Charles Barkley is a known NBA Hall of Famer with extensive experience in sports and sport analytics. Some individuals think this is actually the only think Barkley can do, stating that he has no right to discuss important or sensitive topics (such as racism) on American Race’s show.
Barkley had an opportunity to discuss his role on American Race as he was a recent guest on “The Seth Davis Podcast”. He began by discussing how sport fans don’t appreciate when professional sport personalities, whether they are athletes or spokespeople, use their social status to discuss their opinions on issues not related to sports.
“The thing is, they want you to stick to sports but they want their opinion too”, Barkley stated in the interview. He says this as he directly addresses the crowd of people who believe he should “stick to sports” and not use his social level as a platform to share his thoughts and beliefs.
It is certainly true that sport personalities receive a lot of backlash whenever they discuss politics, social issues, or other sensitive topics. However, everyone should feel like they have the right to say whatever they want and feel how they want.