Michael Strahan may be at the top of his career now after several successful years hosting Good Morning America, but the retired footballer faced unimaginable struggles prior to making it big on TV. He spoke about the stereotypes he encountered as he transitioned from being an athlete to a TV host whose opinion was valued by viewers. His fans, supportive to the core, quickly chimed in with a wave of positivity.
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Michael Strahan Speaks Out On Limiting Athletes To Sports
In a recent Instagram video clip from ESPN’s UNINTERRUPTED’s More Than An Athlete series, Michael Strahan revealed that he gets frustrated when the opinions of athletes are summarily dismissed. Asked what he thought about some figures in the media telling athletes making political statements to “shut up and dribble,” Strahan admitted that the phrase, and the insinuations behind it, bothered him.
“Yeah, that bothers me…because it almost makes it seem as if you’re primitive and you don’t have a brain,” Strahan explained. He then noted the racist undertones to the statement since it’s primarily directed towards “African American players who have an opinion on something that affects them or affects their community. And that bothers me so much.” Despite this dismissive attitude towards athletes like Strahan, he’s refused to let that attitude dictate what he feels passionate about.
He went on to say he, Lebron James (to whom the original “shut up and dribble” statement was directed towards), and the athletes that come after them “will show that you can do other things and you can have an opinion that matters because you are well-rounded and smart human being.” He continued, “One thing I realized: you don’t have a platform forever. You don’t have power forever. When you have it, use it. But use it responsibly.”
Strahan Stands By His Right To Express His ‘Educated’ Opinion
In the caption on the video, which can be viewed below or through here, Strahan reiterated his stance, writing, “It doesn’t matter where you come from or what you do for a living. If you have an opinion on something that you are educated about, you deserve to have the freedom to say it. Never forget that.”
Fans were quick to chime in with their support, with one writing, “Facts!!!!! Thanks to those that use their platforms for the unheard voices that are suffering.” Another commented, “Well said Michael. Thank you!!” Yet another fan wrote, “Thank you for all you do. You represent the good in men.”
Strahan has certainly proved that he’s more than what he can do on the gridiron. After a successful run co-hosting Live! With Kelly And Michael with daytime darling Kelly Ripa for several years, Strahan made a seamless transition to Good Morning America, where he recently agreed to spend the next four years. One thing is clear, no one would dare tell Strahan to “shut up” and stick to sports after his years of hard work to prove his point of view is valuable.