By Vincent Chiaverini
These offensive, and what most would call belittling, words are from Fox News journalist Laura Ingraham. Ingraham exclaimed, on live national television, how she felt about LeBron James and Kevin Durant expressing their negative political opinions toward the current administration. Ingraham went on to say that it is unwise to take political advice from people who get paid $100 million to bounce a ball, so they should just “shut up and dribble.”
LeBron James may be a professional basketball player, but there is one thing Mr. James and I have in common: strong feelings for doing and saying what is right. Mr. James took this opportunity to do just that. He turned Ingraham’s negative insult into a Showtime title. This three-part series, called Shut up and Dribble, is currently on its second episode.
What draws me to this new limited series, besides the fact that Mr. James is the executive producer, is that he took action—he put his money where his mouth is. While Ingraham hides behind a desk and safely reports her unfounded and meritless allegations, Mr. James is raising millions of dollars to build a school and give scholarships to thousands of kids in Akron, Ohio. So, I ask you, how is a lady, who goes on tyrannical rants, entitled to a political opinion, but an American professional basketball player, who has consistently raised awareness, contributed donations, and initiated programs to help give children equal opportunities, is not allowed to even talk about politics?
Thankfully, it does not look like Mr. James is going to just “shut up and dribble.” This series showcases how basketball has been a platform for social justice since the 1950’s. These brave basketball players have demonstrated how a drive for social justice can be brought from the court. I personally love the direction of this new series because it captures how activism in sports can address the current political issues in America. The production company, Springhill Entertainment, seemed to like what I had to say about the new series.
*SpringHill Entertainment – the production company for Shut up and Dribble.
Whether you side with Ms. Ingraham or Mr. James, Shut Up and Dribble gives you a preview of how professional athletes have created their own courtroom to address the political challenges they continue to face daily.
After all, athletes are leaders.
Shut up and Dribble is now available on Showtime and for those of you with a Spotify account you get free access!
To get Showtime for free with your Spotify account, click here.