Len Elmore praised LeBron James for wearing an “I can’t breathe” T-shirt before a game in December, saying that he hopes it leads to a new generation of players who are comfortable speaking about social issues.
“Michael [Jordan] and those guys are led by their representatives, who are fearful that if you take a position you’re going to lose sponsorship opportunities,” Elmore said. “As much as they have, you have to think there’s more to their lives than just sponsorship opportunities.”
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The glass apple ornament reminds Elmore of his roots in New York City.
Photo by: JOANNE LAWTON / WASHINGTON BUSINESS JOURNAL
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Elmore believes the fear of losing sponsorships is unfounded, adding that nobody lost an endorsement by wearing an “I can’t breathe” T-shirt in support of a New York man, Eric Garner, who died after police officers placed him in a chokehold.
“If you’re not going to do it on a socially active standpoint, there’s other stuff that are fat pitches right down the middle that you can accept,” Elmore said. “It’s like when Donald Sterling made those statements, every guy in the league came out against it. But that was
{podcast}
SBJ Podcast:
Writer John Ourand and Executive Editor Abraham Madkour discuss Len Elmore's career and impact within sports and outside of sports.
easy. Take a position on gang violence. Take a position on childhood obesity. Take a position on hunger. You’d like to see guys do that. Use your influence.”
Elmore said his awakening occurred in June 1967 when Jim Brown convened a Muhammad Ali summit in Cleveland to discuss the facts behind the boxer’s conscientious objector status during the Vietnam War. The summit was attended by some of the most notable black athletes at the time, including Lew Alcindor, Bill Russell, Bobby Mitchell and Willie Davis.
According to reports in The Cleveland Plain Dealer, the athletes grilled Ali to determine how strong his convictions were and see whether they would support him.
They did. Elmore was in high school at the time.
“To me, I’m looking at these guys coming together for not a party, not a game, but something important,” he said. “That was important to me. To this day, a lot of my commentary has to do with activism, being outspoken against convention.”
Elmore has kept that in mind throughout his adult life.
“I’m just trying to make a difference in some way, shape or form. Whether people agree with me or not, I’m trying to make a difference for the right thing and the right reasons. I think I did that as a prosecutor. I think I did that as a lawyer. I think I did that as a businessman.”
