A reporter from a Canadian newspaper took to Twitter Thursday to point out the difference between how NBA players are reacting to the civil-rights movement and the reaction from NHL players.
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And what better way to determine if a person is racist than noticing if they stand for the national anthem?
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Kamil Karamali, a reporter for the Global Times posted a photo that showed NHL players standing with their arms locked and put it next to the photo of an NBA player whose jersey had, “Say Their Names” written on the back in the traditional location of the last name. The “Say Their Names” campaign aims to identify each individual killed or victimized by police brutality.
“Comparison between leagues on addressing racial discrimination: NHL players stand for the anthem, linking arms, draw praise from @EricTrump for not kneeling. NBA players wear jerseys with “Say Their Names,” “Black Lives Matter” on back. One of them sends a much clearer message.”
Karamali seems to leave just enough out of the tweet to cover himself from backlash. But social media users seemed to take issue with the tweet and the “outrage culture of social media.” Some tried to calm Karamali and suggested that the difficulty of kneeling on the ice with full gear could be a tad bit challenging.
“Criticized for showing respect for a cause & the national anthems…bizarre world,” one posted. Another wrote, “I’m thinking of watching hockey this year.”
Karamali is not the first journalist this week who attempted to put the spotlight on social-justice wrongdoing on the playing field.
Joel Baell, a writer for Golf Digest, rang the alarm bell on social media after he spotted Richy Werenski, the pro-golfer, wearing a Blue Lives Matter wristband that roused the cancel-culture mob during the 3M Open in TPC Twin Cities.
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“Playing 20 minutes away from where George Floyd was killed by police officers, Richy Werenski has been wearing a Blue Lives Matter band this week at the 3M Open,” Baell tweeted.
It is interesting to see the trend of news reporters to exercise plausible deniability on their social media accounts.
One commenter on Twitter wrote, “Why do sports leagues need to do anything? I’m tuning in for the action, not these empty gestures. Can we not escape the harsh realities of life for a few hours?”