Noah Shelton and Nathan Elbaum Sports Columnist
Ferguson In light of recent events, athletes panUnited States have used their image to demonstrate their support for Evan Garner and Michael Brown. After the Grand Jury’s decision on November 24th, 2014, the St. Louis Rams, hometown football team of Ferguson, Missouri, the receiving core (Stedman Bailey, Tavon Austin, Jared Cook, Chris Givens, Kenny Britt) came on to the field with a “Hand’s Up, Don’t Shoot” gesture the same as protesters around the country. Despite an apology request from St. Louis police, the Rams organization refused to counter their players actions, and the NFL choose not to punish the players, allowing their views to be heard and represented. Washington Redskins defensive tackle, Chris Baker, also joined the protests after his sack on Rams’ quarterback Shaun Hill. Baker decided to celebrate with a similar “Hand’s Up, Don’t Shoot” later confirming via Twitter that he too was speaking out about Michael Brown’s death. Players have also recently took to the courts to protest Eric Garner’s death. Reggie Bush of the Detroit Lions, wrote “I Can’t Breathe” on his NFL official warm up shirt. Derrick Rose brought this movement to light in the NBA when he wore an “I Can’t Breathe” shirt before the Chicago Bulls’ December 6th loss against the Golden State Warriors. Kevin Garnett, Lebron James, Kyrie Irving, Kobe Bryant, and many of their teammates joined the shirt wearing movement in the next week. JayZ posed for a picture with Garnett and 3 other Brooklyn Nets teammates who were all wearing their shirts, moving the protests further than just sports. NBA commissioner Adam Silver responded by refusing to fine the players even though the shirts violated contractual agreements with Adidas over pregame attire. Silver stated that he would rather the players keep contractual agreements, but respects their want to voice their opinions. These protests made their way into college basketball on Wednesday, December 12, when Georgetown wore the “I Can’t Breathe” shirts before a loss to Kansas. The Notre Dame’s Women's basketball team, one of the most prestigious basketball teams in the country, wore “I Can’t Breathe” shirts on Thursday, December 18th, 2014. The greatest news, is that the “I Can’t Breathe” shirts are not defined to one race. Nick Stauskas of the Sacramento Kings, was the first professional caucasian athlete to wear the shirts. The Charlotte Hornets were quick to follow suit as their whole team wore the shirts with warm ups. On Sunday, December 14th, Andrew Hawkins wore a shirt asking for justice for two victims who were shot as they carried airguns in Cleveland. He then spoke for over 6 minutes to the press about how he wore his shirt to argue that justice should be a right every american should have. The Cleveland Police Union President like many other police chiefs across the country demanded an apology for the actions of Andrew Hawkins. The Cleveland Browns have not released a statement of apology to the Cleveland Police and are unlikely to because of the recent tragedies in Cleveland.
Actions like this are what make the entertainment industry worth watching. They show that athletes care about what is going on in the world around them. They are showing their fans that it is good to have an opinion on what happens, and that it is good to speak out when you think something is wrong. The athletes are also showing that they are not above the daily life of everyone else. Athletes’ morality has been called into question many times over the past years. Most recently with Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson of the NFL after they were suspended for domestic and child abuse respectfully. Also with 37 players receiving some sort of suspension for violating the NFL’s drug abuse policy, the lengths players are willing to go to win has been questionable. This recent showing of public opinion by the players has shown the American public that they care about more than their sport and winning. In our opinion, this is very important. When your every move is scrutinized the way professional athletes’ are, you need to carry yourself in a good manner. It is not only the players that are making big headlines, the teams are making major moves by supporting their athletes and their decisions to protest the recent incidents. None of the sport organizations have issued apologies for their player’s statements. These are steps in the right direction for all major sports organizations, as this has become a recent phenomenon. With the MLB losing Mr. Baseball, Derek Jeter, they are in need for a new moral compass to guide them. A new leader needs to step up and fill the shoes of the Hall of Fame class act. While some players have begun to follow Jeter’s path, it will take a lot more in this era of social media and immorality to fully consume the role. Baseball might need a new face, but every athlete should be trying be the best person they can be, and for the first time in a while, it seems to be happening.