LeBron James, Naomi Osaka, Michael Jordan – countless sports celebrities have taken a stand against racism and discrimination following the violent death of George Floyd. Sports brands like Adidas, Patagonia or Arc’teryx also joined in.
The death of African-American George Floyd in a violent arrest has sparked a wave of protest in the USA against racism and police violence. The world of sport is also taking a stand.
In the social media, sports celebrities from all over the world posted statements against racism and discrimination:
In his active career, NBA superstar Michael Jordan was not known to talk about political or social issues. This makes his current statement all the more important.
In the past, NBA star LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers has drawn attention to police violence against minorities. This time, James is also taking the floor.
The Black Lives Matter movement and its associated hashtag are committed to opposing violence against blacks and people of color, respectively. Black Lives Matter regularly organizes protests against the killing of blacks by law enforcement officials and on broader issues such as racial profiling, police violence and racism.
Six-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton also uses the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter, which has been used in social networks since 2013.
According to Forbes, Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka is the world’s highest earning sportswoman. The world number ten is the only woman in the top 100 richest sportswomen and sportsmen alongside Serena Williams (9th in the WTA world rankings). Osaka is ranked 29th in the Forbes Ranking 2020 with annual revenues of 37.4 million dollars, Serena Williams is ranked 33rd with 36 million dollars.
