ESPYs Exec Producer Maura Mandt on Wednesday detailed how the powerful message delivered by Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James at the top of this year's event "came together in the days before the ceremony," noting that James "reached out to producers" several days beforehand, according to Smith & Miller of VANITY FAIR. James' move came after Anthony postsed an Instagram photo from the "Ali Summit" in June '67, when the "nation's top black athletes including Bill Russell, Jim Brown, and Lew Alcindor (now Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) flanked Muhammad Ali at a news conference in support of his decision to object his induction into the Vietnam War." The four players "decided via their daily group text messages to unite nearly 50 summers later to stand for social justice." They also "coordinated their wardrobe to stand in unity, so people would listen to what they were saying rather than be distracted by what they were wearing." Anthony said, "They reached out to me and said your [Instagram] post sparked everything. ... We set out to do this and it all came together so fast. It seemed like after I put that Instagram post out there, we decided we have to do something. The timing was perfect for this stage. We wanted to take advantage of that.” Mandt said, "This is a night of celebration and they’re also very aware that, yes, they’re athletes but they’re citizens first. This was not us, it was very much them. So when they came to us, we looked at the options and decided it was best to happen at the very top of the show” (VANITYFAIR.com, 7/13).
BUDDY SYSTEM: In Chicago, K.C. Johnson notes Wade on Thursday was a keynote speaker at a sports and entertainment summit hosted by Variety and SI, and he "addressed his role" in the speech imploring fellow athletes to "help take a stand against violence in the wake of several recent shootings." Wade said of his close relationship with Anthony, Paul and James, "We've got a lot of flak over the years for even being friends. ... We've always said these words: It's bigger than basketball for our friendship and our relationship. You never know what that means until a moment like [Wednesday] comes about" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 7/15). ESPN's LZ Granderson said, "Those four men stood up and stood up in a very, very strong way, and for that, I am really, really proud of them." ESPN's Max Kellerman said, "He does not have to be like this, LeBron James. He chooses to do this. ... That's a great thing, and he deserves enormous credit for doing it" ("SportsNation," ESPN, 7/14). The Undefeated's Marc Spears noted Anthony was the "main guy who sparked this," and he will be the "one to push athletes to do something" ("His & Hers," ESPN2, 7/14).
A GOOD START: SNY's Jon Hein said he was "glad they spoke out," but he believed "actions determine how much of an effect you can." Hein: "Let's see what these guys do now that they've said something" ("Loud Mouths," SNY, 7/14). The N.Y. Daily News' Bob Raissman said, "A lot of good publicity came out of it, but where do they go from here?" ("Daily News Live," SNY, 7/14). ESPN's Sarah Spain noted activism for athletes today is "very quick." Spain: "You can use a few key strokes and lend your voice to something, but that only goes so far. It's a very limited kind of activism. At some point you have to take it offline and you have to figure out how you are going into communities, how you affecting policies and laws that actually enact change" ("Around The Horn," ESPN, 7/14).
MORE AT STAKE: USA TODAY's Nancy Armour writes of athletes commenting on the current social climate in the U.S., "If people in power refuse to do anything, then people with a platform must." Rather than "telling athletes to quiet down, we should be asking them to speak louder." Athletes "who’ve made the greatest difference have done so because it was personal." It "wasn’t just a cause to them, it was them." Grand Valley State professor Louis Moore said, "The (public) needs to understand the seriousness of this. Athletes need to talk about the lack of freedom and what it was really like for them growing up." Armour notes athletes speaking up "won’t solve all of our problems, but they might help us find some common ground," and even that "would be better than where we’re at now" (USA TODAY, 7/15).
