From The Guardian: "Republicans want Black people to disappear.

[abqtommy]

Sports leagues can help stop them(.)"

By Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

from article:

I know from personal experience that protest has its costs. But by banding together we can stop those who would subvert democracy(.)

snip

Athletes, politicians and even corporate America have been speaking out about the recent Republican-led legislation in Georgia that seems to target Black citizens by making it harder for them to vote. But for all the sabre-rattling, finger-wagging and stern letter-writing, it was Major League Baseball who actually took direct action on 2 April by moving their All-Star Game from Georgia to Colorado, stating, “Major League Baseball fundamentally supports voting rights for all Americans and opposes restrictions to the ballot box.” Republican senators Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley and Mike Lee – three of Donald Trump’s most notorious sock puppets – immediately tried to punish the league’s defense of democracy by proposing legislation to remove MLB’s antitrust exemption. Didn’t work. But their unspoken threat to all professional sports leagues who may wish to join the fray loomed large.

After years of bullying their athletes for their passive protests, most sports teams became “woke” following last summer’s massive Black Lives Matter marches of between 15 and 26 million people, the largest protests in US history. It was a glorious phoenix-like ascension of sports leagues to the heights of social morality. Today, we need that commitment more than ever, because if there were ever a case of Black lives not mattering, it’s the nearly 250 laws since the November election that have been passed around the country designed to marginalize Black voters. It’s time for all sports leagues – who are supposed to embody the American ideals of teamwork, fair play and level playing fields – to join as one voice to represent their players, their fans and their Constitution in stopping this attempt to steal democracy.

much more text plus historic photo at link

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/apr/23/republicans-want-black-people-to-disappear-sports-leagues-can-help-stop-them

Now and in the future I'll be paying a LOT more attention to whatever Kareem has to
say or write.

[blm]

1. Kareem has always been a keen analyst and

a solid writer.

[abqtommy]

3. I agree. I'm a little late but here I am now.

[blm]

4. 👍🏽

[malaise]

2. Kareem has been consistent all his life

He's a genuine leader who walked the walk

[Ferrets are Cool]

5. +1

[iluvtennis]

6. + 2. n/t

[mountain grammy]

7. My idiot first husband loved basketball

and was furious when Lew Alcindor became Kareem..it didn't affect his life at all, but that's racists for ya, they always something stupid to say.

Kareem always has something to say and, in my opinion, he's never been wrong.

[lame54]

8. Oh - you mean Roger Murdoch

[Caliman73]

13. Listen Kid!...

Tell your old man to drag Walton and Lanier up and down the court for 48 minutes.

I loved when they were dragging him down the aisle and he had on his shorts and the high socks with Lakers colors. Classic!

In all seriousness though, Kareem has been outspoken his entire career and has been consistently on the side of the less powerful. He has been a good citizen of the world.

[lame54]

23. And he fought Bruce Lee - what a life

[BobTheSubgenius]

9. CLEARLY not the "dumb jock" who got a sham degree because he sported so well.

Good on Kareem! I'm not a fan of his sport, but he has always seemed like a class act.

[Captain Zero]

10. Sports teams could fund the voting machines

that the cities need to decrease wait time in lines. Sports teams could work with local political parties to provide bus transportation to the polls and polls could be located in sports venues the two weekends before the elections.

[Roisin Ni Fiachra]

11. They want them to disappear. If they are not checked, they will

literally make them disappear.

They are fascists, who will become as extreme as the psycho fascists in Nazi Germany under conditions that allow them to.

[ananda]

12. Not only disappear, but know their place...

Racism is a very sinister thing.

[uponit7771]

14. K&R, or at minimum be quite

[QED]

15. Kareem writes novels too.

Mysteries about Sherlock & Mycroft Holmes

[Beringia]

16. Great

[MineralMan]

17. Well, if they refuse to get vaccinated, Republicans might be the ones

who disappear, actually.

I am in awe of their ability to ignore reality.

[SallyHemmings]

18. The Republican Flu

The Republican party is an illness. Their soul purpose is to regulate others to the sideline unless they are summoned for their purpose.

Their frustration is that the others outnumber them. They know this and will continue to do everything to hold on to power.

Kareem has always been thoughtful.

[AllaN01Bear]

19. we as a nation brought these peoples over against their will , claimed this was bibiical,

sold them like cattle , treated them like (swear). shot them for no (swear) reason at all. and we still treat all minorities like (swear) this . including women. if u are liberal, gay. college educated , one iota different and on the forefront of change . ( via my late mom) she was on mcarthys hit list for going to cusc berkley , attending the first sex ed class and attending the model united nations . hounded her untill she challenged an potential employer.

[abqtommy]

21. I totally agree. There's lots of things that need fixing so let's get to it!

[LudwigPastorius]

20. !

v

[abqtommy]

22. Now that's Poetry In Motion!

[LudwigPastorius]

24. That's a Skyhook that's as indefensible as...

a Georgia voting law.

[abqtommy]

25. And Kareem writes, speaks and looks just as good as his hook shot. He's a quadruple

threat!

[crickets]

26. A kick for the nighttime crowd.