Trump’s Comments on N.F.L. and Stephen Curry Draw Intense Reaction
The
days of superstar athletes being unwilling to speak their minds for
fear of damaging their earnings or reputation appear to be at an end.
President Trump decided to take on some of the biggest names in pro sports
on Friday and Saturday, including Stephen Curry of the Golden State
Warriors. Unlike Michael Jordan, who famously did not want to offend
anyone who might buy his signature sneakers, players around the
country’s leagues have begun firing back.
Mr.
Trump has found himself criticized by players in both the N.F.L. and
N.B.A., with the focus on two specific areas: The protests of the
national anthem at N.F.L. games, and the open question of whether or not
the Warriors would visit the White House after their recent N.B.A.
championship. Neither topic is particularly fresh, but with Mr. Trump urging N.F.L. owners to “fire” the protesting players, and tweeting that the Warriors were no longer invited for a visit, the embers on both issues have been thoroughly stoked.
Mr.
Curry made some waves at the Warriors’ media day on Friday when he said
of a potential White House visit: “I don’t want to go. That’s really
it. That’s the nucleus of my belief.”
The debate over any visit proved irrelevant, however, when Mr. Trump weighed in on the subject with a tweet on Saturday.
The
response from players was swift. Several players in both leagues
condemned the announcement, in a throwback of sorts to the days when
political statements by star athletes like Muhammad Ali, Bill Russell,
Tommie Smith and John Carlos were more common. Potentially the boldest
response to Mr. Trump came from the Warriors’ chief rival, LeBron James
of the Cleveland Cavaliers:
Mr.
Curry was also supported by Chris Paul, the Houston Rockets point
guard, who also happens to be the president of the N.B.A.’s players
association.
While Mr. Curry has yet to respond, his teammate, the outspoken Draymond Green, unsurprisingly weighed in.
As
an organization, the Warriors were far more politically reserved than
Mr. Green, saying in a statement, “In lieu of a visit to the White
House, we have decided that we’ll constructively use our trip to the
nation’s capital in February to celebrate equality, diversity and
inclusion — the values that we embrace as an organization.”
No
stranger to controversy involving Mr. Trump, Jemele Hill, the ESPN
host, also supported Mr. Curry. Ms. Hill was recently embroiled in a
debate centered on her reference to the president as a white supremacist, and his office’s call for her firing.
Mr.
Trump has found just as swift a response from players and personalities
connected to the N.F.L. over his comments about players like Colin
Kaepernick who have sat or knelt during the national anthem to protest
the treatment of black people by the police. At a rally in Alabama,
Trump said: “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these N.F.L. owners, when
somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the
field right now. Out. He’s fired! He’s fired!’”
Among the players to respond to Trump’s statements was Chris Conley, a wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs.
In
a series of strongly-worded tweets, Martellus Bennett, a tight end for
the Green Bay Packers, said he was fine with being fired for what he
believes in and rejected the labels put on players by the president.
Richard Sherman, the outspoken Seattle Seahawks cornerback, said:
The
topic seemed to elicit opinions from all over, with Sean Combs, the
businessman and music mogul, asking N.F.L. players to make a statement
before tomorrow’s games.
And none other than Ed Asner, the 87-year-old actor, tackled the subject.
Amid
all the chaos online, Ayesha Curry, the wife of Stephen, took the high
road in the matter, refocusing the discussion on bigger events going on
around the world.
