By: Brogan Miller
Protests in professional sports have become very relevant in America today. These protests were sparked by NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, and have now spread into other professional sports organizations. One of the most popular athletes in the world, LeBron James, has become outspoken in his views regarding the protests in the NFL and has offered his support to Kaepernick. "While James is widely recognized as one of the greatest basketball players of all time, his brand has expanded far outside of that." (Coombs, 2017). James isn't just a basketball player, and he wants the world to know that.
James has been known to be outspoken about many different social and cultural ideals and has often garnered support in his statements. James recently spoke directly to President Donald Trump, criticizing him for his racial bias and underrepresentation of minority groups. James received some backlash for these comments from Fox News correspondent Laura Ingraham, as she told him to "shut up and dribble." This was a direct attack on the intelligence of James, most likely due to him being black. This isn't the first time something like this has happened. One source says, "This perception challenges findings that the mediated presentation of successful Black athletes as having preternatural physical skills, as opposed to the intelligence of successful White athletes." (Coombs, 2017). Regardless of the comments made towards James' intelligence, he continues to use his platform to fight inequality in America.
LeBron's self-acclaimed greatest feat to this day is the creation of the "I Promise School". This school James founded has the goal to ensure children in poverty from Akron, Ohio to receive a cost-free education. The school is just down the street from where Lebron went to high school. Right now, the school only admits third and fourth-grade students that are two years behind on their reading, but plans to expand as soon as possible. The school's purpose is to keep kids in an environment where they are taken care of and provided a true learning atmosphere. They even make sure they get breakfast, lunch, and a snack before they leave, because the students may not have access to any food at home. James has spoken about creating this school for years, and now it is finally coming to fruition. This school is a pipeline to bring kids the education they deserve. Upon graduating from James' "I Promise School", students will receive admission and a full scholarship to the University of Akron. (Zillgitt, 2018)
Lebron's "I Promise School" is just one example of how he stays true to his word. My hope is that all Americans are noticing what James has done outside of basketball, and are starting to develop a trust in this man's integrity and compassion. Someone like James would not lie or attempt to gain political ground by supporting Colin Kaepernick's protests, what James said is true. There is racial inequality in the U.S. There is police brutality. If people like James are preaching against these types of injustices, maybe it is time for Americans to start listening.
References:
Coombs, D (2017, October) Athletes and/or Activists: Lebron James and Black Lives Matter
Martinelli, M (2018, July 31) People are Applauding Lebron for refusing to "shut up and dribble" USA Today
Retrieved from https://ftw.usatoday.com/2018/07/lebron-james-nba-school-ohio-twitter-shut-up-and-dribble
Zillgett, J (2018, July 30) Lebron James opens new public school in Akron: "One of the greatest moments:" of his life. USA Today
Retrieved from https://www.usatoday.com/sports/
Word Count: 511
Brogan,
ReplyDeleteThis is something of a mixed bag. On one hand, the topic is clearly relevant and James' star status, combined with his use of social media, make this a timely contribution to this course blog.
I also appreciate your use of hyperlinks to connect readers to other sources, including the USA Today interview. Perhaps you could discuss this at greater length, especially in light of your modest word count.
On the other hand, punctuation errors in and around quotations undermine your efforts. More critically, your use of the Coombs quote doesn't quite follow what you said previously. In other words, make more careful and productive use of quotes – don't simply tack on a quote at random.
All of which gets to a larger issue: the focus of your post isn't very clear. Is it the feud between James and POTUS? Is it James' charitable work? Or the pushback he gets from pundits and the inherently racist tone behind this criticism?
Put differently, there's a lot going on here and you can't do justice to all of it in 511 words.
Finally, you haven't mastered APA reference style; you haven't properly cited Coombs & Cassilo's article from the Journal of Sport and Social Issues.
Simply put, this essay reveals a lack of peer review and quality control. In future, I suggest you and your group follow the directions more closely.
24/30 pts.