Before I begin my thoughts and feelings on this I want to state in no way am I a racist, nor do I hate any other ethnicity. Over the past weeks I have talked about how things like Michael Brown, and Eric Garner do not have a place in sports and that it should be dealt with by the people who make the laws in this country. In regards to the Eric Garner situation. I watched the video multiple times and in my opinion the police could have handled the situation better. The man did not have a weapon and didn’t show any signs of aggression. He simply was pleading his case. I do think the police used too much force in this case but lets look at the real perspective from this.
Eric Garner was 43 and had a long criminal record that includes more than 30 arrests dating back to the 80’s. He had charges such as assault, resisting arrest, and grand larceny. Now did anyone ever stop and think that maybe if Garner wouldn’t have had all these arrests that he wouldn’t have put himself in this position to begin with. These athletes think they are standing up to police brutality but really they are saying it’ okay to break the laws and not have to be held accountable. The same thing goes with Michael Brown. I don’t agree with him being shot and killed but look at the position he put himself in. He robbed a convenient store and assaulted one of the employees. Had he not done any of this he would probably still be alive and Ferguson would still remain a small town that no one has ever heard of.
With that being I am sick of turning on sports and seeing these issues on ESPN. If I were a ticket buyer to a sporting event I would be very upset because I don’t go to a sporting event to have someones beliefs and views shoved down my throat. I go to a sports event to get a way from the negativity of this society. I will not watch any team or any player wearing shirts with “I can’t breathe” on them. If I want to hear about these issues in society I would turn on CNN, MSNBC or Fox News. If these athletes really want to a make difference then they should go out into their communities and teach the young people whats right and whats wrong. They should teach them to obey the rules, respect the law and respect others around them. Let the police, and the politicians decide what needs to be changed. I will say that some police officers need to use better judgment and be trained not to kill an unarmed person. It’s a different situation if they have a gun but going back to the beginning look at the positions that Michael Brown and Eric Garner put themselves in. By wearing a shirt or using hand gestures you’re essentially saying you support the crimes the committed that led up to their controversial deaths.
Before you wear a shirt that says “I can’t breathe” or throw your hands up look at all the facts before you do. These athletes are not sending the right message to the young people who idolize and look up to them. If I turn on the TV to watch a game and an athlete is wearing one of those shirts I will turn the channel. They are paid to play a sport and entertain us, not push their beliefs and views on the fans that who support them. The NBA, NFL, MLB, or any other sports organization should make the rule that if you want to wear that shirt then you pay a certain amount of money to put into a fund for their communities to help troubled youth so they don’t end up like Brown and Garner. That would be a perfect solution to give everyone the chance to be able to breathe!
