Bucks' Brogdon: 'Absurd' to think athletes shouldn't talk about politics
More and more professional athletes are refusing to stay silent on political issues, with former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick at the forefront of it all by kneeling during the national anthem in 2016. LeBron James has also been vocal in recent days over his displeasure with the direction the country is heading in, even going as far as calling out president Donald Trump on social media following Saturday's events in Charlottesville, Va.
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Milwaukee Bucks guard Malcolm Brogdon, who supports James' stance, hopes athletes continue to use their platform to help facilitate change, shutting down the notion that they should simply "stick to sports."
"I think it's extremely offensive. I think it puts us in a bubble. I think it simply implies that because were athletes we don't have a say, we don't have an opinion, or we don't have the educational background to comment on things outside of sports," Brogdon told Sports Illustrated. "I just think it's absurd. I encourage all athletes to speak out if they're comfortable to do it. I think it's our duty, i don't think it's something we really have a choice to do. If you have a platform, you should speak out. It's the morally right thing to do."
The reigning NBA Rookie of the Year attended the University of Virginia for a full four-year term. Suffice it to say, the recent protests by white supremacists on the campus hit close to home on many levels.
"Honestly, for me, it was pretty shocking to see this happen at a place that I call home. It's sort of jarring for me. If I were to be honest, the level of hate and blatant racism that still dominates the minds of so many Americans today is not shocking to me," Brogdon added. "I think at the end of the day, you have to call it what it is - I think this is white supremacy, and I think it's domestic terrorism."
A large group of white nationalists, neo-Nazis, and far-right extremists gathered Saturday to protest the removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee, who was a commander in the Confederate army during the American Civil War. Fights eventually broke out with counter-demonstrators, resulting in a local state of emergency being declared.
"I'm a person that thinks things should not be glorified that did not do the country any justice," Brogdon added. "For example, these statues, they stand still, but all they do is divide people. At this point in time, I think America needs to be unified, and the statues are clearly something that's not unifying people. It's going to continue to create a divide within our communities. I think they have no place in our society right now."