Jaylen Brown: Sports is extremely political

Sometimes divisive in his statements, Jaylen Brown remains a curious mind, pondering on many things. In a show co-produced by the players’ union, the Celtics forward shared his views on the societal role of sports, particularly basketball. For him, it’s unrealistic to think that sports can be completely separate from politics.

“For me, the biggest misconception is to believe that sports and politics do not coexist. I think most people say, ‘Oh, it’s just sports. It’s not related to anything. It’s just entertainment.’ That’s so wrong. So wrong,” he explained to Andre Iguodala and Grant Williams.

“I’ve been in a million meetings. We’re not supposed to talk about the contents of these meetings or the topics discussed, but I will say that our league partners have a huge influence on decision-making, or on the pressure that the NBA puts on the players. Because there is a lot of money at stake,” he added.

Feeling like a pawn

Jaylen Brown believes that players operate in a system that largely escapes them, where economic interests can weigh heavily.

“Sometimes, these partners have political agendas and biases, depending on the state of the world and what’s happening. And it is imposed on us, for us to either endorse it or not,” he continued. “Sport is extremely political, whether people realize it or not. Our sport, in a way, is a form of entertainment, and sometimes, it almost serves as a distraction from everything happening around us in our country.”

This has led Jaylen Brown to admit that he sometimes feels instrumentalized.

“Sometimes, I wake up feeling like a pawn, because I’m just a means to divert attention from what is actually happening (in the world),” he lamented. “There are conversations we’re not having when we should be having them right now. But once, it’s the Super Bowl, another time, it’s the All-Star Game. We use that, and people don’t talk about what’s happening in Minnesota, or about ICE, or about what’s happening in the world. Yet, it’s a broader debate that should be had.”

How to read the stats? MJ = games played; Min = minutes; Shots = successful shots / attempted shots; 3pts = 3-pointers made / 3-pointers attempted; FT = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebounds; Def = defensive rebounds; Tot = total rebounds; Ast = assists; Pf = personal fouls; Stl = steals; To = turnovers; Blk = blocks; Pts = points.