John Wall Talks Charlottesville; More Sports Figures Should Follow

Washington Wizards guard John Wall has always been one to speak his mind candidly. At the end of last week he did just that again, discussing the events from the week before in Charlottesville, Virginia.

It’s been just over a week since the horrific, racially-charged events in Charlottesville, Va in which one woman died and at least 19 others were injured.

Charlottesville sits about 100 miles south of Washington, D.C. where Wizards All-Star point guard John Wall held his fourth annual “Back to School Block Party” event on Friday afternoon.

Before starting the day’s festivities, the 26-year-old gave a heartfelt message to the kids in attendance, explaining, what he called, a “tough week for our country.”

“We all got to treat each other as the same, no matter what color race you are,” Wall said.

At the concluding media session, Wall didn’t shy away, and in fact, elaborated on the opening comments.

"“It’s kind of amazing to understand that in 2017 going into 2018, we’re still dealing with the same type of things that our great, great grandparents dealt with and we thought we were going in a positive direction.  All we can do is not use it as retaliation and try to stay positive and understand that we want to give these kids a brighter [outlook] of what’s going on and not use it to go back at these people,” Wall said to the Washington Post."

Granted, these statements won’t get him a seat at the civil rights hall of fame table with Muhammed Ali and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.  To be real, he can’t even sit with Colin Kaepernick or LeBron James yet.

But maybe, he doesn’t want a seat.  And in all honesty, it’s cool if he doesn’t.

Most professional athletes, coaches and management have chosen to side-step, juke and dodge questions regarding social injustices in America.  Wall, conversely, embodied the “one family” concept with his remarks. In turn, he’s shed a positive light on his John Wall Family Foundation.

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I understand that we live in a “stick to sports” culture. I’m also privy to the impact politics has on establishing and maintaining brands. In no way should these be excuses, however, to stay silent on issues of discrimination and morality.

In America, you’d be hard-pressed to find a profession with a platform that rivals those given to today’s professional athletes. Both children and adults revere their sports heroes. They’ve been afforded special athletic gifts that mere mortals can only dream of.

That’s why it matters when the world’s most popular basketball player calls out the President.

It matters when a white NFL player places a hand on the shoulder of a black teammate during the national anthem.

It matters when WNBA players of opposing teams lock arms before games in support of equal rights. When chaos ensues in this country–like it did last week in Charlottesville–we all hurt. Black. White. Man. Woman.

This isn’t a plea for more Colin Kaepernicks or LeBron James. I understand that type of activism takes unwavering courage and self-confidence.

Rather, this is a call to our favorite sports figures–who see the injustices and acts of discrimination plastered on the internet and television–to step up and at least be a John Wall.

Next: A Closer Look at the Wizards' Two Way Players

They aren’t blinded, so why should we expect them to be silenced?