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Andre Iguodala has interesting analogy about police violence

By Logan Bradley

Jun 16, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Andre Iguodala (9) warms up before game six of the NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 16, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Andre Iguodala (9) warms up before game six of the NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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NBA preseason has started, and so have the protests and political engagement surrounding the issue of police violence.

Preseason action marks the beginning of NBA players’ opportunity to peacefully protest similarly to Colin Kaepernick and others in the NFL. Last night, the Knicks and Rockets locked arms during the national anthem. It was meant as less of a protest and more a show of solidarity between players on each team.

One player in the league, however, is using his voice to express his view on recent issues. The Golden State Warriors’ Andre Iguodala had an interesting analogy to offer on police violence when talking to the USA Today recently:

"“The police are definitely needed, (but) at the end of the day, it’s just holding them accountable,” said Iguodala. “You hold athletes accountable, right? Whenever we screw up, it’s headline news – ‘how did this guy mess up?’ We’re almost looked at as God-like figures, like we shouldn’t screw up, when we’re actually human beings. They’re looked at as God-like figures as well, but when they do wrong, it’s almost like they didn’t do it. We’re held in the same ideology, but we’re held to different standards.”"

Whether you agree or not with Iguodala’s comparison, it’s refreshing to hear a conversation about the subject, as opposed to players staying silent. You could assume that these comments are what Kaepernick was hoping for when he first knelt during the anthem.

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Iguodala raises a great point on the amount of criticism that athletes receive compared to police. However, the truth is, can the average person name police officers in the way they could name off professional athletes? This leads me to believe that the “god-like figures” comparison of police and athletes might not be all-together true.

The idea that Iguodala is going for as a whole though, cannot be ignored. If police were to receive the same scrutiny that athletes do, they may act and go about their job in a more productive way.

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