Zlatan tells LeBron James to stay out of politics...

[JPRouve]

I can't half make out wtf you're trying to say but let me try to respond.

LeBron James was bending over backwards to support a regime which is frankly disgusting and people turn a blind eye to it due to money and nothing else.

To then go and play the freedom fighter in the US is in my opinion pathetic and even if he's correct, that opinion just won't hold as much weight if he was consistently acting in a moral way.

I never said he's not allowed to have an opinion but I'm saying that opinion means little because he's shown his true colours in the past. I think this is the danger with expressing political views and not being able to back it up with all your actions.

It might sound harsh but these people might end up harming the argument in normal people (those who don't pay too much attention outside of the headline news). This is what politics is and that's why being a politician is not for everyone. In that sense, I can see Zlatan's point.

Sometimes it's better to be quiet than open your mouth spout nonsense.

You don't know what politics is. Politics is as simple has being involved in your neighborhood association and expressing trivial opinions such as the kind of trees you want on a particular sidewalk. It's extremely misguided to think that politics and a political opinion is only worth expressing if you have a complete and unquestionable agenda, that's a narrative spouted by a part of career politicians who wants to makes sure that you shut up and don't spoil their business, which is mainly to bamboozle you.

There is no problem with James having a questionable political stance on China and also having less questionable stances on social justice in the US. Your role if you want to have it is to criticize his views/actions on the China part and judge the US social justice points on their own. Similarly if you told me that you are against recycling but for freedom of speech, I shouldn't tell you that your opinion about freedom of speech is worthless because you don't recycle, that would be extremely dumb.

 

[RUCK4444]

People with limited knowledge but a public platform are dangerous.

Plus the argument that we should all be engaged in politics is a nice idea but ultimately a floored one. We have no say and no matter who you vote for you get the same result of robbing from one section of the population to give to another, depending on what benefits you most and vice versa.

Look at the damage high profile celebs can do when influencing the population regarding Covid restrictions, wearing masks etc.

Edit: Scratch that just remembered all the good Rashford has done. I suppose it depends on the celeb and what exactly they are trying to influence.

 

[Ødegaard]

Shit take from Zlatan.
James is doing amazing work on and off the court. Fantastic role model for any young man.

 

[Cast5]

Can we change the thread title and opening post please and then can everyone stop mentioning in every single reply that Zlatan has killed someone because as @Cast5 here clearly states - he has not killed anyone.

No need to get your knickers in a twist over a common saying.

 

[mu4c_20le]

But... many athletes have successfully transitioned to public office, like Vitali Klitschko. Not everyone is as limited or unambitious as Zlatan.

 

[Superden]

I can't half make out wtf you're trying to say but let me try to respond.

LeBron James was bending over backwards to support a regime which is frankly disgusting and people turn a blind eye to it due to money and nothing else.

To then go and play the freedom fighter in the US is in my opinion pathetic and even if he's correct, that opinion just won't hold as much weight if he was consistently acting in a moral way.

I never said he's not allowed to have an opinion but I'm saying that opinion means little because he's shown his true colours in the past. I think this is the danger with expressing political views and not being able to back it up with all your actions.

It might sound harsh but these people might end up harming the argument in normal people (those who don't pay too much attention outside of the headline news). This is what politics is and that's why being a politician is not for everyone. In that sense, I can see Zlatan's point.

Sometimes it's better to be quiet than open your mouth spout nonsense.

Because your professional, actual bona fide politicians never have contrary viewpoints and that doesn't stop them from being successful politicians....

 

[Kill 'em all]

It really depends on the person rather than what he does. I think Zlatan is being too generic here in his statement. Most politicians start out their careers in different fields from Engineering, Accountants, Economists, Lawyers, Doctors and many other sectors so why not football or any other path of life for that matter? I'm of the opinion that these celebrities who actually care for the community and provide for the community are more in touch with what the people who are being left out by the system need rather than some lawyer in a suit who never leaves his office.

