Do Athletes have too much Political Power?

Since the beginnings of democracy in the United States, American citizens have not been afraid to voice various different political beliefs and values. Republicans, Democrats, and Independents may not all share the same political beliefs, but they have all gone through the process of political socialization. Since the first democratic elections family, school, and major events have been agents of socialization for most Americans. In today’s modern America a new and controversial agent of socialization has emerged, the athlete.

In the past athletes like Muhammad Ali and Bill Russell have taken stands against major issues of war and race. These acts, however, were either dismissed by the American public or not reported on by major news outlets. Post-Vietnam War, athletes had gone quiet on social issues in the following decades, wanting to keep their endorsements and stay out of the political spotlight. The recent popularity of the social media platforms Facebook, Instagram, and, however, has changed the modern athlete’s desire to share their beliefs. With the power of social media connecting the whole world, athletes have begun to express their opinions on social and political issues to their millions of followers. One of today’s most outspoken celebrities, Lebron James accumulated over forty million followers on Twitter alone. The power and popularity that social media has given athletes in the political socialization of American youths, sparked controversy among the American public.

A lot of Americans have taken issue with the potential political power superstar athletes hold. Many feel that athletes don’t know what they are talking about and are too influential among millennials. Fox News host, Laura Ingraham, aired her dismay at the politically active athlete by telling basketball stars Lebron James and Kevin Durant to “shut up and dribble”. She then continued to question James’s education, alluding that he had not finished high school (he did) and should not have a public voice in politics. Ingraham’s comments have raised a storm of controversy and leave us to ponder our own opinions.

I believe the answer is very simple. Everybody should be able to exercise their right of free speech no matter the platform or followers. The popularity athletes are able to garner from social media outlets, provide a great platform for a variety of political thought and ideas. Athletes should be encouraged to be active in political and social issues because they are so popular. There is the question of if these athletes are educated enough to be trusted to post of these issues, which I ridiculous. Yes, many of these athletes aren’t the smartest academically and didn’t graduate college, but that doesn’t mean they should be censored. It’s the individual reader’s responsibility to be aware of the source and truth behind information they read on social media sites.

The advancements in technology and the popularity of various social media platforms has created a modern more connected world. Thus, in doing so athletes have taken a role in the political socialization of today’s youth. I’ve stated my view on the issue and would love to hear others. So what do you think?

Sources

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/lebron-james-responds-laura-ingraham-trump-comments-article-1.3827247

6 Responses to "Do Athletes have too much Political Power?"

Klein Evans says:

February 26, 2018 at 8:59 pm

James,

This is a very good and intriguing point, as an athlete I am very compelled by your topic selection and argument.

I specifically enjoyed your comparison of famous athletes from the past to the most popular athletes we know today, such as LeBron James and Kevin Durant. I think this point does a great job of indirectly highlighting the huge shift in media we as a society have witnessed.

I agree that people like Laura Ingraham should not be condemning and trying to quiet the voice of professional athletes. Instead these athletes should be used as tools to advocate for the greater good of our nation. No matter what the concern is, political or non political, these figures hold immense power with their voices. Children and people across the entire world look up to them, and they should be advocates for social issues and other problems facing the world.

I completely agree with your post and appreciate it, I just feel that the urgency of this message needs to be a bit more severe. There is a great chance for athletes to serve as a very important voice for these issues, and we cannot let our politcal figures and media halt this.

Thanks for your post James, I enjoyed reading it.
Thomas Cody says:

February 26, 2018 at 10:04 pm

James,
Thank you for a very interesting and insightful post. I completely agree that it unfair to silence athletes from speaking out on their political views. Much of this feeling that these athletes should not have a voice in politics I feel like comes from racist or classist attitudes towards these individuals. Especially in a sport like basketball, where so many of the athletes come from poor, minority households, men like Kevin Durant or LeBron James are not given the same level of respect as other celebrities when it comes to their opinions outside their profession. I was especially annoyed by someone from Fox News saying athletes should not have a voice in politics when their network has invited guests like former MLB pitcher, Curt Schilling, on to share in opinions on countless occasions. It begs the question of if Curt Schilling was not a white conservative, would someone on Fox News have told him to shut up and pitch when he started talking politics?
Kayla Corbin says:

