DO WHATEVER THEY NEED TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.
HAPPEN. MAKE IT
HAPPEN. MAKE IT HAPPEN
>>> ATHLETES OF COLOR ACROSS
MAJOR SPORTS LEAGUES ARE
MOBILIZING TO PUSH, SHOOT AND
DRIVE FOR CHANGE IN THIS MOMENT
OF PROTEST.
I MYSELF OPENED UP THIS WEEK
CHALLENGING THE NFL TO REHIRE
FORMER SUPER QUARTERBACK COLIN
CAPPERKAEPERNICK AFTER A NEARLY
FOUR-YEAR ABSENCE FROM THE
LEAGUE THAT BEGAN AFTER HIS
PREGAME PROTEST OVER POLICE
BRUTALITY, AND PRESIDENT TRUMP
RESPONDED BY CALLING PLAYERS WHO
KNELT ON THEIR KNEES SHOWING
THEIR PROTESTS, CALLING THEM
SONS OF FEMALE DOGS AND I’M
SANITIZING WHAT THE PRESIDENT
SAID.
IN SO MANY WORDS BY MID WEEK
MEGA STAR LeBRON JAMES IN
CONCERT WITH SOME OF HIS BIGGEST
STARS ANNOUNCED HE’S FORMING AN
ORGANIZATION DEVOTED TO
PROTECTING BLACK VOTING RIGHTS
AFTER WEEKS OF TWEETS IN
SOLIDARITY WITH PROTESTERS OVER
THE KILLING OF GEORGE FLOYD.
AND AS CONFEDERATE SYMBOLS
CONTINUE TO TOPPLE IN PUBLIC
SPACES THROUGHOUT THE SOUTH,
NASCAR ANNOUNCED THIS WEEK THAT
IT WOULD NO LONGER TOLERATE THE
BRANDISHING OF CONFEDERATE FLAG
AT ITS RACES, A PROVEMOVE PROMPT
THE LEAGUE’S SO AFRICAN-AMERICAN
DRIVER, BUBBA WALLACE, WHO TOOK
TO A WEST VIRGINIA TRACK
WEDNESDAY IN A T-SHIRT READING
"I CAN’T BELIEVE," HIS STOCK CAR
EMBLAZENED WITH "BLACK LIVES MATTER."
LET ME GO TO YOU FIRST, JAMILLE.
IT SEEMS IT’S TAKEN ON A BROADER
FORM IN THE LIGHT OF GEORGE
FLOYD.
HOW DO YOU READ THIS AND WILL IT
BE EFFECTIVE?
>> I THINK IT WILL BE EFFECTIVE.
SPORTS IS ONE OF THE FEW THINGS
WHO BRINGS PEOPLE TOGETHER.
MAYBE IF YOU WATCH LeBRON JAMES
AND DON’T UNDERSTAND THE INTRA KA CY
KA CY
-- INTRATRIN INTRICACY OF POLIC
VIOLENCE.
I THINK FOR A LOT OF
AFRICAN-AMERICANS IN POSITION OF
LEVERAGE AND POWER, THIS IS AN
IMPORTANT MOMENT FOR THEM WHERE
THEY WANT TO PUSH THIS
CONVERSATION FORWARD AND MAKE IT
UNCOMFORTABLE FOR SOME PEOPLE
AND SOME LEAGUES AND
PARTICULARLY THE NFL THAT
FINALLY HAS TO ADMIT THAT THEY
WERE WRONG, NOT ONLY IN NOT
LISTENING TO THE PLAYERS, BUT
THEY ARE GOING TO AT SOME POINT ADMIT WHAT THEY DID TO COLIN
ADMIT WHAT THEY DID TO COLIN
KAEPERNICK WAS AN ABSOLUTE
DISGRACE.
