"Republicans buy sneakers, too."
With the exception of "I'm back," it might be the most famous of all quotes attributed to Michael Jordan (even if he didn't use those exact words). The Bulls superstar reportedly made the quip to a friend back in 1990, explaining why he wouldn't publicly endorse black Democratic candidate Harvey Gantt over notorious race-baiter Jesse Helms in the North Carolina Senate race. The quote seems to resurface any time an athlete avoids hot-button issues -- political or otherwise -- with a canned response or careful sidestep.
Jordan earned some criticism over the years for his politics (or lack thereof), but most folks back in the day just seemed to accept that he wanted to protect endorsements, that anything beyond basketball was outside his purview. The days of Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali and Jim Brown, among others, had passed, and we seemed to want our athletes to "stick to sports." But the pendulum has swung again.
Today, after physical talent, authenticity is valued over pretty much anything else in sports. So many readers and viewers are so used to media and advertising spin, they push back against anything or anyone that seems contrived. And with the instant connection of social media, fans don't just want to watch a pro athlete compete or hawk a product, they want to get to know them.
That includes their opinions. Many people now expect athletes to speak about controversial topics, the politics of shoe buyers be damned. Over the last few years we've seen a number of high-profile pros making statements, like Miami Heat players donning hoodies after the death of Trayvon Martin and other NBA players wearing "I can't breathe" shirts after the death of Eric Garner.
This past week, after two black men were fatally shot by police and five policemen were killed by a sniper in Dallas, many athletes were back making headlines for joining the national conversation -- and offering more than just "thoughts and prayers."
On Sunday, players from the New York Liberty wore warmup shirts that read #BlackLivesMatter and #Dallas5 on the front, with #_______ on the back where their names would be. A few days earlier, new Knicks big man Joakim Noah told the New York Post if he were president he would make it illegal to buy guns.
Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony, who last year marched in a Baltimore protest following the death of Freddie Gray, challenged his silent peers.
"There's NO more sitting back and being afraid of tackling and addressing political issues anymore," wrote Anthony in an Instagram post Friday. "Those days are long gone. We have to step up and take charge. We can't worry about what endorsements we gonna lose or whose going to look at us crazy. I need your voices to be heard. We can demand change. We just have to be willing to."
Dwyane Wade supported Anthony's take, telling the AP, "As an athlete and as a person who has this platform, we like to sell things, we like to be on commercials, we like to do all these things. But when things come up in life I think you have a responsibility as a face of this world, if you believe in something to get behind that."
Former NBA player and current TNT analyst Kenny Smith went one step further on Monday. Speaking directly to black NBA players via Facebook Live, Smith urged NBA players to allocate 10 percent of their salaries toward programming in the communities in which they live. He also committed to working with the NBA to develop such programs and requested that athletes with sponsorship deals ask the companies they represent to match their contributions.
According to Smith's plan, companies should not only accept their athlete endorsers speaking out, they should, in fact, support them in doing so.
There are plenty who will defend big-name athletes who use their platform to enact change, but there are also those who don't like the sports waters muddied. Back in 2014, Eli Manning spoke to the Wall Street Journal about the aforementioned "I can't breathe" shirts, saying "You know there's a time and place to make your statements. I don't know if it's always during a game."
So far the NBA hasn't deterred players from wearing statement shirts over their warmups, but will the league eventually face pushback from the companies who paid big money for logos that can't be seen? What will commissioner Adam Silver do if players decide to take a stance on a hot-button issue that isn't aligned with the politics of the majority of the league?
The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported Monday that four police officers working Saturday's Lynx game walked off their jobs after players wore T-shirts seeking change. Fans may be seeking more and more authenticity and transparency from athletes, but will they eventually resent the insertion of major social issues into their "sports time?" Will companies push back against athlete activism, fearing their endorsers may alienate large swaths of our very divided country?
That's a lot of what-ifs. But as we've seen, a lot of athletes aren't waiting around for the answers.
The expectations we have for our favorite players have changed since Jordan's quote about sneakers. (Jordan himself even participated in a fundraiser for President Obama in 2012.) Social media has compelled that shift, making it easier to speak out in the moment, but that can be a limited kind of activism. The most fascinating, inspiring change has been watching athletes express their beliefs in real life - out in their communities, accepting the power their voices and actions carry.
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This week's "That's What She Said" podcast features espnW and ESPN The Magazine Editor-in-Chief Alison Overholt. She talks about recently taking over the magazine and what it's like to have her husband, ESPN senior writer Seth Wickersham, on her staff. Ready to give birth to her second child any day now, she talks about the challenges of balancing two children and two full-time jobs. We also talk about the latest edition of the annual Body Issue, including the first-ever inclusion of a transgender athlete.
I also offer up some thoughts on athletes speaking up in the wake of recent violence. Thanks as always for listening and check back every week for a new edition of "That's What She Said."