Who Says Shut Up and Dribble? Race and the Response to Athletes' Political Activism

Abstract

In response to a political comment from NBA superstar LeBron James, a Fox News commentator suggested he "shut up and dribble." James and many others considered the comment racist. Defenders suggested it was driven by political ideology rather than race. Interestingly, both perspectives could find support in existing research, as some studies depict race as a central factor in responses to political athletes, while other studies dismiss the role of race and find that political ideology and nationalistic sentiments drive how people see activist athletes. Using responses to a large national survey asking whether respondents find athlete political activism "acceptable," here I find strong evidence that both ideology and race shape attitudes on the subject. The picture that emerges reveals that party and ideology matter, but even after controlling for them, the race and racial views of the respondent help shape their perspective on political athletes. Establishing the importance of race and racial views here helps illuminate why the intersection of sports and politics generates such fierce responses including unvarnished vitriol from some political figures.

Playing Offense: How Athletes are Impacting a Changing Administrative State

“…They are now positioned to challenge the power structures that Other them. At a time of societal turmoil where calls for the group “to shut up and dribble” are increasingly ignored (Niven, 2021; Thomas & Wright, 2021), their activism is mirrored by White-led activism in the form of the insurrection-related events of January 6th, 2021, whose demographic roots are in counties where the White share of the population is on the decline (Pape, 2022). This is not the first time Black athletes have tried to hold the administrative state accountable.…”

Game On, Washington! Examining American Sport’s Response to the Uvalde Massacre

“…Recent public administration literature has described the recent impacts that athletes from marginalized communities have had on the administrative state, with a particular focus on social justice issues (Thomas & Levine Daniel, 2022;Thomas & Wright, 2021;Wright & Thomas, 2022). In prior years, athletes and sports franchises from the National Basketball Association (NBA) have faced calls to 'shut up and dribble' (Niven, 2021). Sentiment appears to have shifted, though.…”