>> CAREYRIE WHEN I MADE MY POINT
THAT THEY HAVE TO ADMIT WHAT
THEY DID WRONG AND REPAIR IT,
THERE WERE DIFFERENT REACTIONS,
BUT THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS
THEY WERE TRYING TO SEPARATE
PEOPLE’S LIFE, PEOPLE’S RACE
FROM WHAT THEY DO IN
PROFESSIONAL SPORTS.
ARE WE SEEING A NEW WAVE NOW
WHERE THERE ARE ATHLETES IN ALL
FIELDS, INCLUDING NASCAR DRIVERS
THAT ARE SAYING, NO, I’M NOT AN
ATHLETE AND I HAPPEN TO BE
BLACK, WHATEVER, I’M THE SAME
PERSON AND I UNDERSTAND WHAT
PEOPLE ARE SAYING?
>> NO, YOU’RE SAYING ATHLETES
ACTUALLY TAKE THE TIME TO USE
THEIR LEVERAGE TO CHANGE WHAT
THEY FEEL HAS BEEN WRONG FOR SO
LONG.
AND EARLIER YOU HEAR WE NEED TO
HAVE THE LEAGUE APOLOGIZE TO
COLIN KAEPERNICK.
I AGREE WHOLEHEARTEDLY.
THEY APOLOGIZED UNDER PRESSURE.
SOME OF THEM HAVE GIVEN DONALD
TRUMP SUPPORT, FINANCIAL
SUPPORT.
THESE PLAYERS FIELD BOLD, THEY
FEEL ENTITLED OR THEY ARE
CORRECT, THEY WILL KNEEL AND
THEY WILL HAVE THE SUPPORT OF SO
MANY PEOPLE, WHAT WILL REALLY
HAPPEN?
I THINK THIS NFL SEASON WILL BE
VERY INTERESTING TO SEE HOW IN
FACT THE PUSHBACK IN TERMS OF
LEVERAGE WILL ACTUALLY WORK IN
THEIR BENEFIT BECAUSE RIGHT NOW
IT LOOKS LIKE THE PLAYERS HAVE
ALL THE LEVERAGE.
THAT’S A FIRST IN THE NFL.
NOT SO MUCH IN THE NBA BUT MOST
DEFINITELY IN THE NFL.
THE NBA HAS ALWAYS LED IN THE
FOREFRONT WHEN IT COMES TO THAT.
>> WHEN WE HEAR OF LeBRON AND
OTHERS FORMING AN ORGANIZATION
TO DEAL WITH VOTING RIGHTS AND
WORK WITH OTHERS IN THE
ORGANIZATION TO WORK IN THAT
SPACE FULL TIME, CAN THEY WORK
IN A FIELD THAT UNITES OF
AMERICANS, CAN THEY DRIVE A LOT
IN TERMS OF VOTING, IN TERMS OF
GETTING PEOPLE INTERESTED THAT
MAY NOT HAVE BEEN VOTING AND
DEALING WITH THE OBSTACLES AND
IMPEDIMENTS WE’VE SEEN IN VOTING
AS LATE AS THIS WEEK IN GEORGIA?
COULD THEY USE THEIR PLATFORMS
AND CELEBRITY TO REALLY GET
AMERICANS TO UNDERSTAND THESE
IMPEDIMENTS AND TO PUSH PAST
THEM?
>> I MEAN, THAT’S THE HOPE.
LeBRON HAS BEEN VERY POLITICALLY
ACTIVE, PARTICULARLY IN THE LAST
SIX OR SEVEN YEARS OF HIS
CAREER.
THIS IS JUST AN EXTENSION OF
SOME OF THE THINGS HE’S ALREADY
BEEN DOING.
THE FACT HE IS HIGHLIGHTING AND
TARGETING VOTER SUPPRESSION IN
PARTICULAR I THINK IS A VERY BIG
STATEMENT AND SHOWS HE’S NOT IN
THIS IN SOME SHALLOW, SURFACE
WAY, HE UNDERSTANDS THESE ARE
VERY COMPLICATED ISSUES AND ONE
OF THE BIGGEST ISSUES IS VOTER
RIGHTS AND VOTER SUPPRESSION.
