Athletes and/or Activists: LeBron James and Black Lives Matter

Abstract

As one of the world's most recognizable athletes, Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James is emblematic of the modern athlete-activist; as such, it is important to understand how the media frame him in the context of a controversial issue. In recent years, he has used it to quietly support the Black Lives Matter movement. In 2014, 12-year-old Tamir Rice was killed by police on a Cleveland playground, just miles from where the Cavaliers play and just north of James's hometown of Akron. James declined to comment on the case, and a Twitter campaign-#NoJusticeNoLeBronattempted to force his hand. This article examines the role of James as an athleteactivist, identifying four frames embedded in content around James and the Black Lives Matter movement: Brand LeBron; Established Voice, Higher Expectations; Attention, Not Aggression; and Community Versus Protest. We found James is cautious and deliberate in his activism, moderating a message of consideration rather than revolution, contextualized by his brand and ambitions.

The Effect of Economic Vulnerability on Protest Participation in the National Football League

“…Research on athletes and activism has explored the vastly divergent involvement levels of some of the most prominent figures in sports. While some make a commitment to appear ever apolitical (Agyemang, ), others speak out but with measured steps and deliberation (Coombs and Cassilo, ), and still others make an unrestrained commitment to political causes (Smith, ). While players can attempt to seek or dodge political issues, political realities nonetheless tend to impinge on athletes.…”

A qualitative case study examination of athlete ally using social movement theory.

“…James expertly navigated his brand to be social justice focused and was mainly praised for his activism (Coombs & Cassilo, 2017). The results conflict somewhat with Schmidt et al's (2018) study of brand image of an athlete activist engaging in risky activism (antiracial inequality) and safe activism (anti-obesity).…”

“…After decades of silence on social issues, (Agyemang, 2011;Candaele & Dreier, 2015;Powell, 2008), the athlete activist has triumphantly returned with the assistance of other athletes and formal organizations (Coombs & Cassilo, 2017;Gibbs, 2016;Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality, 2017). Formal SMOs, like Athlete Ally, can provide numerous benefits for athletes engaging in activism as they provide the basis of mobilization for social movements (Caniglia & Carmen, 2005).…”

“…The results certainly hold true for someone with a Black male athlete with a strong brand. Take, for instance, LeBron James, who situated his brand around his activism (Coombs & Cassilo, 2017). James positioned his brand as a socially conscious athlete, but through a cautious and deliberate approach by emphasizing attention, not aggression in his messages and focusing on the community and not protest.…”

“…The purpose of this study was to investigate the resources exchanged between athlete activists and Athlete Ally, tactics Athlete Ally utilizes for engaging with different governing bodies, and frames utilized by Athlete Ally using the theoretical framework of Social Movement Theory. As athlete activism becomes more common in today's landscape (Coombs & Cassilo, 2017), social movement organizations like Athlete Ally can provide numerous benefits for athlete activists as they serve as the basis for mobilization (Caniglia & Carmen, 2005). The following section outlines a summary of the findings for the study.…”