Under The Hood: A New Take On Activism In Sports
These dreams are compatible only if you choose to emulate Ali the icon and not Ali the man. Ali the icon is used to sell books, computers, snack foods, and anything not nailed down. Ali the man sacrificed his health, future, and untold millions by standing up to racism and war. No one is demanding you do the same. No one is insisting you get in front of a microphone and say, “I ain’t got no quarrel with them Iraqis.”
But you should understand that the reason Ali remains a “global icon” is precisely because he didn’t define himself by his corporate sponsors. When his handlers told him to stop throttling the golden goose of fame he said, “Damn the money! Damn the white man’s money!”
Seemingly challenging James, Zirin highlights a clear choice for the NBA’s next great superstar.
“The choice you face is frankly quite stark: How free do you want to be?,” he asks. “Do you want to be ‘King James of Nike Manor’ or the King of the World? Only by refusing to be owned, only by displaying independence from the very corporate interests that enrich you, will you ever make the journey from brand to three dimensional man.” With his participation with the Million Hoodie March, and the efforts from other Heat players, it is clear that not only has James made clear how he “wants to be” but silenced his critics by highlighting his willingness to take the big shot, one far more significant than any last game heroics.
At one level, the response reflects the connection that James, Wade, and several other players felt with Trayvon. According to James, “I have two boys, D-Wade has two boys and a lot of our teammates have sons. This could be one of our sons someday. The thought of sending your son to the store and never having him return is an emotional one for any parent.” In reading their statements, it is clear that their statement didn’t merely reflect their being fathers but father of black boys.
“This situation hit home for me because last Christmas, all my oldest son wanted as a gift was hoodies,” explained Dwyane Wade. “So when I heard about this a week ago, I thought of my sons. I’m speaking up because I feel it’s necessary that we get past the stereotype of young black men and especially with our youth.” According to former baseball pro Gary Sheffield, “When you got sons and you hear about stuff like this, it frightens you. If my kids walk out of this house, they might not come back.”This isn’t simply a symbolic connection but the grasp of stereotype and racism regardless celebrity, class status or popularity.
From Robbie Tolan and Steve Foley, to any number of black athletes who have experience of driving/walking/standing while black, the idea exists that black athletes live apart from the boundaries of American racism. Notwithstanding the often-repeated media fantasy about racial transcendence, black athletes exists inside and are impacted by American racism. We have seen this on countless occasions with athletes subjected to racial profiling.
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