We all know this saying. In many circumstances this phrase is used as a euphemism to express the comedic outburst of children too innocent to know any better. Normally, adults snicker in agreement while those the comment is directed to smile in slight embarrassment. Then there are the moments where youth speak out of turn and they are quickly reprimanded and instructed in the ways of respectful discourse and manners. In either circumstance there lay an innocence to the honest and transparent sharing of what is being observed. Rarely is the observance wrong but mostly the way in which it is shared is where the outlook of the statement is judged. In sports it is no different. There is a pecking order and process for sharing information that considers how it could potentially impact those around the individual speaking. Most team leaders learn how to navigate this realm of sharing with the media early on to appear intentional and understanding of the impact of their words on those that look to them for leadership. Of course this is not always true.
Michael Porter Jr and his brother Jontay Porter.
In come those of the “don’t know how to act” variety. Those “we just can’t take anywhere” kind. There are many who make statements that turn the heads of those of us so accustomed to the more tempered form of expression. We can look to players in the past such as Rasheed Wallace who refused to engage with the media and would respond with the “both teams play hard” moniker that was often laughable. Athletes like Marshawn Lynch also taking the safe rout with responses in the Super Bowl, “I’m here so I won’t get fined…”. Of course there are the star players who get dragged by the media even when it is their right to speak out such as LeBron James’ criticism of Donald Trump and declaring his right to be heard under the banner of “More than an athlete”. We can name Allen Iverson’s often misunderstood, “We talkin’ about practice.” quote, and you can see where this is going. It has rarely been an easy road to traverse the speaking of one’s mind to the media in any context but mostly it is reserved for those who are expected to share as leaders to be given more bandwidth.
Then there is Michael Porter Jr. aka MPJ. He has been extremely vocal for an athlete barely getting his feet wet within his athletic career. Let’s be clear, MPJ is no ordinary rookie. He was the number one recruit coming out of high school projected as the future number one pick in the NBA draft but a back injury stole his opportunity to mount his projected collegiate campaign and fell under much scrutiny as he entered into the NBA draft. Falling in the draft to the late lottery and consequently sitting out his entire rookie year to recover from his back injury one may look at his opportunity to play again as merely a blessing in and of itself and just be content to be able to play. But, content does not seem to be anywhere near MPJ’s characteristics. Early in his rookie campaign he openly showed frustration with his lack of playing time despite the clear depth the Nuggets had at his position on their way to a top seed in the Western Conference standings. Then came his social media discourse of how he felt about vaccines and the pandemic going on. He then challenged people to have empathy for police officers who were filmed in taking the life of George Floyd at the hottest point of social upheaval. So it almost seems fitting that in the midst of the NBA semi-final playoff run as his team is looking up at a 3-1 deficit MPJ would be good for a soundbite, and he did not disappoint. MPJ is like the cousin when you are a kid you know you can get to speak up for you because you are too scared to say anything. It was obvious that in the aftermath of the incredible exploits of Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic carrying the Denver Nuggets out of a 3-1 deficit in the first round that they would be relied upon to give them a chance against the Los Angeles Clippers. Unfortunately, this effort appeared stymied and not up to the task of taking on the favored contender. In the post-game press conference the young Nuggets player responded to a question posed about him getting more involved in the offense by seemingly throwing his coach under the bus for being responsible for the limited ball movement and seemingly predictable offense. Let’s just say, MPJ was responded to like the second example of the child who speaks out of turn.
In hindsight after two straight wins since his comments one can see the truth in MPJ’s comments and looking back he appears more as a seasoned all-star looking to be a leader more than a young kid shooting off at the mouth. Oftentimes, both the child and the parents are correct. Unfortunately, in a world where people want to create a dichotomy of sides to place people on and pit them against one another this is hard to see.
I am curious is the world ready for the non-binary articulate athlete? Is the world of sports ready for the players they find hard to place in a box? We can look back in past generations where the only two boxes seemed to be to see things the way of the dominant culture or to be of the marginalized perspective pushing back against it. With so few athletes taking open stances from Kaepernick and Drew Brees to Michael Jordan and LeBron James, there was no middle ground. Then came Kyrie Irving. Who openly critiqued the dominant direction of players in how to be a part of making a change for racial equality. Then quietly came Jonathan Isaac’s stance of not kneeling for racial justice in leu of his religious stance. MPJ was not far behind. Supporting Isaac in his religious stance and going against the dominant cultural narrative of those standing up for racial justice.
There are many opinions and criticisms of this newer generation of entitlements and seemingly lasai fair approach to a sport teeming with testosterone and ‘alpha-male’ outlooks at the top of its value system. Suddenly, players no longer seem to buy into playing ‘king-of-the-hill’ by themselves in a ‘me against the world’ ideology but have begun to network to find support within the relationships they have formed along the way. Now, before we as a society can fully digest the innexation of a Jordan era mentality, here they are cleaning out the last bit of it with their political discourse. I for one am all for it. I means that there is tremendous growth in representation of a non-homogenous thought process representing athletes and even moreso, Black athletes. You no longer have to be LeBron or Jordan, you can be whoever you want to be and just you.
Today players are no longer just challenging dress codes, thank you Allen Iverson, they are creating fashion lines and streams of revenue in endorsement opportunities. Players are no longer just raising fists and taking knees, they are lobbying for political candidates, thank you Jim Brown. It is perhaps in this that we may see a change that brings new hope. Athletes who may be willing to be heard and seen for all that they are and encompass spanning for more than athletics. Their words holding the truth of their perspectives that demand in depth thought and analysis that supersedes the dichotomous discourse often presented may give birth to a whole new world of potentially normalized outlooks for generations to come. The reality is we all start off at the kids table, eating off paper plates, and normally not even having the same palatable desires for what lies on the ‘grown-folks’ table. And, we all eventually outgrow that table. MPJ seems to have just done that far sooner than we all expected.
therockneverstops 