By Michael Hong
Staff Writer
As NBA superstar Lebron James took to the court for the first game of the 2017 season against the Boston Celtics, fans were not clamoring about whether they would see him have a career game, or if he would be able to continue his reign as “The King,” but rather the large, gold word “equality” emblazoned on the back of his shoes. While some applauded James’ effort to silently protest racial injustice, others criticized him for bringing politics into another sport.
His actions follow the nationwide trend of sports players and teams sitting, kneeling, or linking arms during the national anthem as a way to silently protest. However, after commissioner Adam Silver upheld the league-wide rule that requires players to stand for the anthem, James had to resort to footwear to make his statement.
Unfortunately, his gesture towards equality was not well-received by all, as the New York Post goes on to demonstrate. While people like FanSided CEO Adam Best backed up James’ shoes, others like former congressman Bob Barr criticized the hypocrisy of advocating equality while wearing gold-embroidered Nike shoes.
However, controversial opinions have not slowed the movement. SBNation, a website dedicated solely to all sports, explains that these shoes are just one part of Nike’s larger “BeTrue” line of shoes supporting their EQUALITY initiative. The campaign features superstars from various sports, including soccer player Megan Rapinoe, tennis player Serena Williams, and football player Victor Cruz, to advocate for equal rights nationwide.
According to Business Insider, the initiative centers around the phrase “worth should outshine color.” Nike announced partnerships with the National Mentoring Partnership and PeacePlayer International, two organizations dedicated to promoting equality and giving opportunities to disadvantaged children in local communities, in order to promote “diversity, inclusion, and equality.”
Nike released their “BeTrue” shoes in June to celebrate LGBT Pride Month and pledged to donate all revenue from these shoes to support LGBT causes. According to the company, the shoes feature symbols of the Pride movement such as the rainbow and the triangle, to express solidarity for the cause.
