Last week, the ideologies of two sports stars collided as Zlatan Ibrahimović called out LeBron James for using his platform as an athlete to speak out on political issues. As anticipated, James responded with many of the points I made in my blog last week, including saying that he will not stay quiet on societal issues. Most importantly, he mentioned how he does his homework before speaking up, a point he backed up by reminding everyone of a particular statement made by the soccer star in his past:
He’s the guy who said in Sweden, he was talking about the same things, because his last name wasn’t a (traditional Swedish) last name, he felt like there was some racism going on when he was out on the pitch. I speak from a very educated mind. I’m kind of the wrong guy to actually go at, because I do my homework. (James).
The face of the Lakers was referencing a statement made back in 2018 when Ibrahimović noted how there was implicit racism in Sweden against him for not having a traditionally Swedish last name. Though he is Swedish-born, both of his parents are from other European countries. The A.C. Milan forward has not responded yet, however, what can he respond? He was caught with his hand in the cookie jar and was exposed as a hypocrite by James. He spoke out a few years back but says no one else should. It makes no sense. No one is certain what prompted him to speak out in the first place, but it is clear now that Ibrahimović is the one who did not do his homework, not James. In response to Ibrahimović, James added:
I preach about my people and I preach about equality, social injustice, racism, systematic voter suppression, things that go on in our community. I know what’s going on still, because I have a group of 300-plus kids at my school that's going through the same thing, and they need a voice, and I’m their voice. I’ll use my platform to continue to shed light on everything that’s going on around this country and around the world. There’s no way I would ever just stick to sports, because I understand how powerful this platform and my voice is. (James).
I previously touched on how athletes coming from at-risk situations have the ability to speak for a community that typically does not have representation, and James is summing that up perfectly. The power of his platform is also an interesting choice of wording because it shows that he is aware of the particular platform he has–one greater than every other athlete. James is the de facto leader of the athlete empowerment movement of the modern-day. He is the biggest and most marketable star in the sport with the most face time and access. While the NFL is by far the most dominant league in almost every metric, the mix of helmets and the audience being backed up tens of yards from the action makes the interactions between athletes and fans far more sparse. NBA players routine fall into the stands and sit on courtside ticketholders’ laps. There are no barriers, on and off the court. So when James talks, people listen. While you may ask why is Colin Kaepernick not the head of the player empowerment movement, it is because he is no longer active and in the spotlight routinely. James was also speaking out before the former quarterback was even relevant and long before he knelt.
Something that was not examined before was Ibrahimović’s ego. He sees himself as a god, or rather “God” with a capital ‘G,’ and has referred to himself that way multiple times. When James was confirmed to be joining the lakers Ibrahimović tweeted, “Now LA has a God and a King,” referring of course to LeBron’s nickname, King James. Even in this instance, it is clear that Ibrahimović has an unhealthy superiority complex. He saw another star coming to his–at that point–city and was threatened that his fame would be usurped. Not that it was his city in anyone’s mind but his own. Unlike James, he is not, nor ever was, the best athlete in his sport, so this whole situation looks more like a peasant talking poorly about his king. Both legends have had great success, especially in the twilights of their career (James is 36, Ibrahimović is 39), yet when it comes to who is using their status for good, James is clearly dunking all over Ibrahimović.
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