Stephen Curry once again used his platform to make his voice heard on Saturday, penning an entry in The Players' Tribune on Colin Kaepernick, Veterans Day, respect for the military, and the time President Trump tweeted that he had rescinded his White House invitation to Curry and the NBA champion Golden State Warriors shortly after Curry and teammates reiterated their stance that they didn't want to go.
Curry began the article by touching on the importance of, as a two-time MVP and one of the most prominent athletes in the world, speaking up for what he believes in.
"One thing that I’ve been thinking about a lot lately, especially today on Veterans Day, is what it means to have a platform," Curry wrote. "I guess it’s tempting, sometimes, to think that it doesn’t mean anything. With everyone out there on Twitter, and Facebook, and (Instagram) and all of that … with all of the opinions and narratives that are always flying every which way on cable news … it’s a lot of noise. And you hear enough of that noise, and you kind of start to wonder if anyone can — or even wants to — hear anyone else at all.
"But if there’s anything I’ve learned this year, it’s that all of that noise we keep hearing — it’s not an accident. We’re hearing that noise because there are real people out there, facing real issues, and real inequalities, some in ways like never before. In 2017, in America, silence is no longer an option."
Curry shifted his focus to peaceful protests, particularly those by NFL players, and the controversy that has surrounded those protests.
"When someone tells me that my stances, or athlete stances in general, are 'disrespecting the military' — which has become a popular thing to accuse peaceful protestors of — it’s something that I’m going to take very, very seriously," Curry wrote. "One of the beliefs that I hold most dear is how proud I am to be an American — and how incredibly thankful I am for our troops. I know how fortunate I am to live in this country, and to do what I do for a living, and to raise my daughters in peace and prosperity. But I also hear from plenty of people who don’t have it nearly as good as I do. Plenty of people who are genuinely struggling in this country. Especially our veterans.
"Every single veteran I’ve spoken to, they’ve all said pretty much the exact same thing: That this conversation we’ve started to have in the world of sports … whether it’s been Colin (Kaepernick) kneeling, or entire NFL teams finding their own ways to show unity, or me saying that I didn’t want to go to the White House — it’s the opposite of disrespectful to them."
As for that Twitter incident with Trump? Curry wrote that it was "surreal," but quickly circled back to his main point of using his platform to try and make a difference.
"Let’s please not get lost in another one of these endless debates about who means what when they’re doing what, or who is disrespecting whom," Curry wrote. "Instead, let’s respect — let’s celebrate — our veterans, by having a conversation about the actual ways that we as civilians, as their fellow Americans they’ve fought to protect, can hold up our end of the bargain. ... Let’s talk about how we can do better, to make their lives easier.
"Let’s use our platforms, and take this day, to talk about how we can be louder than all of this silence — and quieter than all of this noise."
Read the entire article at theplayerstribune.com.