 

[wrepdrep]

Zlatan talks a lot of shit. I've met him on several occasions, and I know guys who have spent a lot of time with him. He's a bit of a twat. But I think he's misunderstood in this case.
He's not saying that athletes should stay out of charities and and refrain from doing anything about perceived discrimination and inequality. He himself has done charity and talked a lot about racism, discrimination and inequality. He even boasts about being a pioneer.

I think he's annoyed by the ones who take it a step further. Those who try to act like politicians and goes beyond "racism bad" messages. They're often hypocritical as well. Take Ozil for example. He's a human rights activist when it comes to Uighurs, and a fascist when it comes to Turkish/Azerbaijani military offensives.

 

[Ace Krampus]

It would be absurd to take issue with anyone with the means using their public persona and wealth to do good work for their people and communities. However it becomes rapidly apparent how disconnected some of these people are from the common person.

Lebron's comments on China were preposterous and hypocritical. People, celebrities and the layman, would do well to keep in mind that tweets, soundbytes and video clips live forever on the internet. Certainly the smart thing to do is to avoid putting yourself in the position to have some inflammatory remark come back on you when you directly contradict yourself if the narrative starts to fit the "team" you're on. There are so many people who I'd love to sit down with just to ask, "hey, you realize you don't have to broadcast every half-baked opinion you have on every issue, all of the time, right?"

 

[KwokSF]

Love LeBron, he knows wat black men should stand for, doesnt get involved in stuff he knows little about, doesn't get brainwashed by five eyes propaganda, unlike white guys who pretend to care about Chinese but cant even point out where xinjiang is on the map or the colonial history of hongkong.

Hopefully LeBron keep doing his stuff.

 

[DoomSlayer]

I think he's annoyed by the ones who take it a step further. Those who try to act like politicians and goes beyond "racism bad" messages. They're often hypocritical as well. Take Ozil for example. He's a human rights activist when it comes to Uighurs, and a fascist when it comes to Turkish/Azerbaijani military offensives.

That's a typical thing for most people to do, not just celebrities. You have the same type of double-standards on this forum, so it is to be expected from notable people that have a very big public platform to speak from.

 

[sport2793]

Zlatan talks a lot of shit. I've met him on several occasions, and I know guys who have spent a lot of time with him. He's a bit of a twat. But I think he's misunderstood in this case.
He's not saying that athletes should stay out of charities and and refrain from doing anything about perceived discrimination and inequality. He himself has done charity and talked a lot about racism, discrimination and inequality. He even boasts about being a pioneer.

I think he's annoyed by the ones who take it a step further. Those who try to act like politicians and goes beyond "racism bad" messages. They're often hypocritical as well. Take Ozil for example. He's a human rights activist when it comes to Uighurs, and a fascist when it comes to Turkish/Azerbaijani military offensives.

If this is true then Zlatan totally chose the wrong athlete to make this point about. Rashford has done a lot and I commend him but LeBron has had an even greater impact in trying to empower the African American community. There's no doubt he played a role in turning out the African American vote to defeat Trump but he's also started initiatives that help the less privileged at the local level, showing that he hasn't forgotten where he has come from.


"James has been a force for social change and political action. His More Than a Vote organization drew more than 42,000 volunteers to work at polling stations for the November election, helped some earn back their voting rights and pushed for turnout among Black people and young voters.

He has also focused on his hometown of Akron, Ohio.

The I Promise School he opened in 2018 now has over 450 students in third through sixth grades. When the pandemic shut down the school, James and his team ensured students got hot meals delivered to their homes -- even complete Thanksgiving meals. An affordable housing project for 50 families broke ground this year. And in December, plans for House Three Thirty (a nod to Akron's area code) were announced, detailing how James is going to offer things like accessible family financial health programming, job training and a community gathering space."


People who bring up the China thing don't really understand the situation to begin with and actually are acting like Ted Cruz, which is anything but a complement.

Zlatan is saying the exact same thing as the commentator below, if you know who she is then you know that Zlatan is already on the wrong side of this debate, he should have kept his own mouth shut:

 

[sport2793]

Zlatan says shite to stir people up....but to be fair to him Lebron is thicker than concrete...you need to follow him to understand some of his views...