I’M HOPING BY PEOPLE SEEING
LeBRON BE SO ACTIVE IN THIS AREA
THAT THOSE WHO DO FACE VOTING
CHALLENGES, THAT THIS IS
SOMETHING THAT WILL ENSPIREINSPI
TO STICK WITH IT, EVEN THOUGH WE
NO US ACTIVATING OUR RIGHT TO
VOTE IS AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT
THING.
IN GEORGIA IT JUST SO HAPPENED
IN ALL THE VOTING BOOTHS WITH
ARE THERE’S A LARGE
CONCENTRATION OF BLACK VOTERS
SUDDENLY DON’T SEEM TO WORK
WELL.
I THINK PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF JUST
BLACK PEOPLE NEED TO UNDERSTAND
THAT OUR RIGHT TO VOTE IS STILL
VERY VULNERABLE IN THIS COUNTRY.
>> PART OF IT ALSO IS OWNERSHIP.
WE STILL HAVE LEAGUES IN
PROFESSIONAL SPORTS THAT DON’T
HAVE ANY BLACK OWNERSHIP.
AND I THINK AS WE SEE PEOPLE
MOVING IN THE SPIRIT OF DEALING
WITH RACIAL EXCLUSION, THIS IS
AN OPEN AREA.
WE’VE EVEN HAD MICHAEL JORDAN
COME OUT TALKING ABOUT MICHAEL
RACISM, SOMETHING THAT HE HAS
NOT OFTEN DONE IN HIS CAREER IN
PLEDGING MONEY.
WILL THIS BE TRANSLATED WHEN THE
LEAGUES START OPENING UP
OPPORTUNITY FOR OWNERSHIP?
WE CERTAINLY HAVE BLACKS THAT
HAVE THE MONEY TO PURCHASE SOME
OF THESE TEAMS.
>> NO, THEY HAVE TO.
2020 IS DEMANDING SO MUCH MORE.
YOU KNOW THIS BETTER THAN I DO.
2020 SAYS NO MORE.
PEOPLE ARE OUT OF IT, THEY’RE
TIRED OF IT, THEY DON’T WANT TO
DEAL WITH IT ANY LONGER.
THESE TEAMS CAN’T CONTINUE TO
HAVE A GOOD OL’ BOYS CLUB WHERE
THEY SAY LET’S NOT INCLUDE
EVERYBODY.
COLIN KAEPERNICK IS SAYING THIS
ISN’T FAIR FOR BLACK AMERICANS,
NAME LIVE POLICE BRUTALITY.
IT WAS AS IF HE WAS SPEAKING IN
THIS MOMENT CLEARLY TO THE
LEAGUES COLIN KAEPERNICK DIDN’T
WANT TO KNEEL.
WE KNOW HE WAS TOLD TO KNEEL BY
A FORMER SOLDIER.
SO THIS WHOLE NO KNEELING THING
REALLY IS EMBARRASSING AND IT’S
AN INDICATION OF HOW PEOPLE
HAVEN’T EDUCATED THEMSELVES.
IT IS TIME WE MAKE SURE WE HOLD
THESE LEAGUES ACCOUNTABLE.
I HAD A CHANCE TO SPEAK TO
LeBRON TODAY FOR A BRIEF MOMENT.
HE SIMPLY SAID TO ME THE REASON
HE PUT THIS TOGETHER IS BECAUSE
HE WANTS TO PUT REAL RESOURCES
ON THE GROUND IN TERMS OF VOTING
AND TEACHING PEOPLE HOW TO VOTE,
WHO TO VOTE FOR AND HOW
IMPORTANT THEIR VOICE IS.
IT’S REEDUCATING THE ENTIRE
VOTING PROCESS, ESPECIALLY FOR BLACKS.
>> CARRYE CARRIE CHAMPION AND JA
HILL, YOU KNOW WHAT I’M GOING TO