I don't mind a little cockiness. That's what makes sports fun!
Remember Riggo? Neon Deion? Michael Irvin?
The difference was these guys could back it up.
Not just that....but for me.....they stuck to the sports and that was that. I'm just not that big a fan of this current era of "superstar" sports figure and how they've been anointed this status of cultural guidance guru's. Not especially given the level of hypocrisy they demonstrate by the way they live their lives. Anyway....that's venturing into a P/R conversation so I'm sorry about that.
That's where I was heading. I don't mind cockiness on the field when it's between the lines. Tom Brady. You want to shut him up? Win. After the game, I'm not interested. Kicking a soccer ball does not make you a qualified social or cultural commentator.
While I agree with your example of Brady athletes can certainly chew gum and walk at the same time. Do people need a degree in a specific field to be a social or cultural commentator or is that their opinion rubs you the wrong way? There are plenty of popular sports figures that give back to their community far more than anyone else but I will never agree that they "shut up and dribble". That's just plantation talk.
Olympics rock!!!!
Most celebs really shouldn't make comments in regards to politics or social issues, mostly because they tend to not know what they're talking about, and having a huge outlet that they have through the press and social media, means their nonsense spreads faster and harder, for longer, than average schmoes'. They also tend to push the agendas their handlers want them to push, if we're talking plantation talk.
Not every celebrity is a Frank Zappa. Would you have told Frank Zappa to "shut up and play yer guitar" when making social or cultural analysis when he (often) did? Because much of the establishment during his lifetime did. Unlike LeBron, Johnny Depp, Madonna, and that 'nasty woman' who used to be an actress, FZ's background was growing up in a military-industrial family, grew up to have no faith in government, was wrongfully arrested and jailed by police as a young adult, which further showed how corrupt government is, and saw the parallels in the music industry with the government-media complex. If LeBron had this kind of background, I, and others, might give him the benefit of the doubt.