The NBA’s Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics both wore orange shirts with the words “End Gun Violence” before their game this past Sunday night. Last week, the Philadelphia Eagles wore special practice jerseys with orange numbers to honor victims of gun violence. It’s a good message because no one in the country wants there to be rampant gun violence. But why did these teams wait until the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, to call for change? Plenty of people have been getting killed in record numbers from inner-city gun violence.
Both San Francisco and Philadelphia witnessed record levels of gun violence the past two years. Yet they did nothing. What about the thousands of innocent people killed due to inner-city gun crime? Where were the virtue-signaling, press conferences, and specially designed T-shirts then?
The answer is they did not have a tragedy they could exploit for political purposes. It’s just more political theater and propaganda. It’s easy to take a stand when a deranged lunatic goes into a school and kills teachers and elementary school students. It’s less so when the attacker is a black man in Philadelphia who shoots a 3-year-old, for example. Those types of incidents don’t fit their narrative. In reality, they are more concerned with advancing left-wing political agendas than legitimately trying to develop solutions that could potentially help.
“We feel very strongly as a league that it’s time for people to take notice,” Golden Warriors coach Steve Kerr said on Sunday, “and to take part in what should be a nationwide effort to limit the gun violence that’s out there. And there are ways to limit it. There are proven laws that are waiting to be passed, whether it’s background checks or what-have-you.”
Kerr’s comments may be well-intentioned, but his statements are little more than baseless propaganda. He frequently comments on gun violence, but only after tragedies like Uvalde. When it comes to inner-city gun crime, such as the kind plaguing the home city of Kerr’s team, he’s quiet. Moreover, he has absolutely no idea if any of the laws he is suggesting would affect ending gun violence.
If Kerr were being honest, he would acknowledge that most people who are victims of gun violence are from the inner cities of the United States. And most of the gun violence that occurs there is the result of illegal gun ownership. Most of these criminals are already breaking laws before committing their crimes, essential details that Kerr always omits. This is the country’s biggest problem regarding gun violence.
Yet, don’t expect the liberal, left-wing propagandists that comprise the professional athlete elites to admit this. Doing so runs counter to their political agenda. This neglect ultimately shows that many of those speaking out against gun violence don’t genuinely care about it. They only care about appearing sympathetic and calling for change.
If you find yourself doubting such claims, consider the recent surge of gun crime in the San Francisco area, the home of Kerr’s Golden State Warriors. Between 2019 and 2021, the number of victims of gun violence in San Francisco increased 62%. Additionally, Philadelphia’s record homicide levels have been well documented. The city has exploded in gun crimes, with even Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon being a victim.
Now, search for how many times Kerr or any professional athlete or sports team commented on this issue. Try to find the last time the NBA or Golden State Warriors had special merchandise calling for an end to the gun crime wave. Do the same with the Philadelphia Eagles.
It’s great that professional athletes want to end gun violence, but there’s more than meets the eye about their activism. They need to have the same vigor in wanting to stop all gun violence, not just when there’s a mass shooting. If they ever want to make serious change, they need to be vocal about the kind of gun crime that victimizes the most people — inner-city gun violence.
