Prior to the George Floyd murder, Jaylen Brown was always an incredibly political person. Many athletes shy away from speaking on political issues but Brown has always been an exception to that rule. He is well versed on a number of topics and when news of Floyd's murder made shockwaves throughout the world, Brown made sure to speak up and let his voice be heard. In fact, Brown drove all the way from Boston to Atlanta so that he could take part in Black Lives Matter protests.
Now, Brown is showcasing just how ambitious he is as he took to Twitter to let his fans in on a project that he would love to see become a reality. Essentially, Brown would want to create a political media outlet that is completely unbiased. Simply put, this outlet would report on the facts with little to no opinion interjected.
Bias is one of the trickiest things in journalism because it is almost impossible to achieve. The stories you choose to cover, the words you choose to use, and even the facts you choose to include or omit, are all apart of your biases. Regardless, there is a big difference between intentional bias and unintentional bias, which we're sure Brown is well-aware of.
A basketball player creating a political media outlet would be unprecedented but if anyone could do it, it would certainly be Brown.
ESPN’s Doris Burke Reveals She Tested Positive For Coronavirus
Doris Burke is a beloved member of ESPN and recently, she revealed that she has COVID-19.
Doris Burke is one of the most beloved people in all of sports media. The NBA sideline reporter continues to be a major part of ESPN's basketball broadcasts and has received shoutouts from the likes of Drake. If there is anyone you like to see win in the media, it would most definitely be Doris Burke, who is not just a professional but a trailblazer as well. Unfortunately for Burke, she has been going through a bit of a health struggle as of late and it just so happens to be related to the Coronavirus.
While speaking on Adrian Wojnarowski's podcast, Burke revealed that she recently tested positive for COVID-19 and is on the mend. Throughout the podcast, Burke spoke about what it was like being tested in the hospital and what her symptoms have been like.
Burke is hoping to educate people about the dangers of Coronavirus and how this is something to be taken seriously. Many haven't been obeying social distancing and it has led to a huge increase in cases throughout the world, particularly the United States. Hopefully, this pandemic will soon start to taper off in the coming weeks as the effects of social distancing become visible.
Meanwhile, commenters were quick to offer well-wishes for Burke who continues to be loved in the basketball community.
LeBron James Cracks Jokes With Media Over Bizarre Scrum Setup
LeBron James definitely felt a little bit out of place while speaking to the media.
Coronavirus has put fear into sports leagues around the world and the NBA is included in that. The league is contemplating drastic measures in order to make sure all of its players and fans are safe. For instance, the league could start playing games without fans in the stands. While things haven't gotten that bad as of yet, the NBA recently enacted rules that make it so the media can't enter the locker room. In fact, scrums have been outlawed and now players will have to stand at a podium to answer questions.
LeBron James was one of the first players to go through this process as he spoke to the press after practice today. LeBron was in a jol mood as reporters asked him what it felt like to be so far removed from the press. The Lakers superstar joked about how he felt a lot safer, while also noting that it definitely feels weird to not have the microphones in his face.
During his media availability, James spoke about his stance on not playing in front of crowds, saying "Obviously I would be very disappointed not having the fans because that's what I play for - I play for my family, I play for my fans. But at the same time you gotta listen to the people that's keeping tracking of what's going on. If they feel like it's best for the safety of the players, the safety of the franchise, the safety of the league to mandate that - that's something we'd all listen to."
This response is in stark contrast to what he said over the weekend. Regardless, it truly feels like we're living in a whole new world.
Kevin Porter Jr. Gives Media And Fake Fans A Stern Talking To
Kevin Porter Jr wasn't happy with how the media ignored his injury.
Kevin Porter Jr. has been making an impact with the Cleveland Cavaliers this season and while the team hasn't been very successful, it's clear the team is excited about their young player. Last night, Porter Jr. was set to be a starter although it appears as though he came to the court without his jersey, which led to a quick dash back to the locker room. Later in the game, Porter Jr suffered a head injury and had to miss some time.
Throughout the game, many outlets posted about Porter Jr.'s jersey blunder, without mentioning his injury and how severe it was. Porter was upset about the ordeal as he took to Twitter today where he put the media and disloyal fans on blast. Clearly, Porter Jr. has had enough of the antics.
"Thank you to media for posting this & disregarding my head injury. Thank you for the disloyal fans/supporters, thank you for the none prayers," Porter Jr. said. "I love the hate that’s what keeps me going, sorry for who lost money in fantasy, didn’t plan on getting hit in the head."
This season has been frustrating for Porter Jr. and company so it's easy to see why he was upset about the coverage. Hopefully, Porter Jr.'s relationship with fans and the media can be repaired, sooner than later.
Jimmy Butler Puts Media Members On Blast For Heat Slander
Jimmy Butler has helped turn the Miami Heat into darkhorse contenders this season.
Jimmy Butler is known around the league as a bit of a wildcard but that hasn’t stopped him from playing his game and doing everything in his power to give his Miami Heat a win, night in and night out. Some felt like Butler didn’t have what it takes to be a leader but so far, he has proven everyone wrong. The Heat are currently fourth in the Eastern Conference and have the potential to make a splash with a deep run. It remains to be seen if the Heat can sustain this success but regardless, it’s clear the Butler experiment has worked so far in the 305.
Recently, Butler was asked about some of the criticism he has faced this year and as you can imagine, he doesn’t really care for it.
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“They can kiss my ass,” Butler said while speaking to Sports Illustrated. “You’re entitled to your opinion, but stay on the radio. You know, everybody’s big and bad on the internet. That’s O.K. The group of guys that we got, we’re gonna win. We’re gonna be fine. All I ask is that you keep that same energy when it’s like, ‘Ohhhh, [the Heat are] surprising all these people.’ Nope. I want you to still say that Jimmy made the wrong choice and their team is terrible.”
Butler has every right to feel this way especially with the way his team has been playing recently. If the Heat win a couple of rounds in the postseason, the pundits will certainly have a lot less to say moving forward.
