Following two days of boycotts, NBA players, and LeBron James especially, are facing a lot of backlash. Their decision to sit out their playoff games on Wednesday and Thursday was inspired by the shooting of Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old black man who was shot 17 times by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
As just the latest in a long string of police shootings this past year, NBA stars decided they had had enough.
But for those that disagree with the stance taken by these players, these past two days of boycotts have neglected the importance and sacrifice made by police officers all around the nation.
UFC fighter Colby Covington (a notorious Trump supporter) went so far as to challenge LeBron and the NBA ballers to quit playing a “kids game” and try being a cop or, as he called it, the “toughest job in America.”
Oh wow, you postponed your games?! Wanna prove you’re really about change? Quit your multi million dollar jobs and soft privileged lives playing a kids game, take a massive pay cut and perform the toughest job in America. Become cops!!!! @NBA @MLB @KingJames
— Colby Covington (@ColbyCovMMA) August 27, 2020
Obviously, this sparked many conversations in the comments from people on both sides of the aisle…
Bro…. I get this is your thing but you’re trying too hard 😂
— BOZ (@BOS92826707) August 27, 2020
They don't have the balls to be a Cop for a single day
— Fastgolf (@fastgolf) August 27, 2020
https://twitter.com/tammyrpatterso1/status/1299056434932523009
Aren't you a "professional" "athlete" as well? Where is your badge?
— Dru Limón (@EseAndru) August 27, 2020
A child abuser and rapist, resists arrest. He is then tased by officers, and still resists arrest while holding a knife. Blake then enters a vehicle with 3 kids in it and is finally shot. Black lives matter, but context also matters.
— Just your occasional tweeter (@RSmith47106) August 27, 2020
Many of the details of the Blake shooting are still murky. Did he have a knife? Were there warrants out for his arrest? Regardless, it’s important to remember that not all cops are crooked. They put their lives on the line every day, and many are unable to return to their families after being shot in the line of duty.
On the same token, nobody should be quick to take a human life, including officers.
Covington and Bron are just two people who have spoken their minds, but this is an issue that has been debated for years, and even more so following the death of George Flloyd.
This is a conversation that is unlikely to end any time soon…
