Be like Mike, a coward... | Moe Syzlak's Blog

As Team USA prepares to restore the basketball power to the West this summer, word comes out that there will be "no comments" issued by some of the biggest and brightest stars regarding such poignant issues as Human Rights Violations and Darfur. These young men took a page out the book of their idol: the gutless, spineless and cowardly Michael Jordan.

Yes, the greatest basketball player ever to lace up a pair of sneakers also has the distinction in many circles of being the biggest sellout ever.

Now I'm sure there are some who prefer their athletes to be almost mute when it comes to social issues, whether they be domestic or international, and I respect your view, I just don't happen to share it. Had Muhammad Ali utilized the "Jordan rules of social statements", I'm quite sure his rotted corpse would still be somewhere in South Vietnam. Ali not only made a statement for his rights, he made a statement for my father, my uncles and my brothers. Ali also had A LOT more to lose than endorsements, he had his life, his career, his family's safety and the ire of a racist nation in some very racist times. Yet Ali stood tall and defied those who mocked him, something Jordan doesn't have the constitution nor the cojones to accomplish. If you don't think affecting social change is just as important today then you're either brainwashed or stupid. Guys like Michael Jordan and Michael Jr. aka Tiger Woods would be in absolutely no danger to lose their massive fortunes for simply picking a side in a situation. I wouldn't even care if I agreed with them, grow a set and stand for something. Michael Jordan is a disgrace to those who came before and created a world where the opportunities were limitless for him.

So as the Olympics come and go and the latest "dream team" cruises to 20 point wins, Michael "the cowardly Bull" Jordan can sit back satisfied that he helped spawn a generation of feeble cowards who follow his piss poor example.

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July 24, 2008 05:10 PM ET

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I couldn't agree more with you Moe. Great blog post. I am real hesitant to even pay great attention to the Olympics this summer because I feel I will be disappointed when athletes worldwide choose not to speak out against the atrocities they will witness or hear about in China. I have a bad feeling many athletes will keep it zipped and those who do speak out will be villianized. I also wonder how our American media will cover/treat American olympians who speak out in China.
By the way,the same could be said about our athletes right here in America who continue to remain muted on the many social injustices that continue in this country and worsen. Nothing makes me more sick than seeing these teams visit the White House and kiss **** with our current criminal enterprise in charge...
Anyway, great blog post.

EastCoastKeith

Jersey Shore, NJ

Total Comments (2045)

July 24, 2008 05:26 PM ET

I agree with you, but as I said earlier, NBA players do not want to be the starter for this. They want to follow someone who agrees with them but there is no one, so they won't.

If martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks had never started a revolt against racism, no one else would have followed and maybe there would still be segregation.

The entire world is looking for a leader against this tyranny in China, and rich snobs in the NBA are no different...

ahung

Santa Clara , CA

Total Comments (1302)

July 24, 2008 05:50 PM ET

Furthermore:
Writers who write or blog or just report on the Olympics leave everything out completely. That is a complete and total propoganda coup for the Chinese. It is uncontionable to remove the political realities of China from the Chinese Olympics.

AllStarz

Total Comments (11611)

July 24, 2008 07:00 PM ET

It's called forgeting where you came from. With their newfound fame and fortune, the things that effect those of us that have to deal with real life,no longer effect them. Jordan turned a blind eye for years to the system of "slavery" in Southeast Asia that manufactures his shoes. It's sad to see LeBron and D Wade follow such a poor example.