Professional athletes are not known for taking potentially controversial positions on social issues. Most consult their agents and managers, fret over the possible loss of multi-million dollar endorsements and then keep their mouths shut. Given notoriety and a public platform because of their athletic prowess, most hand over their citizenship rights in the process.
Etan Thomas of the NBA’s Washington Wizards is an exception to that rule. Since arriving in the league out of Syracuse University in 2000, the 6’10” center has made a name for himself both on and off the court, most notably with the publication of a book of poetry, More Than An Athlete. In his writing and public speeches, Thomas has been stepping up to the plate and taking a stand on many of today’s hot-button issues, like the death penalty, racism, abortion and the war in Iraq.
Now, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and the Bush Administration’s glaring missteps in coming to the aid of thousands of poor, mostly Black residents of New Orleans, Thomas has again spoken out. In an article on Alternet.com, Thomas challenged the federal government’s response and added his name to the growing chorus of those dissatisfied with the leadership in Washington.
“I definitely agree with Kanye West,” Thomas said. “Had this been a rich, lily-white suburban area that got hit, you think they would have had to wait five days to get food or water? When the hurricane hit in Florida, Bush made sure those people got help the next day. But now, when you are dealing with a majority poorer class of black people, it takes five days? Then you still don’t send help but instead send the National Guard to ‘maintain order’? Are you kidding me?”
Thomas is well aware that speaking out may exact a professional price, but he’s unconcerned.
“I admire athletes of the past, like Bill Russell, Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown, John Carlos and Tommie Smith, Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar]–athletes who used their position as a platform to speak out on social issues and stand up for a cause. Basketball is not my life. A quote I live by is: ‘I speak my mind because biting my tongue would make my pride bleed.’ “
5 comments ↓
Wow, Bernie, we must be surfing side by side! I was just doing some ‘net stalking on Etan yesterday. Funny, I was helping out with a friend’s spoken word performance at the Carter Baron here in DC and Etan was performing as well. I didn’t know who he was but I could tell he was a ball player. Unfortunately, I didn’t hear him spit as we were anxiously rehearsing our performance. I also see you’ve got Dhani Jones on your links list. Remind me to send you some links to some hot pics!
Yea its funny that just b/c you’re exceptional in one area doesn’t mean that you cannot succeed or have more to say than in that one specialized area. Good to see a brutha breaking that societal mold.
Just my thoughts
*swoon*
I am fan of Etan Thomas, as well as one of my best friends. We really like him for being an athlete who is more than just about talk when it comes to giving back to the Black community. We have met him once and we talked about what a wonderful spirit that he has. Of course, he would be a threat to the powerful white men of America, but so what? Etan and Kanye are calling them out and so should the rest of Black America.
Dude is Fine as Hell.
And he speaks his political mind. Woaw
I also love AlterNet.com it’s a great site.