When athletes stop playing games, they’re sometimes ready to start playing politics.
Though retired players still have endorsements and other opportunities available to them because of their on-field feats, they appear more likely to take a public political stand, one expert says.
“The general trend in what we have seen around athletes that have come out even before a nomination has been made … [is that they] have all been generally retired athletes,” said Peter Laatz, executive vice president at Repucom, a global provider of sports and entertainment marketing intelligence. “You don’t see a lot of active athletes, or athletes who have a lot to gain or lose in sponsorship, really saying anything in the political arena, which is most likely smart business practice in their area.”
Curt Schilling, who pitched for three World Series champions, retired from baseball in 2009 but has been involved in publicly supporting political candidates for the last 15 years. For him, it’s all about informed opinions.
“My advice to athletes and sports people is the same exact advice I’d give to my next-door neighbor: If you are going to be involved in politics, please get educated,” he said. “Know what you are talking about.”
But he also warns that it can hurt an athlete’s brand by speaking publicly. He noted that in 2004, when pitching for the Boston Red Sox, he endorsed President George W. Bush over Democratic challenger Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts.
“A lot of [people] were pissed because my first endorsement publicly was for President Bush in the ’04 election. And I really suffered for that one,” he said.
The endorsement negatively affected him in many aspects of his life, Schilling said, as people who didn’t agree with him treated him differently. People even pulled out money and support for Curt’s Pitch for ALS, a charity he runs with his wife, Shonda, devoted to finding a cure for Lou Gehrig’s disease, he said.
More recently, and more publicly, Schilling was fired from ESPN earlier this year after expressing his political views publicly, including sharing on Facebook a cartoon about HB2, the controversial North Carolina law that among other things bans transgender people from using public bathrooms that don’t align with the gender on their birth certificate.
Hall of Fame NBA center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who has endorsed Hillary Clinton for president, was a scheduled speaker at last week’s Democratic National Convention and has gone on television to criticize Donald Trump, said his comfort level with politics comes from years of activism and study. He believes speaking on politics is a matter of conscience and commitment to the community. He says athletes should not get involved unless they really know what they are talking about.
“There’s nothing I hate more than listening to celebrities’ half-baked political opinions based on privileged gut feelings and entitled sentimentality,” Abdul-Jabbar said, echoing sentiments that Schilling shared. “However, those athletes and celebrities who take the time to logically study the issues and have a commitment to the betterment of the country should share those opinions.”
Abdul-Jabbar and his manager, Deborah Morales, said the NBA’s all-time leading scorer’s political activism hasn’t hurt his endorsements, as it is part of who he is and who he has been for a long time. “I have been a political and social activist since my teens, when I experienced firsthand the harsh realities of racism,” Abdul-Jabbar said.
Although he has been active in voicing his opinion since the ’70s, Abdul-Jabbar has established a career as a writer and political commentator during the past 10 years. That has included writing for national publications such as Time.com and Esquire, and authoring several books, including “Writings on the Wall: Searching for a New Equality Beyond Black and White,” which will be out in bookstores Aug. 23 from Time Books.
Abdul-Jabbar is one of several retired athletes who have endorsed a candidate for president. His former Lakers teammate, Magic Johnson, now an owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, also endorsed Clinton, as has retired figure skater Michelle Kwan.
Former Yankees outfielder Paul O’Neill and former boxer Mike Tyson are among those who have endorsed Trump.
