Dan Perkins: The Shoe is on the Other Foot

By Dan Perkins:

LeBron James believes Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey "was either misinformed or not really educated on the situation." This is what Morey said, "Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong." Former President Obama, in a July 2018 speech remembering the 100th anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s birth, said, "And from Europe to Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia, dictatorships began to give way to democracies. The march was on. A respect for human rights and the rule of law, enumerated in a declaration by the United Nations, became the guiding norm for the majority of nations, even in places where the reality fell far short of the ideal. Even when those human rights were violated, those who violated human rights were on the defensive."

America has a long history of supporting freedom all over the world, starting with our own war of independence. We fought in two world wars and many other conflicts for the right of people to be free. One of the greatest freedoms we have is the freedom of speech, embedded in the first amendment of the American Constitution. People wanting to be free are more closely aligned with the American Constitution than from a declaration of the United Nations.  

LeBron James has criticized Daryl Morey for not being educated enough to understand the issues. Have we reached a point that our sports figures are adopting the same attitude of those on the left who believe that if you don't agree with them, what you say has no value and therefore you do not have the right to express an opinion?  

Are we expected to sell our voices for money? Is it possible to play basketball and have a different opinion on issues with your partners? LeBron questioned the lack of education on the part of Morey, and in turn, his judgment. In LeBron’s view, Morey did not have a right to speak, or at least the sense as to when to speak.  

James thinks it's okay for himself to use social media to express his opinion to criticize President Donald Trump, but Morey can't use the same social media to render his opinion. James and the NBA took a hard hit from the American people on this issue; what James doesn't understand is that, for the most part, Americans are a freedom-loving people. When we see other people being oppressed by their governments, and we hear that there are people who are fighting and dying to try and gain their freedom, we feel compassion for them, and we want them to succeed. Morey was expressing his wish as an American. We, as freedom-loving people, will always stand with people who want freedom in their own country. 

Lebron, you and your friends at the NBA need to read a little more, or more explicitly, some would say you need to educate yourself. Amnestyusa.org reported, "Antonio Guterres should publicly and unequivocally condemn the Chinese authorities' abusive policies in Xinjiang and call for an immediate closure of camps containing an estimated one million Turkic Muslims, a coalition of five human rights groups, including Amnesty International, said in a letter to the UN Secretary-General." This is just one example of your business partners' treatment of people in their country.

Business Insider reported that under the lifetime endorsement from Nike, James could make $1 billion or more. I can understand that is a lot of money, but if it forces you to make a decision against what we have believed for over two and one half centuries, perhaps it’s time to have some conversations with your partners to see if you can bring about change in the way they treat people.

Perkins Twist: People on both sides of the Pacific have reacted negatively to what James said. Are his actions another example of American professional athletes attacking our nation and what we stand for? The American people are great sports fans, but when they are attacked, especially on something as important as their freedom and freedom of others, they will react. It will be interesting to see how the fans react when basketball season comes around. I wonder if the Boo Birds will come out as James makes his rounds during the NBA season?