Soccer out of touch suppressing on-field activism

Liverpool players also expressed their feelings:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/52875059

A football pitch is a place for sport, not for politics!!!

This is like the fight against discrimination in FIFA stadiums

"As America burns amid protests after George Floyd's death, it's time to quit telling athletes to 'stick to sports'"

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/columnist/dan-wolken/2020/06/01/george-floyd-death-protests-athletes-should-not-stick-to-sports/5303400002/

It was a dirty, disgraceful lie, promulgated by those who see the athletes they watch as two-dimensional instruments of their own entertainment, not as people whose platform should be used to tell the truth about the experience of being black in this country.

"Joe Burrow shows rest of NFL that white athletes have to protest inequality, too"

https://oklahoman.com/article/5663520/opinion-joe-burrow-shows-rest-of-nfl-that-white-athletes-have-to-protest-inequality-too

Unlike most prominent white athletes, who have stayed largely silent about the racism and systemic oppression of people of color in this country, the No. 1 pick in last month’s NFL draft addressed it head on. At his own initiative.

“The black community needs our help. They have been unheard for far too long,” Burrow said in a Twitter post Friday. “Open your ears, listen, and speak. This isn’t politics. This is human rights.”

“There has to be a shift in the way of thinking,” Lawrence said Friday on Twitter. “I’m siding with my brothers that deal, and continuously deal, with things I will never experience. The injustice is clear.. and so is the hate. It can no longer be explained away. If you’re still 'explaining’ it – check your heart and ask why.”

QB Tom Brady is not alone in his distinction as a white man lending his name (or more, in some cases) to causes that strike a chord with minorities. Eagles quarterback Josh McCown and former defensive end Chris Long are on the Coalition’s task force board. Patriots receiver Julian Edelman, who demonstrated support for victims of the Pittsburgh synagogue mass shooting in 2018, was also among the 64 signers of the Arbery letter sent last week. Also signing were Warriors coach Steve Kerr, former NBA coach Stan Van Gundy, Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby, and Patriots center David Andrews and tight end Ryan Izzo.

Whatever it is, the rage and protests roiling the country feel different. Burrow’s heartfelt post, as well as similar statements by Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence and the Eagles' Carson Wentz and Zach Ertz, capture that shift.

“Being from North Dakota, I’ve spent a large part of my life surrounded by people of similar color, so I’m never gonna act like I know what the black community goes through or even has gone through already,” Wentz said Thursday night. “I’ll never know the feeling of having to worry about my kids going outside because of their skin color.

“It’s very rare to see a white athlete say something to this magnitude,” said Louis Moore, an associate professor of history at Grand Valley State

@lostrune2

Any sportsperson seeking to espouse political views, should do so away from the sports venue.