President Donald Trump criticized the “highly political” National Basketball Association and mocked the NBA’s low television ratings in a tweet on Tuesday.
Trump said the ratings are low because sports fans are tired of millionaire athletes mixing politics with sports.
“People are tired of watching the highly political @NBA. Basketball ratings are WAY down, and they won’t be coming back. I hope football and baseball are watching and learning because the same thing will be happening to them. Stand tall for our Country and our Flag!!!”
NBA players boycotted 2 games to protest the police shooting of a Black man in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
But their anti-racism protests have rubbed sports fans the wrong way. According to The Athletic, network television ratings for the playoffs plunged 45% and 20% on ESPN.
Trump tweeted that he was heading to Kenosha Tuesday morning, where he plans to meet with Jacob Blake’s family members, according to the White House.
Heading to Kenosha, Wisconsin, to thank Law Enforcement and the National Guard for a job well done. The Violence stopped six days ago, the moment the Guard entered the picture. Thank you!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 1, 2020
Blake, 29, was shot 7 times in the back by a Kenosha police officer, and is paralyzed from the waist down.
Twitter suspended the account of a woman who said she was the aunt of Blake’s girlfriend.
“Soph” tweeted: “Jacob raped my niece. The cops were called because he came back to her house, took her keys, and he’s not supposed to be there.”
When a Twitter user noted Blake should not have been shot in the back 7 times, Soph responded, “Should have been 50 times for what he did to my niece. but hopefully he survives so we can put him in jail.”
Liberals claimed her tweets were fake. But she later confirmed she wrote the tweets.
Twitter users dragged Trump for his divisive tweets during ongoing Black Lives Matter protests in Democratic cities around the country.
Basketball Players are Americans. They have a a freedom of speech too. Stop trying to attack anyone whose political ideologies are different from yours. You are supposed to be America's president, not just a President for Far-right Radical Republicans.
— Mrs. Krassenstein (@HKrassenstein) September 1, 2020
As far as I’m concerned they can shutdown the NBA. I’m tired of seeing millionaires complain about how bad they have it.
— RD (@real_defender) September 1, 2020
As far as I’m concerned they can shutdown the NBA. I’m tired of seeing millionaires complain about how bad they have it.
— RD (@real_defender) September 1, 2020
As far as I’m concerned they can shutdown the NBA. I’m tired of seeing millionaires complain about how bad they have it.
— RD (@real_defender) September 1, 2020