February 27, 2018 at 3:58 pm

James,

First I would like to say that this is a very interesting post, even though it’s simple it touches on many different aspects of American Democracy. Things like, who should be influential, who has the credibility to influence politics, and how platforms and societal roles effect how socialization is viewed.
When you mention that social media plays a huge influence in allowing people to break away from the status quo, it speaks to the idea that in America, no matter what your profession is, your voice is equal (I use the term equal very lightly).
If anything, I feel that adding a little more context about how our government is structured, and how that contributes to allowing anybody to be influential in politics would’ve strengthened your argument about athletes having a right to be a part of socialization. Also, speaking on the danger of media outlets, trying to box athletes into their profession, that would’ve been a good talking point.
Overall, I appreciate your post and I love the connection you made between social media and socialization, because it is so much easier to connect with people and transfer ideas than it used to be.
David Hayden Lyles says:

February 28, 2018 at 9:11 pm

James,

Thank you for this thought-provoking blog post. I agree that anyone, including athletes, should have the ability to exercise their First Amendment right; however, as you stated, it is absolutely the duty of the general public to evaluate the validity of the political beliefs of others. It is important that collectively as citizens of the United States we form our own opinions and participate in the political process with those opinions in mind. The fact that athlete’s opinions are held in such high regard reflects the modern day political climate. Regardless of the quality of the source, people need to deliberate and form their own opinions.
I appreciate that you also acknowledged that the majority of politically active athletes utilize social media as their primary source of advocating their beliefs. Although, as we should know by now, you cannot take everything you read on the Internet as fact. It is a fundamental of our representative democracy that everyone has the most recent information in order to be able to form opinions. When athletes post to social media it creates a ripple affect among the general public who take their words at face value because they are celebrities and role models of our countries youth. Instead, we should analyze their opinions and form our own.
People’s opinions need to reflect their own beliefs and political ideals rather than thoughtlessly embracing the opinions of our countries elite. Thanks again!

Hayden
Michael De La Cruz says:

February 28, 2018 at 10:15 pm

Great post, James.

I agree with your point that everyone should be able to free voice their opinions on any platform, regardless of how many followers they have. I don’t think anyone needs to be ‘qualified’ to talk about politics. Politics is something that affects us all, and honestly every American should be interested and involved in politics. Just because someone is of a certain profession does not discredit them from joining in on political discussions.

If Fox News wants to point out ‘unqualified’ individuals who shouldn’t talk about politics, then they shouldn’t look any further than their own network. Fox News has had people like Ted Nugent, Gene Simmons, and James Brian Hellwig on their network. Nugent and Simmons are both celebrities who got famous for singing, and Hellwig is a former WWE wrestler. How can the Fox News network talk about Lebron James when they’ve had these celebrities on their network?

Source: http://toofab.com/2017/05/18/6-c-list-celebrities-that-roger-ailes-turned-into-fox-news-stars/
Marc Bosch Valentines says:

March 1, 2018 at 11:04 am

Hey James,

Your post was really interesting and genuine. Athletes have a great influence on public opinion. But so do the so called “Influencers”, that is, those who have great popularity in social media such as Instagram, YouTube and Twitter. Many new voters follow their opinions and are politically driven by what they express. Even if it’s true that they should watch out what they say since their words have great influence on many, it is also true that they are free to say whatever they want as any other citizen. At the end of the day, every person is free to decide what to do therefore if they do what athletes or famous people do, it’s their own responsibility and no one is to blame for it.
I personally don’t consider athletes unqualified to make judgments, what’s more, I would encourage politicians to make a use of the influence athletes have to spread out their messages. Because, to be honest, many young people will be willing the message if it comes directly from a non-political source even if they say the same. In Europe, for instance, the words that the most famous soccer players say are everywhere in the news and have a great influence on the public as well.
All in all, there’s a shift in society that politicians need to adapt to and therefore redefine their strategy to reach to the new generations.

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