Since When Are Athletes Required To Get Involved in Social and Political Issues?

Speaking on HBO’s Real Sports, which is hosted by Bryant Gumble, Jim Brown said, "There are one or two individuals in this country that are black that have been put in front of us as an example. But they're under a system that says, 'Hey, they're not going to do a certain thing.' That disappoints me because I know they know better.”

Gumble asked Brown if he was referring to Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods.

"Yeah, I know they both know better, ok," Brown said. "And I know they both can do better without hurting themselves."  

Maybe Tiger Woods missed the memo on how well-known athletes or celebrities are required to take a public stance on all social and political issues.

Wait, there was no memo.

Ok, it must have been written somewhere in the contract he signed when he first joined the PGA Tour.

Wait, nope, there was no contract with the PGA Tour.

Perhaps it was somewhere in his lucrative Nike contract.

Nope.  There is nothing in the Nike contract either.

Ok, then surely our founding fathers must have written it somewhere in the Constitution.  It probably states, “He or she who is a recognizable athlete or celebrity must publicly take a stance on every social and political issue imaginable, no matter how ill-informed he or she may be.”

Nope, I just checked, and our founding fathers seemed to have left that one on the Constitution cutting board.

Well, it must be written somewhere.  After all, how many athletes and celebrities do we see sticking their noses in social and political issues when they are often grossly ill-informed?

Folks, Tiger Woods is a golfer.  He’s not a congressman, senator, governor, or the leader of any kind of sociopolitical movement.

If Tiger Woods wants to get involved in social and political issues, that’s his own prerogative. If he doesn’t, that’s also his own prerogative.

The same can be said for anyone.

How many of you reading this article right now spend your spare time doing your part to eliminate social injustices or help to promote political stances that you believe in?

If you have, good for you. That’s your decision to get involved.  If not, that’s fine also because it’s your decision and right not to get involved.

Sure, Tiger Woods is the most recognizable athlete in the world, and what he says about certain issues would hold a lot more weight than the average Joe.

But he is an American citizen just like the rest of us, and it’s his own personal decision whether he wants to get involved or not.

As it is, Woods probably does more for charities and social injustices than most other athletes and celebrities.  It’s just that Woods doesn’t hire a public relations company to setup photo shoots and publicize anytime he talks to an underprivileged child.

Woods has donated countless millions to his learning center in Long Beach, California, and organizes and hosts golf tournaments that also donate countless millions to his foundation as well as numerous other noble charities.

Speaking in Washington, D.C., yesterday afternoon, where he is on hand to host the AT&T National, which by the way, contributes massive amounts of money to numerous charities, offers free tickets to war veterans, and offers wounded soldiers the opportunity to serve as honorary starters, Woods estimated that more than 10 million underprivileged kids have gone through his learning center over the years.

This week alone, Woods will more than likely raise more money for charity than Jim Brown has or will in his lifetime.

The Tiger Woods Learning Center is a school that brings in underprivileged children and teaches them skills that will be useful in the real world.

Skills that would be useful in the real world?  That’s lunacy!

Come on, that’s not how our education system works here in America.  Woods must be off his rocker teaching underprivileged kids useful skills and information such as engineering, finance, computer sciences, business, etc. thatwill actually be applicable in the ral world.

That’s just crazy.  Why doesn’t he donate his money to the public school system in America?

Wouldn’t it be better if he was more like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, who certainly pose for a lot of photos in New Orleans, giving off the impression that they are physically getting their hands dirty while helping to rebuild underprivileged neighborhoods, yet their public relations company forgot to make public the photos of the new $60 million estate they purchased in New Orleans.

They would have done significantly more good had they written an anonymous $60 million check to one of the many foundations helping New Orleans neighborhoods rebuild from Katrina.  But then again, that type of act wouldn’t offer the same publicity and photo opportunities, now would it.

Aside from taking very public stances on social issues and often inciting anger and rage amongst various communities rather than actually doing something to help them, what Brown has done over the years pales in comparison to what Woods and many ordinary non-celebrities have done to actually make a real difference in people’s lives.

Brown should probably make himself better informed before criticizing others on how much or little they do about social injustices.

But, then again, that’s not how you remain in the public eye.  Outlandish, controversial statements make the news, and I guess there are still people out there who believe that any publicity is good publicity.