The recent killings of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge and Philando Castile in Minnesota have brought outrage across the United States that’s the equivalent to the earlier murders of Trayvon Martin and Mike Brown. Politicians, celebrities and athletes have taken time out of their day to speak out against police brutality via social media. One prominent athlete, Carmelo Anthony, has been very vocal speaking out against the police killing minorities, but he also has another message, too.
Anthony wants more athletes to take a stand, speak out and not worry about the repercussions such as backlash or a loss of endorsements. The real question for Anthony, though, is will his fellow athletes answer his call to action?
Via ESPN:
The Knicks star wrote in a column for The Guardian newspaper that athletes shouldn’t be worried about losing potential endorsement income when speaking about social issues. He added that he’s considering using his platform at the Rio Olympics to send a message.
“I do feel like this is a platform where we should — we as athletes, we as Americans — use it for something,” Anthony said of the Summer Olympics, which open Aug. 5. “Whether we make a statement out there or send a message, we can show the world that we’re united. Whatever way we want to do it, this is a chance to do something meaningful before an audience of billions. I don’t know what that something is yet, but we still have time to figure it out.”
