Written by I’ve written in the past about the role athletes can play in promoting positive change in their communities. Their platform offers unparalleled influence, and several serve as community leaders and activists for noble causes. Athletes are blessed with the right amounts of wealth, celebrity, and admiration to exert significant sway. Most athletes do: they start nonprofits, schools, and youth programs, for instance.
Yet not all athletes use their platform for good. Through ignorance, error, or genuine ill will, a disturbing number of athletes have gone in the opposite direction.
Earlier this week, Denver Broncos linebacker AJ Johnson took to Twitter to vent his frustrations with his team’s decision to hold offseason workouts virtually. To be clear, the Broncos players made the choice out of an abundance of caution, given that COVID-19 still poses significant health risks. Backed by the NFL Players Association, the Seattle Seahawks and Super Bowl-champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers followed suit.
Johnson, on the other hand, used his platform to allege that the pandemic was “planned,” and that he “wasn’t with the COVID-19 excuses.” To his 32,000 followers, he promoted a baseless conspiracy theory about a lethal disease that has claimed jobs, savings, and lives.
Unfortunately, Johnson isn’t the only athlete even in Denver to make the same mistake. As the NBA was preparing to restart its season in Orlando last year, Michael Porter Jr., a promising young forward for the Denver Nuggets, held a question-and-answer session for fans on Snapchat. Porter offered his opinion on the pandemic, arguing “that the coronavirus is being used obviously for a bigger agenda.” He said the virus “is being used for population control,” echoing a similar conspiracy theory propagated in online forums. Porter advocated against wearing masks and getting vaccines, as well.
These comments may seem one-off and harmless, but they carry much more weight than it seems. Fans and communities listen to their favorite athletes. They follow them on social media. They read about them and watch their highlight videos and interviews. Words from Johnson and Porter Jr. are significant. As with any public figure, we admire athletes and even view the outspoken ones as leaders. But they have to be held to a certain ethical standard. Public figures serve as standard-bearers for acceptable conduct. Using stardom as a launching pad for deadly conspiracy theories and disinformation is unacceptable.
Athletes hold a special position as entertainers. They can inspire and influence thousands of people and use that standing to lead in their communities. With this stature, however, comes responsibility.