The presidential election hype has taken over every major discussion happening around the country. With so much at stake, everyone is expected to have an opinion on which side they will choose. This trend is putting some celebrities like Caitlin Clark and Patrick Mahomes in trouble for refusing to pick sides.
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On an episode of The Skip Bayless Show, Bayless came to their rescue with a Michael Jordan example. Skip said that if they are not willing to take a political stance publicly, they should not be criticized for it.
Bayless talked about the backlash CC is getting for liking a post from Taylor Swift in support of Kamala Harris. He also brought up Nancy Armour’s USA Today article comparing Mahomes and Clark’s ‘bland’ answers to “Michael Jordan era of athlete activism“, which entails athletes taking a neutral stance on these issues.
Mahomes is getting backlash from people who want him to disassociate himself from his wife’s pro-Trump beliefs.
Bayless took a stand against this practice of pressuring athletes into talking about politics, even when they feel uncomfortable doing so. He brought up a conversation he had with MJ in 1998 to expand on his point.
Bayless said, “He [MJ] told me he didn’t get involved in politics because he just didn’t follow politics…So, I asked him, ‘Even when the Black community needs you to pick a side?’ Michael just shrugged and said, ‘I just don’t know enough about it.’ The truth was Michael just didn’t care enough about the world’s problems or the Black community’s issues to get involved.”
The media veteran said that no athlete should be forced to talk about politics if they don’t want to. Regardless of the influence that they have on the general public, their wishes should also be respected like everyone else’s.
Skip Bayless applauds LeBron James for being politically inclined
Bayless and LeBron James don’t always see eye to eye, but every time LeBron does something special, the 72-year-old gets in line to congratulate him. On his show, he applauded LBJ for being an advocate for people’s rights and using his platform to help people to the best of his ability. He said that he wouldn’t mind endorsing LeBron if he ever runs for president.
Bayless said, “I’ve long applauded the public stance LeBron James has taken against racial injustice. Seriously…if LeBron ran for president one day, I would vote for LeBron James.” He said that he respects an athlete’s individual choice. He used the example of his boyhood idol Muhammad Ali to reveal that he also respects politically inclined athletes.
He believes that Ali was born to do what he did, not only in his sport but also for the betterment of society. However, the same should not be expected from every influential athlete.