LeBron is far superior to someone like Michael Jordan who quite frankly is a complete sell-out (I was going to use another phrase that describes African-Americans who sell out but I don't want to be too inflammatory). I'm hardly a major fan of LeBron on the court (although he is an amazing basketball player) but he has stuck his neck (and money) out there to try to do right by his people, which I respect.

 

[sport2793]

People with limited knowledge but a public platform are dangerous.

Plus the argument that we should all be engaged in politics is a nice idea but ultimately a floored one. We have no say and no matter who you vote for you get the same result of robbing from one section of the population to give to another, depending on what benefits you most and vice versa.

Look at the damage high profile celebs can do when influencing the population regarding Covid restrictions, wearing masks etc.

Edit: Scratch that just remembered all the good Rashford has done. I suppose it depends on the celeb and what exactly they are trying to influence.

LeBron has been doing what Rashford is doing long before the latter started doing it.

 

[UmbroDays]

Man feck Zlatan and this shitty take

Always a non-black person telling a black person to stay out of politics.

Maybe Mings stamped some cells loose.

 

[Ace Krampus]

People who bring up the China thing don't really understand the situation to begin with and actually are acting like Ted Cruz, which is anything but a complement.

How so?

“I don’t want to get into a word or sentence feud with Daryl Morey but I believe he wasn’t educated on the situation at hand and he spoke.”

Was Lebron James educated on the state of affairs in Hong Kong at that time? In Xinjiang? Doesn't appear so. Or if he was, then at best I think these comments were financially motivated, which is fine. Look out for #1. I'd definitely be pissed if some bean counter made some offhand remark (which didn't and doesn't do anything for the Chinese people either) that was going to cost me tens of millions of dollars. But it reminds me of James Cromwell's great line in LA Confidential: "Don't start trying to do the right thing now, boyo. You haven't had the practice."

 

[SwedishFish]

If this is true then Zlatan totally chose the wrong athlete to make this point about. Rashford has done a lot and I commend him but LeBron has had an even greater impact in trying to empower the African American community. There's no doubt he played a role in turning out the African American vote to defeat Trump but he's also started initiatives that help the less privileged at the local level, showing that he hasn't forgotten where he has come from.


"James has been a force for social change and political action. His More Than a Vote organization drew more than 42,000 volunteers to work at polling stations for the November election, helped some earn back their voting rights and pushed for turnout among Black people and young voters.

He has also focused on his hometown of Akron, Ohio.

The I Promise School he opened in 2018 now has over 450 students in third through sixth grades. When the pandemic shut down the school, James and his team ensured students got hot meals delivered to their homes -- even complete Thanksgiving meals. An affordable housing project for 50 families broke ground this year. And in December, plans for House Three Thirty (a nod to Akron's area code) were announced, detailing how James is going to offer things like accessible family financial health programming, job training and a community gathering space."


People who bring up the China thing don't really understand the situation to begin with and actually are acting like Ted Cruz, which is anything but a complement.

Zlatan is saying the exact same thing as the commentator below, if you know who she is then you know that Zlatan is already on the wrong side of this debate, he should have kept his own mouth shut:

No, that's really just your interpretation from that interview.

 

[sport2793]

How so?

“I don’t want to get into a word or sentence feud with Daryl Morey but I believe he wasn’t educated on the situation at hand and he spoke.”

Was Lebron James educated on the state of affairs in Hong Kong at that time? In Xinjiang? Doesn't appear so. Or if he was, then at best I think these comments were financially motivated, which is fine. Look out for #1. I'd definitely be pissed if some bean counter made some offhand remark (which didn't and doesn't do anything for the Chinese people either) that was going to cost me tens of millions of dollars. But it reminds me of James Cromwell's great line in LA Confidential: "Don't start trying to do the right thing now, boyo. You haven't had the practice."

Morey left LeBron and other players touring out in China totally out to dry with the timing of his comments. He should have given them a heads up to give them a chance to leave the country before saying what he said. Obviously if LeBron kept up with his views well after the episode then he would be on the wrong side of the debate but he has kept silent about it since and Morey remains a prominent NBA executive with the league standing up to China.

