Kenton Gibbs
Kenton Gibbs
Politics and sports were once again put on a track for a tragic collision course by this election. It was clear that no matter who won there was going to be an intense response. However, I had no clue that the NBA world would be set on fire the way it was.
President-elect Donald Trump’s victory was immediately met with intense backlash from players, coaches and members of the media. Many people have said that future athletes will refuse White House visits and it seems inevitable at this point. As a Detroit Pistons fan, I am very familiar with Stan Van Gundy and his very expressive manner. Him denouncing Trump was a little expected but the passion and perspective he brought was definite.
Van Gundy was quoted at the Pistons practice facility as saying, “I don’t think anybody can deny this guy is openly and brazenly racist and misogynistic and ethnic-centric, and say, ‘That’s OK with us, we’re going to vote for him anyway.’”
He followed that up by stating, “Martin Luther King said, ‘The arc of the moral universe is long, but bends toward justice,’ I would have believed in that for a long time, but not today … what we have done to minorities … in this election is despicable.”
I am aware of the fact that the Pistons are a long shot to win an NBA championship anytime soon so his comments might not be indicative of a soon-to-come White House boycott. However, coaches and players from many odds on favorite NBA teams have expressed similar levels of disgust and disappointment with the results of this election.
The Golden State Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr reiterated many of Van Gundy’s sentiments during a post practice interview when he said, “You walk into a room with your daughter and your wife, who’ve basically been insulted by [Trump’s] comments, and they’re distraught. And you walk in and you see the faces of your players, most of them who have been insulted directly as minorities, it’s sort of shocking.” He continued on his self-proclaimed “rant” with this gem, “I thought we were better than this. This is a presidential election. It’s not The Jerry Springer Show.”
The coaches weren’t the only ones who got in on the disgruntled voters train. Many of the defending NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers players actively campaigned for Hillary Clinton. Richard Jefferson quickly took to Snapchat to make a very suggestive statement.
Jefferson said on Snapchat “Words cannot express the honor I feel being the last team to visit the White House tomorrow.”
He wasn’t the only person who wanted to forewarn people of the fact that many people will no longer see the appeal in visiting the White House. ESPN show host, Jalen Rose backed him up.
On last Thursday’s episode of SportsNation, Rose was quoted saying, “…what we’re going to see in professional sports — NBA and NFL — mark my words, there will be players that decline the opportunity to visit the White House under his presidency.”
The sad part is some people are so dense they really don’t get where the disappointment and hurt comes from. I saw many questioning why teams would protest. The worst comment I saw was one man saying if NC State’s men’s basketball team won it all, they would have no reason to sit out the White House visit. I wondered if this person knew anything about the makeup of this team.
The team would have every reason not to go, honestly. Even if we were to strike from the records everything that Trump said, except his statements on religion, it’s still crystal clear why the team would pass. One of our best players, junior Abdul-Malik Abu, is an openly devout member of the Islamic community. One glimpse at his social media pages will tell logical coherent people this. Then there’s our freshman center Omer Yurtseven, who’s from Istanbul, Turkey. Ninety-eight percent of Turkey’s population is Muslim; so even if Yurtseven doesn’t fall in that overwhelming majority, it’s extremely likely that he is close with someone who is.
However, deciding to take a raincheck on White House visits isn’t a new thing. Tom Brady had a “scheduling conflict/family obligation” that prevented him from going to the White House while Obama was in office. However, multiple reports came out later stating that he was seen at Gillette Stadium on the day the team went to the White House.
Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas skipped as well posting a status on Facebook that read, “I believe the Federal government has grown out of control, threatening the Rights, Liberties, and Property of the People, Because I believe this, today I exercised my right as a Free Citizen, and did not visit the White House.”
Some criticized the pair of Boston favorites but it quickly blew over. I hope the same courtesy is extended to athletes who decide to follow the trail that was so brazenly blazed by Brady and Thomas. When the first major sports teams or players skip out on a White House visit please show them respect, kindness, disregard and understanding. Don’t call them crybaby liberals or say they’re committing reverse racism. Just respect the fact that entire teams are about to have a bunch of scheduling conflicts.