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The Chicago Bulls, like the rest of the NBA and NFL, are aware of the world around them these days

By Idrees Muhammad Kudaimi

CHICAGO, IL - SEPTEMBER 25: Bobby Portis #5, Robin Lopez #42, and Lauri Markkanen #24 of the Chicago Bulls poses for a portrait during the 2017-18 NBA Media Day on September 25, 2017 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Randy Belice/NBAE via Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - SEPTEMBER 25: Bobby Portis #5, Robin Lopez #42, and Lauri Markkanen #24 of the Chicago Bulls poses for a portrait during the 2017-18 NBA Media Day on September 25, 2017 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Randy Belice/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Every NBA team, including the Chicago Bulls, will have eyes on them early this season after the events of this past weekend with the President of the United States and the NFL.

This was one of the more bizarre weekends in recent memory, in politics and the sports world.
Obviously by now, you’ve probably heard what happened and we’re not talking about the Chicago Bulls buying out Dwyane Wade. If not, then you’ve been living under a rock, but I’ll give you a brief recap.

President Donald Trump held a rally on Friday in Alabama where he brought up the protests in the National Football League kneeling or putting a fist up during the National Anthem, specifically former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

He stated, and I quote, “You know what the owners should do? They should say, ‘Get that son of a ***** off the field! Fire him! Yeah, fire him!'”

Statements began coming from NFL organizations defending their players and supporting their protests. Then, on Saturday morning, after Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors said at Warriors Media Day that he would not go to the White House and was attacked by Trump on Twitter, who withdrew an invitation the Warriors never received.

Then, President Trump was called out by Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James, who called him a “bum” and said that visiting the White House was “an honor” until Trump was inaugurated this past January. That tweet was followed up by many more by NFL and NBA players all around, including notable ones from Bulls center Robin Lopez.

Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy even called the President “an a**hole.”

This past Sunday, protests were held across the NFL, as the number of protesters in the NFL skyrocketed from about a dozen to in excess of 250 players and that doesn’t even include the teams that simply locked arms, which, unlike the POTUS thinks, is the same as kneeling, simply just not as powerful. As a result, the NFL television ratings went up.

Other Bulls players and coaches and front office personnel got involved, too.

At media day, Bulls vice president of basketball operations John Paxson answered a question asked about the team’s eventual actions involving a potential protest, Paxson said that the Bulls would meet together as a team and discussed matters.

“We understand the magnitude of what’s going on, how divisive things are right now,” Paxson said. “The great thing about sports is how they bring people together.”

While the meeting has not taken place as of yet, some players already let their feelings be known on the President.

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    • Guards Kris Dunn and Zach LaVine also spoke out against Trump. Dunn said the situation was very serious and that it needed to be closely looked at. “I don’t have the right answer, but … I’m going to keep standing,” Dunn said, via K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. “I’m going to keep doing it for my friend who is over in Afghanistan right now.”

    Quite clearly showing most people who do stand for the National Anthem are doing it for our vets, our people, etc., but not for the person who runs it. LaVine said that players have a louder voice that they can use to make a needed stand against one who is trying to take away first amendment rights.

    “Some of the comments he’s made and the things he’s done to try to divide us, we’re not for that,” LaVine said. “We’re going to do this as a team. We might not be LeBron James or Steph Curry, but in the community we’re faces that can be heard and people can look up to.”

    Hopefully, this could bring the team together, as well as both leagues entirely.

    This is not something that is simply a sports issue. This is a global, political, racial issue. And last weekend was something we haven’t seen since the days of guys like Muhammad Ali and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. It’s something minorities of all kinds, from African-Americans, to Latinos, to South Americans, to Asian-Americans, to even the majority White people.

    We’ve been waiting very long for a large number of athletes to use their platform as grounds to stand up for social, racial equality and justice. Movements have been good, but athlete involvement can push efforts much farther.

    Recently, only some athletes had been standing up by kneeling or speaking out, like Colin Kaepernick and at times, LeBron James, but none had done it like Kaepernick since former Bulls guard Craig Hodges had in the early 90’s. Now, we have a large number of athletes of all ethnic and racial backgrounds who are participating in standing up against bigotry, racism, xenophobia, police brutality, social injustice, etc.

    Not only are athletes uniting now, but they are also uniting the country and even people who once supported Trump are very disappointed and perplexed. His hope of getting more players blackballed backfired and we may now be looking at Colin Kaepernick potentially signing with a team. Yes, Kaepernick, the one who may or may not have been getting blackballed, who has been donating a lot of money to different organizations, may be able to get back into a league that had many owners supporting Trump.

    It was amazing to see the sights on Sunday. A Muslim owner united with his team with locked arms in London. Empty sidelines in Chicago and Nashville. The entire black Oakland Raiders offensive line sat together with their arms locked. Dolphins players wearing #IMWITHKAP T-shirts. It was many athletes who all had the same goal: unite our country through what majority of Americans love; football.

    People have wanted for many years for sports players to use their platform to stand up for social justice. Analysts like Stephen A. Smith and Michael Wilbon have been preaching for this for years. It may have finally happened Saturday and Sunday. For the first time, the country could actually come together and the Bulls could play a part in the NBA’s role with all of this.

    Next: Zach LaVine likely won't take contact until mid-November

    Race has been an issue since the beginning of mankind, from slavery all the way to today. Going back to the post-slavery days, the post-segregation years and post-Jim Crow laws, there is still racial inequality, injustice and discrimination today. This is not an issue that will be resolved anytime soon, but with united athletes and a united country, it can happen faster than you think.

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