I get what Kareem is trying to say.
There is a stereotype that athletes cheat.
There is also a stereotype that athletes specifically black athletes should just entertain people and shut up and dribble.
But all stereotypes aren’t equal in that regard. Sometimes in an effort to make a broader point, you miss the point completely which is what I feel Kareem has done here in his op-ed piece with Cosmo.
Just days before Khloé Kardashian gave birth, reports broke that the baby’s father, NBA player Tristan Thompson, had allegedly cheated on her. One common refrain among outraged onlookers: “There’s no way Khloé didn’t know about this. He’s an athlete.”
He’s an athlete?
The implication is that such sleazy behavior should be expected because, after all, he plays professional sports for a living. Grown men playing boys’ games can’t be trusted to act like responsible adults. Especially when they’re celebrities because of it.
This is a pervasive opinion people have of pro athletes—and not even the worst one. But that doesn’t make it true or acceptable. Imagine how different the response would be if the comment were, “He’s black.” But athletes are expected to accept the insulting stereotypes, shut up, and dribble.
I’m not here to defend or condemn Tristan Thompson’s actions. If people feel the need to judge him, let them do so based on his behavior, not his profession or gender. According to the Institute for Family Studies, married women between the ages of 18 and 29 are slightly more likely to cheat than their male counterparts.
Here is the thing, it isn’t just athletes, people in general fall under this stereotype. Studies show about 50-60% of people cheat. That is just the people who speak honestly about that number is a lot higher.
This isn’t about Tristan Thompson being stereotyped because he is an athlete, this is about him cheating on a Kardashian.
If Tristan Thompson cheated on some regular girl, do you think anyone would care? Do you think CNN and FOX NEWS would be reporting on it?
I get what Kareem is saying, but TTK is no martyr he just cheated with someone really famous, and that is why he is getting all this attention. It doesn’t matter that he is black, white or an athlete, you cheat or have a scandal with a Kardashian-Jenner it is always going to be front page news.
With that being said flip the page for the cheating video.