University of Louisville

Sports Communication COMM463

Roberto Alvarado

Prof. Alexander Da Silva and David Sakata

Case Study: Politics in sports.

LeBron James vs Zlatan Ibrahimović

Zlatan Ibrahimović, Swedish football star, publicly criticized NBA star LeBron James for
mixing sports and politics.

“I like [James] a lot. He’s phenomenal, what he’s doing, but I don’t like when people with a
status speak about politics. Do what you’re good at doing,” Ibrahimović told UEFA and
Discovery+ in Sweden. “I play football because I’m the best playing at football, I don’t do
politics. If I’d been a politician, I would be doing politics. This is the first mistake famous
people do when they become famous: for me it is better to avoid certain topics and do what
you’re good doing, otherwise you risk doing something wrongly”.

LeBron, one of the most vocal leaders in sports against racial injustice, answered back by
saying "I will never shut up about things that are wrong".

"I preach about my people and I preach about equality, social injustice, racism, voter
suppression - things that go on in our community", said James. “Because I was a part of
my community at one point and saw the things that were going on, and I know what’s still
going on because I have a group of 300-plus kids at my school that are going through the
same thing and they need a voice. I’m their voice and I use my platform to continue to shed
light on everything that might be going on, not only in my community but in this country and
around the world”, he added.

Zlatan added more fire to the subject by backing down his comments last Tuesday saying
that "athletes should unite the world, not divide it".

"Our role is to unite the world by doing what we do best. Athletes should be athletes and
politicians should be politicians", said Ibrahimović.
Questions:
1) Should an athlete be involved in politics, yes or no and why?
R/ Yes. Athletes are very important and influential social figures in their countries. More
than being great world stars, many athletes come from below, where sport brought them
forward. It seems right to me that by having such a large center of attention they can focus
a bit on the fact that the system improved for everyone. We must detach ourselves a bit
from the perception that athletes do not care more than just what they do. Politics influences
everyone and they have the voice to speak for those who cannot.

2) Can athletes be considered heroes or are they simply celebrities, explain.

R/ Yes, they can be considered heroes. A hero is a person who is distinguished by having
performed an extraordinary feat, especially if it requires a lot of courage. And this has been
done by many athletes throughout the time. They have the ability to help many people
socially and financially. And certainly, they are not in the obligation to do it, those who do
these types of actions that change the lives of many people, it makes perfect sense that
they are considered heroes. Sometimes simply with very banal acts such as a greeting or
an autograph can change the mood of a person to make them feel good and with that
simple act they can be considered heroes for those people.

3) Make an argument for EACH players position in this debate and explain your personal
expectations regarding athletes’ opinions or positions with off the field topics.
R/ Zlatan's point: Like any point of view, it has its point of reason. I do not see crazy what
Zlatan thinks about the athlete being only an athlete. It is not necessary to be behind all
the political events but to be aware, since these world stars cannot ignore the injustices
that are experienced in the world either.

LeBron's Point: It is the most reasonable point. Athletes play an important role in society
and must do so. They are the voice of many people, whom you can help simply by giving
your public support. Money is not a primary part of the support of athletes in social issues.
The important thing is that they publicly defend what is right and can criticize what is wrong
without fear of being attacked.
Personal opinion: I believe one hundred percent that athletes should not remain silent.
They have great tools to support and try to solve social problems. It is true that it is not their
job nor are they asked to do it all the time, but that they can speak out without fear of the
problems that affect more people who do not have the ability to be heard. Sport is one of
the best tools to create a stable society, therefore athletes play a fundamental role in
society even if they do not know it.