"Sports are sports, and politics is politics." This slogan resounds throughout Taiwan. Whenever sports and social issues are entangled, they are shouted out and the line "sports is a sacred place" is drawn. Allow anyone and anything to get entangled.
However, sports and politics, or any social issues, can never be parallel, especially in the United States, where professional sports are the most prosperous. The sports field is not only a venue for sports competitions and celebrities, but also a distribution center for various channels of voice. , especially in recent years, the NBA has become an important channel for the fermentation of issues. Well-known CNN reporter Steve Almasy believes that the NBA is no longer just a basketball game. He wrote on social media, "The NBA has transcended its essence and become a place for players to express their opinions. Runway."
Year 2014,Derrick RoseWearing an "I Can't Breathe" T-shirt during warm-up before the game to protest against the racially discriminatory New York police's excessive enforcement of the law, many NBA players followed suit; the league's most dazzling star playerLeBron JamesDuring the 2016 U.S. presidential election, he publicly supported Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and repeatedly criticized Donald Trump's administration. After the Warriors won the championship again, they refused to go to the White House to express their dissatisfaction with Trump; in 2018, the fashion brand H&M discriminated against black people. The advertisements and clothes were severely condemned by NBA players. It once again showed that the NBA has transcended the restrictions of sports and sports. Players make good use of their own height and aura to speak out. "My mentality is, 'This is not for myself.' Even if the popularity declines or Whether it affects reputation, I still have to say what needs to be said. I must tell the children the facts and tell them what the correct values are. This is more important than personal gains and losses," LeBron James said.
Among them, homosexuality is the focus of many social issues that the NBA pays the most attention to and takes the most active actions.
LGBT and Crime in North Carolina
Charlotte, which has not hosted an NBA All-Star Game for more than 20 years, finally obtained the right to host the 2017 All-Star Game thanks to the efforts of Hornets owner Michael Jordan and others. However, all efforts were blocked by a law passed by the state of North Carolina. frustrated.
North Carolina passed a bill abbreviated as HB2 (House Bill 2) in March 2016, prohibiting gay and transgender people from using public restrooms and locker rooms according to their biological sex. This bill also overturned the bill passed not long ago in Charlotte to allow citizens to use public restrooms and locker rooms according to their biological sex. Many people believe that the state government is directly discriminating against the LGBT community and deliberately vetoing Charlotte's political stance. Former Governor Pat McCrory even publicly expressed his disapproval of Charlotte. People still want to be able to use the restroom with "people of the same anatomy" and hope the state Legislature will pass HB2 to prevent the new law from taking effect in Charlotte.
Although the state government emphasizes that the original intention of the HB2 bill is to check and balance those with evil intentions who take advantage of the situation, North Carolina has always been regarded as a stronghold of "white supremacy" and "right-wing Christianity". The common denominator is opposition to homosexuality and the LGBT community, according to the New York Times According to reports, evangelical Christian policy groups have invested more than NT$600 million in political donations to the Republican Party to prevent LGBT legalization policies, and conservatives in North Carolina have gone to great lengths to promote anti-LGBT ideas.
However, the HB2 bill immediately attracted various criticisms after it was passed. Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts believed that this was a major decline in human rights in the United States. "Charlotte wanted to use the original bill to convey that we will use an equal attitude and respect all people." People, but the state government used backward ideas to overthrow us." New York State Governor Andrew Guomo immediately issued a "travel ban" against North Carolina, prohibiting state government employees from spending public funds to travel or travel to North Carolina. "I don't Taxpayers' money is allowed to be used to encourage discrimination against LGBT people." Guomo said that the British government even issued a travel warning directly, recommending not to travel to states that discriminate against LGBT people. The technology company PayPal also announced that it would withdraw investment from North Carolina. Many well-known companies also issued statements criticizing the bill.
Further reading:"I have no choice but to be brave" The first NBA player to come out: John Amaechi
Of course, the NBA has once again become the main battlefield for comment. Michael Jordan blasted the North Carolina government and threatened to move the Hornets out of Charlotte if the state government did not withdraw the bill. Hornets coach Kemba Walker also criticized the state government's policy. inappropriate. But what is surprising is that in the past, the NBA has never taken an obvious stance on any social issues or expressed support for its players. This time, it not only issued a public statement condemning North Carolina's legal policy, but also made an even bigger announcement, revoking Charlotte. Special qualification to host the 2017 Star Game.
