The ESPY Awards are a night for celebration in sports. But due to the events in the United States over the last week, four NBA stars – Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade, and LeBron James – took the stage and discussed something much more important than sports. They called for peace in the United States of America.
“It’s time to look in the mirror and ask ourselves, ‘what are we doing to create change?'” James asked the crowd.
All four men pointed to the recent deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, along with other instances of violence across the country over the last few years, as a call to action for the sports community. Additionally, the four implored all people to do more in their communities to bring peace.
The ESPY Awards are usually a time for jokes and ‘best ofs,’ but Anthony, Paul, Wade, and James – four of the most socially conscious athletes on Earth – decided to use the platform to make it much bigger than that. They wanted everyone in the world of sports to do their best to make their communities better. Even if you disagree with some of the elements of this message, this is something that we should all strive to accomplish.
