Buy in to athlete activism

“Shut up and dribble.” Laura Ingraham’s self-righteous criticism of Kevin Durant and LeBron James’s decision to publicly express their political views in 2018 embodies the distaste that surfaces when sports and politics collide. Some sports fans view athletes as monoliths whose comments on personal issues and social justice advocacy disrupt their entertainment. For some athletes, the fact that they command the attention of millions imbues them with a responsibility to use their platform to combat racial injustice, gender inequality, injustices against the LGBT community and more. Brands face a difficult choice when their athletes are embroiled in the inevitable controversy: support them wholeheartedly, as Nike did with Colin Kaepernick, or cut ties with them. People may argue that sports are supposed to be a form of escapism free from political conversations, but it can’t come at the cost of keeping athletes under lock and key when they try to stay true to their identity outside of competition.Plus, on this week’s Fun Friday, Claire and Jenna use the Sweet Sixteen portion of last year’s men’s NCAA March Madness bracket to crown the team with best team mascot.Transition track credits:Downtown Walk by | e s c p | https://escp-music.bandcamp.comMusic promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/