During ESPN2’s broadcast of “First Take,” author and radio host Michael Eric Dyson asked professional athletes to, like the NBA’s LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, use their platforms to stand up for fellow African-Americans during social issues.
“I am proud of this generation that’s seen the necessity to rise up and speak, because guess what, your opportunity rests on the backs primarily of a fan base that loves you, but also those African-American, Latino and other poor people who supported you when nobody knew your name and didn’t seek your autograph,” he said. “You make money off the backs of those who are your fans who are themselves vulnerable to and victim of so many forms of violence.”
“Whether it’s neighbor-to-neighbor carnage, whether it’s the police people invading their spaces and in that sense athletes must have a enough courage to speak up. you have enough dough, you have enough social currency, use your mouth to stand up for the very people who made it possible to become who you are,” added Dyson.
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