Fox Sports’ Chris Broussard Blames LeBron James Hate Map on Politics: ‘Pretty Much all the Red States’

Brandon ContesJun 9th, 2021, 1:24 pm
 

A recent study conducted by SportsInsider.com determined LeBron James is the most hated player in the NBA. According to Fox Sports’ Chris Broussard, politics is a significant reason for the LeBron hate.

“I looked at the map…of where people hated LeBron the most,” Broussard told Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless on Undisputed. “And it was pretty much all the red states. It was the middle of the country, the upper, Northern Midwest…places like that where they aren’t feeling LeBron James.”

The study used recent geotagged Twitter data, tracking negative mentions of NBA players such as, “I hate LeBron.” Featuring over 70,000 tweets, the research found LeBron was the NBA’s most hated player in 24 different states.

“LeBron James stands for something,” Broussard added. “When you stand boldly and unashamedly for something, you’re gonna have people that love you and you’re gonna have people that hate you.”

“The first thing he stands for is against social and racial injustice,” the Fox Sports host said. “You can argue, that LeBron is the player that started this whole movement across these various sports leagues, of players standing up against injustice.”

Broussard cited 2012 when LeBron tweeted a picture of the Miami Heat wearing hoodies in support of slain teenager Trayvon Martin, more than four years before NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick knelt during the national anthem.

LeBron helped organize “the ‘More Than A Vote’ campaign which had an impact on the most polarizing election, maybe in our lifetimes,” Broussard added.

‘More Than A Vote’ was launched last summer, with the goal of “energizing, educating, and protecting Black voters.” Among its many initiatives, LeBron encouraged NBA teams to use their facilities as polling locations during the 2020 election.

LeBron is polarizing, on and off the court, so it shouldn’t be surprising that he’s either strongly loved or hated by fans. On the court, LeBron has dominated the league for 18 years, making enemies with various fan bases. Off the court, LeBron stands against injustice, often making his social and political allegiances known.

Watch above via, Fox Sports

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