The insistence by some black folks in sports media that Kap put aside his special grievances and play, is rooted in the old belief that sports has been good for black people, not just the athlete, and one can’t pass these opportunities up to play.
especially since the rise of Jesse Owens and Joe Louis being seen as symbols of democracy, despite the rest of Black Americans being treated as 2nd class citizens, media, black media types have demanded the Black athlete's compliance.
when black athletes revolt from the system, black media's first reaction is to demand them to shut up and play, because the revolt challenges that old narrative. even Jesse Owens and Joe Louis were used in the late 60s to silence black athletes.
with the reaction to Kap, we're seeing this in real time. James Brown, Mike Tirico, Tony Dungy, and Stephen A. Smith, Whitlock, Wiley, are all part of this old tradition that struggles to see anything beyond the narrative that sports have been good for black folks.