 

[Bastian]

https://lakersdaily.com/zlatan-ibra...peak-about-politics-do-what-youre-good-doing/

Zlatan's quote:


Couldn't disagree more with him to be honest. If Rashford stayed out of politics we'd have (even more) children starving. They aren't experts on politics of course, but they can make a positive difference and maybe inspire the mind of an expert on politics.

I couldn't agree more with your disagreeing with Zlatan. There are no experts on politics. That's a very successful con. Everyone has a right to an opinion and more people should be using their platform to point to the pathologies of our societies, IMV.

But Zlatan has a big mouth.

 

[sport2793]

No, that's really just your interpretation from that interview.

Those quotes have more than enough information and context to inform my views. He name-dropped LeBron specifically. It's a terrible take by him. You should probably inform yourself before wading into this conversation.

 

[Gazza]

He lived there.

Erm, it's totally possible to live somewhere for a couple years and come out knowing feck all about its politics. Shoot, even people who live their whole lives in a particular country can be ignorant to its political and cultural make up.

 

[berbatrick]

he should stay out of basketball

 

[Ace Krampus]

Morey left LeBron and other players touring out in China totally out to dry with the timing of his comments. He should have given them a heads up to give them a chance to leave the country before saying what he said. Obviously if LeBron kept up with his views well after the episode then he would be on the wrong side of the debate but he has kept silent about it since and Morey remains a prominent NBA executive with the league standing up to China.

Sure the timing was gauche but was the substance of the remark indicative of Morey not being informed? I think Lebron's been silent on the subject since because he got slammed and he's a very savvy businessman who weighed the pro's and con's of continuing to appear as if he were kowtowing to Xi and co.

 

[RUCK4444]

LeBron has been doing what Rashford is doing long before the latter started doing it.

Yeah I’m not talking about any celeb in particular, I’m sure he’s done himself proud if it’s along the same lines as Rashford.

I do think they should always tread very carefully and really speaking they should never influence voters for example. The truth is that many would be more influenced by sportspeople than the actual people their voting for.

I’m all for sports people putting pressure on governments for good causes though.

For example I’m happy with Rashford putting pressure on Boris to give food for kids but I wouldn’t agree if he were urging people to vote for a different party (for example.) I think then it becomes a bit dangerous.

 

[Kag]

I find it absolutely baffling when people talk about Politics as if it’s a some sort of mono-subject which only concerns Politicians. You see people on social media say “oh everyone’s a politician now” because people are talking about issues which actually concern them and have an opinion on it. Literally everything in our lives that has some sort of effect on us is subject to politics and people should be encouraged to be more involved, not less involved.

Well put.

 

[sport2793]

Sure the timing was gauche but was the substance of the remark indicative of Morey not being informed? I think Lebron's been silent on the subject since because he got slammed and he's a very savvy businessman who weighed the pro's and con's of continuing to appear as if he were kowtowing to Xi and co.

It was a poorly worded comment by LeBron made in the heat of the moment and the criticism he got was absolutely deserved, especially considering what Xi and his cronies have done in Xinjiang and Hong Kong (and NBA have responded by shutting down their ties with a Xinjiang-based basketball academy), but there's also no doubt the criticism became a smear on LeBron made by Trump and his supporters to try and undermine his work on social justice.

 

[JPRouve]

Yeah I’m not talking about any celeb in particular, I’m sure he’s done himself proud if it’s along the same lines as Rashford.

I do think they should always tread very carefully and really speaking they should never influence voters for example. The truth is that many would be more influenced by sportspeople than the actual people their voting for.

I’m all for sports people putting pressure on governments for good causes though.

For example I’m happy with Rashford putting pressure on Boris to give food for kids but I wouldn’t agree if he were urging people to vote for a different party (for example.) I think then it becomes a bit dangerous.

Why shouldn't they influence voters, literally anyone can and does? Privately and publicly.

