Do We Really Want Athletes' Political Opinions?

By Scott

Just a day after Jim Brown's criticism of Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods' silence on the social issues that Brown believes still plague the African American race surfaced, New York Jets' Kicker Jay Feely took the time to sit down with Sean Hannity & Co. and share his thoughts on President Obama.

Not to say that these issues are directly related, but they do fall under the same context of athletes' and politics. Everyone likes to believe that athletes have this obligation to be something more than a guy who plays basketball. People want more. We want to know what cereal he eats, who he's dating, and every single, miniscule detail in between. And then, we want to know who he's voting for come election time, or what he thinks about North Korea. But, when we find, we get pissed off. It's the truth.

The examples are endless. Remember last year when Lebron refused to sign teammate Ira Newbie's letter to the Chinese Government condemning China's support of genocide in Darfur? It had nothing to do with Lebron supporting China's actions, but James stated that he simply wanted to learn more about the situation. People didn't want to hear it. Lebron was quickly made subject to harsh criticism from every available media outlet. And then to the shock of many, he decided not to sign the petition at all. But, all of those Lebron critics failed to realize that he is Lebron James. He can't just put his name on something without seriously considering the consequences. China doesn't care that Ira Newbie's name is on there, but Lebron's signature would catch their eye, and therefore damage his chances at achieving the global icon status that he openly desires so much. Do you think Chinese investors would have just purchased part of the Cavs if Lebron had signed that petition? Neither do I.

Remember in 1990 when Michael Jordan refused to support an African-American, Democratic politician by stating, "Republicans buy sneakers, too"? Similar to Tiger Woods' refusal to openly support President Barack Obama during his campaign has nothing to do with Tiger's political views. Let's say Tiger decides to endorse Obama and appear at a rally. Inevitably, he'll lose much of his Republican fan base. And, who plays golf? Primarily, rich white guys. So, is it worth it for Tiger to sacrifice millions of dollars to please his race? No, of course not. It may be acceptable for a guy like Charles Barkley who has built his image as an outspoken, political activist, but not for Tiger or M.J. who built their images as athletes and not politicians.

The aspect that the blogosphere and media constantly ignore is athletes' sponsorship obligations. Jim Brown didn't have any obligations to Nike or Reebok in 1965, he could do whatever he wanted. Obviously, he'd face scrutiny for doing something racial due to the political tension at the time of his career, but Brown didn't have to wear someone's cleats and he could say what he wanted to. Today's sports culture is a total 180 degree turn from the culture Brown played in. People ask to hear athletes' political opinions when really the only answer they'll receive is a "no comment" or whatever the athletes' advisors tell them to say. Besides, most of the guys had some nerds get them through college, so why are their opinions so coveted?