Time to cleanse the athletic palate after that "ignance". Someone might want to tell LeBron James to talk to Tracy McGrady about getting involved. Ira Newble didn't have much luck but maybe McGrady can do better.The Daily News has an interesting piece about McGrady's visit to Darfur where he was able to get a first-hand view of the effects of genocide. He followed up his visit with an initiative to link American and African schools and "modernize education in war zones".
It's great to see ballers getting involved whether it's in their community or other places of need instead of thinking "the Chinese buy shoes too". Maybe we'll cut T-Mac some slack the next time he gets injured which should be right about.....now. We kid. We kid. Here's some video of him discussing his initiative.
Incidentally, LeBron said the criticism of him for not signing Newble's letter to the Chinese government was unwarranted. He said he was going to get the word out about the Darfur situation after learning more about it. Don't wait up. If it's not the shoe companies, it's the NBA keeping dissent down. Just ask Etan Thomas and Craig Hodges.
Someone shouldn't be forced to become a spokesman and activist for every injustice out there because of their prominence but there's a big difference between being outspoken and signing a letter. The people around LeBron do him no favors by telling him to keep his head down in the sand. There is a balance that can be achieved in protecting one's financial interests and taking a stand where the right side is clear. There are also many ways to take a stand or make a statement without being in the forefront of an issue if there's a great deal at stake personally or financially. He's still young. Hopefully he'll figure that out sooner than later.
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