could become a governor or mayor for his establishments. He is very smart at what he's doing and kids would love to become him one day. He has empowered players, spoke out on basketball and non-basketball issues, created avenues to expand his brand and business in Hollywood, and turned his charitable work into meaningful projects that will continue to have an impact long after he is finished playing basketball. He is such a powerful and inspirational figure in my life. I relate to the environment and the surroundings he dealt with as a kid. I live in low-income housing, and it is a daily battle. There is a lack of resources for people of color like me. He grew up in poverty and dealt with many challenges. Growing up on public assistance in public housing is very difficult, something I and him both faced as kids. I have the utmost respect for him because I have experienced what he has, growing up in low-income housing on food stamps just trying to survive another day. 

People such as Colin Kaepernick and other African American athletes have tried to fight against racism. Capitalism and commodification are major reasons why black athletes are told to stick to sports and are denied the rights to be starters as quarterbacks in the NFL. The National Anthem has been a major controversy in which many black athletes have not stood for it, in an effort to acknowledge racism against the black community. Former  San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is an incident of racism against African Americans playing in the NFL. Kaepernick, a Black quarterback, chose to to start kneeling during the National Anthem that is heard before every NFL football games. The quarterback wanted to show how much he believes that people live in a racist country where African Americans are not respected. Unfortunately, his actions created a major problem and controversy in the America and the NFL till this day he still hasn’t played a snap just because he stood up for something he believed in. They can’t make you be quiet for ever, racism happens everyday here in America and Colin was one of the first to speak up against it on national tv.

Racism has been a major challenge in the United States, especially in the world of sports. Black athletes have been subjected to subjugation on many levels. Shannon Sharpe is a sports analyst on undisputed and he has spoken out on racism plenty of times. Back when he was a tight end in the NFL a bunch of teams had players that use to use racial slurs to get up under his skin but it never worked with him. 2 weeks ago Shannon sharpe tweeted, “It just goes to show that racism will always be a part of the world, a part of America. And, you know, hate in America, especially for African Americans, is living every day. And even though that it's concealed most of the time, even though people hide their faces and will say things about you and when they see you they smile in your face, it's a life every single day.”

"And I think back to Emmett Till's mom, actually. It's kind of one of the first things I thought of, and the reason that she had an open casket is because she wanted to show the world what her son went through as far as a hate crime and being black in America.” As more athletes come out and speak on racism the more we can shed light on the subject, we can’t afford to keep it in the dark. Black athletes have to use these platforms to keep speaking out! 

If you ask President Donald Trump, he isn’t racist. To the contrary, he’s repeatedly said that he’s “the least racist person that you’ve ever encountered.” He never spoke and said he wasn’t racist, he has made America so hard to live in at the moment because of all the racism that goes on everyday. Charles Barkley spoke on Donald trump being racist on twitter and also on national tv. Charles Barkley said he's never been more "angry and disgusted" than he is now because of President Donald Trump, the situation of President Trump is a total overreaction and I feel bad because you see anti-Semitism, racism. People feel emboldened to do things and say things now, he definitely encourages it, think he panders to his base. Donald trump is the worst thing to ever happen to America, he split us up in so many ways and people try to bury his wrong doings all the time. It’s time for a change, the sports world needs it and America needs it. He is the only president I know who bashes black athletes  on live tv for standing up for what is right, I hope America and the sports world change soon. It will bring great peace and love back to America.