LeBron’s Shut-up and Dribble Docu-Series Shows Athlete’s Impact on History

shut-up and dribble

King James has done it again!  He has once more shown the world why he is “More Than an Athlete.”  For the first three Saturdays of November, he blasted the airways of millions of Americans with his new documentary – “Shut-up and Dribble.”  The documentary aired on Showtime.  The must-see documentary is a three-part docu-series detailing a reality about sports that many fans refuse to acknowledge. The “Shut-up and Dribble” documentary forces sports fans to acknowledge that sports, politics, and social justice have always been intertwined.

The relationship between sports, politics, and social justice is a point of contention for many.  This point of contention reemerged in 2016 when former Sanfransico 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick began kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality.  Kaepernick’s protest sparked a national debate about whether athletes should use their platforms to advocate for social justice issues. Some fans believe that sports are no place for politics and should be devoid of social justice issues.  However, others see sports as the perfect stage to address the ills of society.

The former viewpoint has led to the seemingly popular view that athletes should stick to sports. In fact, the documentary gets its title from Fox News pundit Laura Ingraham who earlier this year told James to “shut-up and dribble” after James made unflattering comments about President Trump.  Unfortunately, many sports fans agree with her and believe that athletes, particularly black athletes, should simply stick to sports. However, athletes have never simply stuck to sports, which is exactly what “Shut-up and Dribble” proves.

Athletes Have Never Simply Stuck to Sports

Fans who believe athletes should stick to sports contend that athletes are not qualified to make political statements or advocate for social justice issues. However, the opposite is true.  Athletes are uniquely situated to advocate for social justice issues, and throughout history, athletes have done just that.  Since Jackie Robinson integrated Major League Baseball, sports have been used to break racial barriers and improve race relations.

The documentary starts with the story of Bill Russell, who completely revolutionized basketball and broke racial barriers in the sport. Russell, who dominated the NBA during the Civil Rights Movement, wasted no time pushing civil rights issues in the NBA. He questioned the NBA’s racial quota that limited the number of black players on a team.  Russell and his teammates made an unprecedented move to boycott a game in Kentucky after a local restaurant refused to seat him and his black teammates. Russell became the first African American head coach as a player-coach of the Boston Celtics.  Bill Russell’s story proves that sports have never truly been devoid of social justice issues.  His story further shows that issues of race have always been embedded in sports, rather overt or subtle.

While it May be Unpopular, Athletes Have to Stand-up for Themselves

Athletes must stand up for themselves because no one else will.  The documentary proved this to be true when it highlighted the story of Oscar Robertson.  Oscar Robertson is the first NBA Player to average a triple-double for an entire season. However, Robertson’s greatest accomplishment is leading the path to the creation of the NBA’s free agency system. While serving as the President of the Player’s Union, Roberston sued the NBA. Robertson argued that “the draft, option clause and other rules restricting player movement were violations of antitrust laws.”[i]

In the documentary, Robertson is seen before Congress arguing that it is wrong to limit what a man can make. Robertson knew his worth and the potential worth of other players and fought for it.  In 1976, the suit was settled, and the NBA introduced the concept of free agency where players can negotiate with other teams while giving their current team the right of first refusal.

Robertson’s Spirit is Visible in Current Athletes

NFL running back Le’Veon Bell is an example of an athlete who is unafraid to stand up for what he believes he is worth.  Bell is sitting out this NFL season because he and the Pittsburg Steelers could not come to an agreement for a long-term contract.  Bell refused the Steelers offer of a franchise player contract that would pay him the average salary of the top five running backs. However, Bell feels he deserves a contract valued at roughly $17 million per year with much of it guaranteed upfront.   He may be right because he is arguably the best running back in the league who sometimes performs as a wide receiver. It remains to be seen if Bell’s holdout will benefit him in the long run. However, it is likely to benefit future NFL players like Robertson’s actions benefited future NBA players.

“Shut-Up and Dribble” is a Must See for Every Sports Fan

“Shut-up and Dribble”  is a must see for all sports fans.  In addition to the aforementioned stories, the documentary highlights the stories of other athlete activists.  From Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Muhammad Ali to Craig Hodges and Colin Kaepernick the documentary reveals that sports have never truly been devoid of athlete activist.  After watching the documentary, fans will hopefully have a greater appreciation for athletes activist.  Fans will realize the sports that they love would not be what they are today if not for athletes activist.

[i]Ron Flatter, Oscar Defined the Triple-Double, ESPN https://www.espn.com/sportscentury/features/00016428.html.

