“Always tell the truth, but don’t always go around telling it.” – proverb

For all that is terrible about social media – and there is a lot of terrible – I have to admit I have learned far more about the variety of viewpoints that can exist on political and social issues than I would have without social media.

Are many of these viewpoints more on the kooky side? Yup. Still, even bizarre ideas can force you to think about an issue you have heard about a million times in a new way.

Social media has also gone a long way in bringing celebrities down to Earth with the rest of us. A movie star may get paid $30 million a movie and grace the cover of fashion magazines, but oh boy, does she post some weird ideas on her Instagram account.

Sharing political views can get tricky when someone is both high-profile and a representative of a large group of people. A recent example is Bruce Pearl, Auburn University’s basketball coach, who is not shy about posting his political opinions on his X (formerly known as Twitter) account.

Pearl is open about his Jewish faith as well as his support of the nation of Israel in its hostilities against Palestinian nationalist group Hamas – and, occasionally, other Middle Eastern countries –  after last year’s deadly terrorist attack and hostage situation.

In the past several months, he seemingly has moved beyond only advocating for Israel’s continued use of military force and has become particularly critical of the Joe Biden administration’s position on this conflict and, more recently, critical of the Kamala Harris and Tim Walz campaign for president and vice president.

Pearl’s criticism of Biden, Harris and Walz has grown into other policy areas like economic and border control issues as well as allegations of censorship during the COVID-19 pandemic. He also posted a campaign commercial from Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and a clip of a speech Pearl delivered to the Republican Jewish Coalition.

Now does Pearl have a right to express his political opinion as he sees fit? Absolutely. I think it can be beneficial when a figure outside government and politics draws attention to issues beyond what we usually associate with them, especially when it generates interest in public policies from people who generally have little interest in government.

Where this can get thorny, however, is when sustained support or criticism of political parties get included. Pearl is a public employee. State employees are allowed to be engaged in political activities, as long as it occurs on their own time.

The problem for Pearl is because he is in such a high-profile position, it sometimes becomes difficult to see where the line between Bruce Pearl, private citizen, and Bruce Pearl, public employee, lies.

For example, Pearl recently appeared on basketball analyst Dan Dakich’s podcast, “Don’t @ Me,” where he discussed both the upcoming college basketball season and if his criticism of Harris could affect his ability to recruit and retain Black basketball players.

To be clear, I do not believe Pearl has crossed any line, but it is a high-wire balancing act with these competing interests when you are often making public statements and any mistake can be magnified.

There is also a broader issue to consider of how much we want our entertainers and leaders outside government to be outspoken for a political party. While I feel confident I know who Pearl is supporting for president based on his words and actions, he has not, to my knowledge, endorsed the Trump and JD Vance ticket.

On the other hand, Steve Kerr, coach of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, gave a speech at last month’s Democratic National Convention to endorse Harris and criticize Trump. NBA coach is not a government job, so Kerr may have more professional leeway than Pearl to do something like this.

As long as their teams win, most fans are willing to give coaches and athletes a pass on whatever they say. Lose a few games, and it invites division within the fanbase about whether to keep a coach or run him out of town.

I always hope people in high-profile positions are honest and straightforward in what they say to the public. However, sports, and really any other form of entertainment, offer many people an escape from the constant flow of political conflict. It is an escape these people find valuable.

This is not to say famous people should be afraid to share an opinion, even an unpopular one. But if you want to start telling us for whom we should vote and keep your paychecks coming, both Pearl and Kerr better keep us highly entertained.