LeBron James Offers Moving Words On Adam Jones And The Issue Of Racism In Sports
LeBron’s remarks touched on the incident and the larger issues of activism and social responsibility
LeBron James is, without question, the most famous athlete in America. The platform that provides can serve as a double-edged sword. When he speaks on social issues, a lot of people will listen, but large swaths of people will be alienated by any statement deemed the least bit controversial.
For his part, LeBron has walked that tight rope pretty well during his time in public life, speaking up and staying active while trying to remain diplomatic and productive. Those superstar traits were put on display again Wednesday night as the Cleveland Cavaliers star used a postgame press conference to offer up a few words on race, stemming from the Adam Jones incident at Fenway Park and its aftermath.
Since LeBron has a perennial playoff tradition of suspending social media activity during his team’s playoff run, his monologue on the matter served as the public’s first glimpse of his opinions on the developments in the Adam Jones incident.
Cavaliers' LeBron James on Adam Jones, racism and his own experiences playing in Boston https://t.co/QMdSZgR0s4— Ben Golliver (@Ben Golliver)1493866360.0
In conclusion, LeBron spoke to the overarching philosophies of activism and responsibility, stating:
“But I think for us, the people that have opportunities to be a voice, and the people that have an opportunity to have some play on the youth that’s coming up, we have to lead them the best way we can. And we have to live with the results.”
To that point, LeBron is the latest athlete to weigh in on the recent issue both from social and personal experiences, following remarks by countless baseball players, Charles Barkley, and Golden State Warriors player Draymond Green.