Summary Of Stick To Sports By Kareem Abdul Jabbar

Kareem Abdul Jabbar's article (2017) argues that NFL players need to stand up together in unity and defend an outspoken black quarterback fighting for social justice and a job. In this piece, Jabbar discusses how many athletes are advocates for a lot of things, but when it comes to anything political they are told to”Stick to Sports”. Jabbar concludes that people who are offended by athletes kneeling during the National Anthem are stuck in the old times. He believes many people should be open to what the First Amendment says and stop making everything so political. Jabbar also points out that many athletes need to use their platform to stand up for what they believe in, and standing out from everyone can help you or break you.
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Although it is not seen as scornful or vindictive, readers can still sense the sympathy that Jabbar expresses for athletes taking a political stance and the "career suicide" that often befalls them. Jabbar conveys this emotion when he states, "American's have a favorite quote to demonstrate their dedication to free speech: 'I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.' For this to be more than lip service, NFL superstars must depend athletes like Colin through boycotts or other means of persuasion." Jabbar continues with his one-sided interrogation of the NFL and other football athletes when he states, “Some players already have joined him, including Eric Reid, Kenny Britt, Robert Quinn, Brandon Marshall, Antoine Bethea and Eli Harold. But they add up to less than two dozen out of about 1,700 players. Where is the support from the other players, especially the white players who make up most of the top ten highest-paid players in the league?” It is at this point that one senses Jabbar's bitter attitude toward other athletes and organizations and their lack of support. His belief is that one must stand and face criticism and mockery in order to express one's beliefs than hide in the shadows of fear and

He has reasonable points that he attempts to develop, but he often leaves his points as strictly opinion based and does not thoroughly develop the evidence necessary to support his claim. For example, Jabbar states the names of some athletes that took a knee with Kaepernick, but he didn't give any feedback about what they have previously stated about the subject. Is this something that they were truly passionate about, or is this strictly a publicity stunt with athletes attempting to ride on the coattails of someone else's political stance? More evidence would have given this paper better depth and character and allowed readers to be more engaged in what the author was stating. Jabbar could have benefited by expressing what some veterans thank about the situation, since this is one of the arguments that many have against Kaepernick's Anthem protest. In a separate article, Michael Sands, a Green Beret, son of a World War II veteran and father of an Army office who served in Afghanistan, stated," I can tell you, speaking for three generations of my family, it is PRECISELY for men like Kaepernick, and his right to peacefully protest injustice, that we were willing to serve. Want to respect the American flag? Then respect the ideals for which it