Speaking on a new show, HBO’s ‘The Shop’, famous basketball player Le-Bron James disclosed that there were double standards held between black and white athletes.
“I believe if the greatest quarterback in the world, he’s a white quarterback, if it’s [Tom] Brady, if it’s [Aaron] Rodgers, if it’s [Peyton] Manning, and we’re doing the same s*** [refusing to take a picture], the same exact s***. I’m talking about the phone is on. We’re like, ‘Yo, get that f***ing phone out of my face. I’m with my family.’
“If we’re out with our family and we say that s***, and somebody posts it, and if Aaron Rodgers or one of those guys say that s***, and they post it, somebody’s going to be like, ‘Hey, you guys should respect Aaron Rodgers,'” James said, ESPN reported.
The LA Lakers star touched on a topic that has been talked about for a while in regards to sports. Black sports stars are criticized for things that their white counterparts would get away with and that’s exactly how Black and White athletes are held to a different standard in the United States.
He further added, “I want the satisfaction [of speaking out]. Not for myself, but for everybody else. I was raised off of [rappers] Snoop [Dogg] and [Tupac] and [Jay-Z] and Biggie [Smalls], and now I get an opportunity to be the inspiration around what all of these kids are looking up to?
“And for me to just sit back and not say s*** when a lot of my peers didn’t say s***? It didn’t feel right “James said, according to ESPN.
“At the end of the day, when I decided I was going to start speaking up and not giving a f*** about the backlash or if it affects me, my whole mindset was it’s not about me. …My popularity went down. But at the end of the day, my truth to so many different kids and so many different people was broader than me personally.”
He emphasized his need to voice out his opinions and speak out on behalf of others subjected to such treatment.
Article sourced from RT News
