In an unprecedented move in professional sports, the NBA and stars like Stephen Curry and Chris Paul are joining the fight against gun violence in the United States. Curry, Paul and others will star in a series of commercials, the first of which are set to debut during the Christmas Day games.
The campaign, simply titled “End Gun Violence” was created in partnership with Everytown for Gun Safety, an anti-gun violence group founded by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Earlier this month, President Obama and many Hollywood celebrities participated in another PSA courtesy of the same organization.
While other professional leagues might shy away from an issue bound to stir controversy, the NBA needed little convincing, according to Zach Schonbrun and Michael Barbaro of the New York Times.
The NBA said it held little internal debate about working with Mr. Bloomberg’s group. “We know far too many people who have been caught up in gun violence in this country,” said Kathleen Behrens, the league’s president of social responsibility and player programs. “And we can do something about it.”
The league has often been at the forefront of social issues, but standing up to gun violence – or rather, the NRA and its paid-for politicians – is an entirely new frontier. We can only hope that the awesome influence professional athletes wield can make an impact where so many other efforts have sadly failed or fallen on deaf ears.
(Via New York Times)
