Illinois State U. Athletes Skip Sporting Events After ‘All Redbird Lives Matter’ Comment
An assistant basketball coach believes that “all lives matters” is “hurtful and cruel.”
The athletic director at Illinois State University did the ultimate no-no! He holds the belief that every single life matters.
From The Chicago Sun-Times:
Students in all but one of the university’s 17 athletics programs have said they won’t return to their teams until their list of social justice demands are met, including a concrete, comprehensive plan of action to support racial justice protests and a commitment to diversity in the athletics administration. The missed team events are mostly practices because competitions are postponed or canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Athletics Department released a plan Monday afternoon that partially addressed some of those issues, but that athletes quickly said was insufficient.
The strike started after athletic director Larry Lyons said on a department-wide preseason call last Wednesday that “all Redbird lives matter,” referencing the university’s mascot in a play on the “all lives matter” slogan often used by critics of the Black lives matter movement.
Students who said they were offended by the comments took to social media to list their demands, which also included hiring mental health professionals who specialize in “minority struggles” and more diversity among athletics trainers. Athletes have said coaches and alums have been supportive.
A coach on ISU’s track and field team wrote on Twitter that Lyons’ comment was “insensitive and frankly one that attempts to drown the movement.” An assistant coach with ISU’s men’s basketball program posted a message that called “all lives matter” comments “hurtful and cruel.” Davontae Harris, an NFL player and ISU alum, said in a Tweet that he was going to have to “disassociate myself with Illinois State as a whole” and that Lyons “was fully aware of what he was doing … we can’t keep allowing people to pretend like they don’t know any better.”
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Comments
I live in Illinois. ISU is probably going to shut down soon anyway, due to their rising virus numbers. However, I thank their athletic department for reminding me what sensitive flowers athletes and their coaches are, and that no one can say anything around them that they disagree with without them taking offense and striking. Just another reason to defund sports in college and the professional leagues and hand out the money to people who will materially contribute to society.
Their fans were unavailable for comment because it is Illinois State and no fans could be found.
That’s my alma mater.
They should simply inform the student athletes that their sports scholarships will be cancelled if they choose to not participate. That’s entirely up to them but I believe that they become financially responsible for the entire year when this happens.
What they should NOT do is what Mizzou did a few years back and cave to the demands; that severely damaged that school and it still hasn’t recovered.
‘Students in all but one of the university’s 17 athletics programs have said they won’t return to their teams until their list of social justice demands are met, including a concrete, comprehensive plan of action to support racial justice protests and a commitment to diversity in the athletics administration.’
The hubris of pampered, spoiled athletes, with the opportunity for a free education, ‘demanding’ anything! Time long past to end college sports programs and instead institute intramural sports and physical education classes focusing on health and nutrition!