 

Which League has the Best Playoffs: MLB, NBA, NFL, or NHL?

best playoffs

Best Part of Pro Sports

The playoffs are a special time in sports. Fans are on the edge of their seats, players are little more nervous, and the margin of error is as slim as possible. The chance to win a title is a dream that keeps you up at night. It’s the culmination of all the hard work done in the offseason and regular season.

Keeping that in mind, I pose this question. What sport has the best playoffs? For the purpose of this argument, we’re choosing from the four major sports – MLB, NBA, NFL, and NHL.

Let the debate begin.

4. NBA

“Why do I even bother if I already know what’s going to happen? It’s going to be the Cavs vs. Warriors in the NBA finals?” – Average fan/basketball hater.

I love the NBA. Watching the best players in the world night in and night out is great television. We live in an era that has some of the best players ever to lace them up. Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Steph Curry, James Harden, and the legend himself, LeBron James, are all in the prime of their career. Their basketball abilities are unfathomable.

However, there is some truth to the “we already know the outcome” statement. For an 82 game season, there isn’t too much drama that occurs in the playoffs. The Warriors represented the West in four straight seasons, and LeBron represented the East in eight (!!!) straight finals. If you’re lucky, you’ll have a few series make it to 7 games, but on the flip side, there are A LOT of blowouts. That’s not exactly must-see television. Take a look at last year’s playoffs.

Thankfully, the Celtics were competitive enough to force a few Game 7s. However, as great as LeBron James was last year, the Cavs had no chance in a 7 game series against the Warriors. There is not a lot of parity. Maybe this year will be different, and a new team will emerge as champion!

Just kidding. The Warriors will beat the _________ in 5 games…again.

3. NFL

What the NFL has on its side is a favorable length to the season. 16 games to a season may be easier to watch and keep track of than a 162 game baseball season. It also stresses the importance of the regular season. In the playoffs, the NFL has Divisional Weekend, which is arguably the best weekend in sports. Crazy and exciting things seem to always happen in the Divisional Round. Just look at last season. DIGGS! SIDELINE! TOUCHDOWN! UNBELIEVABLE!

However, that doesn’t always happen every year. Compared to baseball and hockey, the unpredictability factor is fairly low. In 14 of the last 15 seasons, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, or Ben Roethlisberger have represented the AFC in the Super Bowl. That’s great if you’re a fan of those quarterbacks, but not so much if you root for the other teams. Also, the first round is notorious for having a few poor games and mismatches. Last year was an outlier (although the Jaguars beat the Bills 10-3), but in 2016, the smallest losing deficit was 13. It truly depends on the year, but the small amount of playoff games backfires when the games are not exciting.

2. NHL

Do you want to talk about edge of your seat television? Look no further than the NHL playoffs. It is so hard to score a goal in hockey, so when it happens in the playoffs, it’s like winning the Super Bowl. The celebrations are epic. From the announcers to the fans in the arena to the millions watching at home, the atmosphere is electric. Players are diving in front of shots on every possession. Goalies are standing on their heads to make impossible saves. If you blink, you might miss the action.

By far, the NHL has the highest unpredictability factor out of the four major sports. Chalk doesn’t always win. Two years ago, the Nashville Predators made the Stanley Cup Final as an 8 seed. Two years ago, a 2 seed defeated a 3 seed in the finals. Three years ago, a 3 seed defeated a 2 seed in the finals. There’s no stopping a hot goalie in the playoffs. Did I also mention that the Stanley Cup is the best trophy in professional sports?

1. MLB

For me, nothing beats October baseball. After a long 162 game season, 10 teams duke it out over one month for a chance to win the World Series. Just like hockey, baseball has an exciting atmosphere. I was lucky enough to attend the Wild Card game last year between the Twins and Yankees, and I thought I was going deaf after the game. I’d argue that home field matters the most in baseball as opposed to the other major sports. In terms of format, it’s the only major sport to change the number of games in each round. The Division Series is best-of-five while the Championship Series and World Series are best-of-seven.

Baseball is truly a “never say die game” because 10 teams have come back from 0-2 deficits in the Division Series and one team has come back from a 0-3 deficit, with the latter never happening in the NBA. The length of the postseason is perfect. It takes a little over one month to crown a champion as opposed to the drawn-out NBA and NHL playoffs, which last two months. Plus, teams play on consecutive days, which doesn’t happen in the other major sports. Give me the eighth inning of a tie ball game with bases loaded, two outs over any playoff situation in the major sports.

Do you agree or disagree with the Best Playoffs: MLB, NBA, NFL, or NHL rankings? Leave your thoughts in the comments.