Athlete Voice Quotes

Why, when an athlete says something, why is it downplayed or considered not OK? I've always challenged that notion.

Who's to say because you're just a basketball player, or you are a basketball player, who's to say you can't chime in on other subjects or other important topics?

Before even Court Grip, I just wanted to be a part of a brand that I felt that listened to the athlete and really catered to the athlete, and gave us what we were looking for.

Amazingly, I think that a lot of times athletes are - are kind of in a position where other think they shouldn't weigh in on certain social topics.

As footballers we have a massive platform that we should be using way more than we actually are.

Athletes are in a position where others think they shouldn't weigh in on certain social topics.

What we do is unique in helping empower athletes and their voice through long-form and short-form content to social to our products.

Athletes aren't allowed to have an opinion. It's tough. Athletes are evolving right in front of our eyes. You see athletes who are politicians, etc., and still, we're told to shut up and dribble.

You could easily do a book of Marshawn Lynch's quotes, which have a quite serious political pushback. I think he's really amazing.

When I started playing professionally, it made me realize that I had a voice in the league, one that gave me the chance to share a different side of our day-to-day life and the things that were happening on and off the court.

The sports space is so full of opinion that you aren't hearing from the athletes just speaking for themselves. We are such a Twitter-oriented society with radio talk shows, TV talk shows and social media - what you are missing is the authentic, unfiltered aspect of who these people are.

Recently, more athletes have been speaking up on political issues, a change from the old days when the only political issue that mattered to 99 percent of them was which candidate was most likely to lower their taxes.

I applaud the professional athletes using their platform to voice their opinions.

What snowboarding has always had and the Olympics has not touched is that spirit, that original spirit of creativity and athletes standing up and having a voice and being innovative. But I guess what the Olympics has done is provided a platform for that spirit, and that's what I see as being a really positive thing.