Former athletes have a pipeline to advance into sports media as commentators, and many popular shows feature a Black man or woman as a host. Instead, it turned into a forum for players to express their feelings about racial and social issues after practice was canceled. Brown added that athletes who speak out need to be articulate, informed and mindful that their words have staying power. For Rose, the era of athletes sticking to sports is over in part because President Donald Trump hasnt been shy about criticizing NBA and NFL players who disagree with him. If hes acknowledging NFL players who are kneeling and he says, They deserve to be fired, that now becomes a sports topic.