 

[sport2793]

Yeah I’m not talking about any celeb in particular, I’m sure he’s done himself proud if it’s along the same lines as Rashford.

I do think they should always tread very carefully and really speaking they should never influence voters for example. The truth is that many would be more influenced by sportspeople than the actual people their voting for.

I’m all for sports people putting pressure on governments for good causes though.

For example I’m happy with Rashford putting pressure on Boris to give food for kids but I wouldn’t agree if he were urging people to vote for a different party (for example.) I think then it becomes a bit dangerous.

I hear what you are saying and agree to some extent. I will say though that there comes a point with someone like Donald Trump that there is no choice but to encourage people to vote against him and his enablers as they become extremely destructive in taking away the rights of the underprivileged/ruining their lives.

 

[micmac]

LeBron is far superior to someone like Michael Jordan who quite frankly is a complete sell-out (I was going to use another phrase that describes African-Americans who sell out but I don't want to be too inflammatory). I'm hardly a major fan of LeBron on the court (although he is an amazing basketball player) but he has stuck his neck (and money) out there to try to do right by his people, which I respect.

For me King James is my favorite modern basketballer even with his antics. He deserve recognition for his philanthropy as well. If you take a look at some of the quotes that gets clipped from him he comes across quite thick and he would have a very short political career in a leftist cancel culture America.

 

[SwedishFish]

Those quotes have more than enough information and context to inform my views. He name-dropped LeBron specifically. It's a terrible take by him. You should probably inform yourself before wading into this conversation.

I've watched the entire interview. It doesn't provide context to what he's speaking about, he doesn't reference any particular topic. Just politics in general.

I'm not in any way wading into a conversation and I frankly believe I know more about Zlatan's in particular but also Lebron's stance in political matters than you do.

 

[sport2793]

I've watched the entire interview. It doesn't provide context to what he's speaking about, he doesn't reference any particular topic. Just politics in general.

I'm not in any way wading into a conversation and I frankly believe I know more about Zlatan's in particular but also Lebron's stance in political matters than you do.

Sure you do, it totally shows

 

[Ramshock]

George Weah is the President of Liberia but is a populist They usually are bad news.

 

[Fluctuation0161]

https://lakersdaily.com/zlatan-ibra...peak-about-politics-do-what-youre-good-doing/

Zlatan's quote:


Couldn't disagree more with him to be honest. If Rashford stayed out of politics we'd have (even more) children starving. They aren't experts on politics of course, but they can make a positive difference and maybe inspire the mind of an expert on politics.

Zlatan is a self obsessed idiot.

 

[horsechoker]

George Weah is the President of Liberia but is a populist They usually are bad news.

George Weah's cousin was also a footballer

 

[Brophs]

If you take Zlatan seriously as anything other than a good footballer and a bunch of self-aggrandising one liners, you're probably wasting your time.

 

[Gandalf]

Stupid take. If all you can do is play Mens Netball then of course you are going to want to do something else in your spare time.

 

[Jim Beam]

Zlatan talking shite. Call me shocked.

 

[RyRoc]

Whenever anyone says this it basically translates to: ‘I don’t agree with your view on politics ....’

 

[RUCK4444]

I hear what you are saying and agree to some extent. I will say though that there comes a point with someone like Donald Trump that there is no choice but to encourage people to vote against him and his enablers as they become extremely destructive in taking away the rights of the underprivileged/ruining their lives.

Oh for sure, regarding Trump that’s an exception to the rule right there.

I totally get anybody verbally expressing their disgust with that creature.

 

[RUCK4444]

Why shouldn't they influence voters, literally anyone can and does? Privately and publicly.

Well in a nutshell because people are stupid and fickle.

Not to mention the sportsman/famous person doing the influencing could also be stupid and or misinformed.

For example if you have somebody spreading Covid conspiracies and that influences even a few hundred/thousand people think of the effect that can have.

Also it can lead to ultimately the wrong person getting elected. I mean if Rashford were telling people to vote Labour because he didn’t like the Conservative policy because of this one issue he’s been dealing with would you agree with that?