Weidner's Words: Don't stick to sports

"We will definitely not shut up and dribble."

This was LeBron James' first public comment since he received criticism from Fox News host Laura Ingraham for speaking out on political issues.In her segment, Ingraham specifically refers to an Uninterrupted video series in which LeBron and Kevin Durant criticized President Trump.She took the opportunity to tell LeBron to not "run [his] mouth" and to leave the political commentary to people who didn’t "leave high school a year early."

Beyond Ingraham's seemingly ignoring the fact that LeBron actually did graduate high school before going to the NBA, there is a clear hypocrisy in her comments. Chris Long, a defensive end on the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, took to Twitter to craft a thread of screenshots of the other celebrities who have come on Fox to voice their political views.These celebrities include musician Kid Rock, former University of Indiana basketball coach Bobby Knight, Chuck Norris, Ted Nugent, Clint Eastwood and former MLB pitcher Curt Schilling. The only common theme among them is that they all are known to be conservative voices.

Fox is allowed to choose who it brings on as guests, and those guests can and should express their political opinions. That being said, it is unfair and unproductive to tell celebrities with differing political views — in this case LeBron and Durant — that they cannot speak.

Ingraham’s segment is only a small part of a growing outcry for professional athletes and coaches to "stick to sports." Prominent NBA coaches like Steve Kerr and Gregg Popovich have come under attack for their comments, along with sports media members like ESPN’s Jemele Hill.Almost everyone will remember the saga surrounding former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick and his national anthem protest.

ESPN, as a network, has lost 13 million subscribers in six years, which many think is due to increasing political commentary on the network. While there is something to be said for an unbiased news source, the underlying idea that sports figures should remain neutral on political issues is a ridiculous standard. Athletes and coaches in these leagues don’t simply exist for the entertainment of the viewer. They have thoughts, opinions and lives outside of their games, and to expect them to act like they don’t runs in the face of what democracy is.

We would never tell a real estate agent to "shut up and sell houses" or a waiter to "shut up and bring us food" if they voiced a political opinion, particularly if they voiced that opinion on their own time. Saying something like that to an athlete both diminishes the work they do and diminishes who they are as a person. Athletes have a public platform and should have the ability to use it if they choose. Disagreeing with something LeBron says is fine, but that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be allowed to say it.