Fox Sports’ Shannon Sharpe Calls Out ‘Dumb Dumb’ Phil Jackson for Saying NBA’s Become Too Political: ‘Politics Have Always Been in Sports’
NFL legend Shannon Sharpe called former NBA coach Phil Jackson “foolish” for saying the NBA turned away fans when it became “political” in 2020.
That NBA season – which was postponed due to the Covid pandemic – concluded in the “bubble” that was created in Florida that summer. During that time, a number of high-profile police killings inspired a number of players to speak out against police brutality. Players did so with full support from the league, and games were played with “Black Lives Matter” prominently placed on courts during play. Players were also given the option to replace their last names on their uniforms with a slogan of their choosing.
Jackson, an 11-time NBA champion coach, said on Rick Rubin’s Tetragrammaton podcast that he hasn’t watched the NBA since then because fans prefer sports to be “non-political.”
Phil Jackson said the ‘BLM’ slogans and logos that the #NBA publicly embraced during 2020 turned him off from basketball for good, and he hasn’t watched basketball since. 👀
pic.twitter.com/VgPrThI5dc— No Jumper (@nojumper) April 22, 2023
On Monday’s episode of Undisputed, Sharpe called him out.
“Can you tell dumb dumb politics have always been in sports?” Sharpe said to Skip Bayless. “(Muhammad) Ali, (boxer) Jack Johnson… Go back in history of the time. Politics have always been in sports.”
Sharpe and Bayless then noted how in his younger days, Jackson was viewed as a hippy for his anti-war advocacy and his willingness to “dabble in mind-altering drugs.”
“Now, all of a sudden, it turns him off,” Sharpe said.
Sharpe added that most fans, including himself, don’t even pay much attention to what’s on the court or jerseys. All he cares about is the quality of play.
“I don’t care nothing about what’s on the court,” Sharpe said. “Can they go put the ball in the basketball then go ‘d’ up? I wanna see the shot making. I wanna see the ball handling. I wanna see the creativity. It wasn’t (about) what’s on no damn court.
“Come on, Phil. You sound foolish.”
The NBA has been dealing with decreased ratings for the last several years, and some have suggested it’s due to the league being vocal about social issues. Bayless, however, disputed that notion.
“By the way, the TV ratings this year for the first round of the playoffs are the best in 10 years,” he said. “Somebody’s watching.”
Watch above via Fox Sports 1
