On August 14, 2016, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kapernick knelt before the flag during the national anthem. Around two weeks later, when asked why he made this decision, he explained that he would not and could not signal pride for a country which routinely oppresses Black people. A novelty gesture at the time, since turned political gamesmanship to decipher who “really” is loyal to this country. Kapernick, who has not played in an NFL uniform since, electrified the conversation of what role professional athletes should play in public life.
This conversation asks how professional athletes, who have enormous platforms and fanfares, can amplify the messages of socio-political causes. In a world increasingly subsumed with violence and heartache, it is becoming impossible not to remain prescient. Speaking up for social justice, and doing so often with a national audience, has become the norm for athletes. This standard is nowadays widely, though not universally, accepted amongst vigorous followers of sports. But critics remain and the path for outspoken athletes has been and is turbulent.
Background and History
The phrase “stick to sports” is not lost on many athletes today. In social journalism, it commonly indicates the view that athletes should stay in their arena and concentrate on playing their sports to the best of their ability. They should refrain from political or cultural commentary. This assessment fundamentally misses the fact that America was built on social change, and in order for that change to stick, it requires participation from all of us. Inevitably, athletes cannot be excluded from such participation.
Despite such slogans used to pin athletes down by their skills, there is plenty of precedent for professional athletes speaking up for issues that matter. American athletes refrained from participating in the 1936 Olympics to protest Hitler and the rise of Nazi Germany. In 1961, Bill Russell and other Black members of the Boston Celtics were refused service at a restaurant in Lexington, Kentucky while on vacation for an exhibition before the NBA season. At the 1968 Olympics medal ceremony in Mexico City, Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their fists and bowed their heads to silently protest racial discrimination, not dissimilar from Colin Kapernick’s protest decades later.
And then of course, there is the person whose name is almost synonymous with athletes who protest: Muhammed Ali. Ali refused induction into the U.S Army during the Vietnam War for both religious and moral objections, was convicted of draft evasion, sentenced to five years in prison, and stripped of his heavyweight title. He famously asked “shoot them for what? They never called me n*****, they never lynched me, they didn’t put no dogs on me, they didn’t rob me of my nationality, rape and kill my mother and father…How can I shoot them poor people? Just take me to jail.”
At the time, this was perhaps one of the most revolutionary statements a public figure, let alone an athlete, could make. Ali made clear civil rights and other social issues would become part of his legacy. He received praise from civil rights pioneers like Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcom X for his work uplifting these issues.
Difference Between Male and Female Athlete Activism
Athlete activism, especially since Colin Kapernick’s protest, has substantially widened. It no longer only targets racism and only has a masculine face. The wind of change increasingly, and often historically, comes with a female face.
There are countless outspoken female athletes, who beyond the consequences that potentially come from speaking up on social justice matters, constantly endure the gender discrimination that comes with being a woman in sports. Women athletes are more often than not at the forefront of social movements long before the men. A month before Colin Kapernick took a knee during the national anthem, WNBA players held a pregame news conference to address police brutality following the deaths of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling. Later that year, those same players violated league rules by wearing Black Lives Matter t-shirts, and while those players were initially fined for the violation, their NBA counterparts were not. Years later the WNBA launched the Say Her Name campaign and dedicated the 2020 season to Breonna Taylor many months before the NBA players chose to take a stand.
One of the most prolific movements given public attention by female athletes, in recent years, is the gender equal pay movement. In March 2019, the United States Women’s National Soccer team sued the U.S Soccer Federation in a class action lawsuit, demanding the female national team players receive equal compensation to their male counterparts. On every metric, the women’s team is leaps and bounds better than the men. With four World Cup titles, more than any other nation in women’s soccer history, and four Olympic gold medals, the women’s national team is one of the most successful and accomplished teams in international sporting history. And they play the exact same sport, yet they receive less pay. In collective moments since the lawsuit, the women players have spoken about gender discrimination issues on multiple media platforms, shut down critics, and fought rigorously for the right to be treated equally, all while playing soccer at the highest level. In doing so, they have united fans for the cause.
The Role of Social Media in Activism
It would be unfair to not mention the impact of social media on these athletes’ broadcasting platforms. In the context of creating social change, digital activism allows for unprecedented speed and magnitude at which movements can spread. Additionally, people are able to engage much larger audiences than before using social media, a crucial characteristic for garnering support for a social movement. In the 21st century, social media has become a vital way to communicate incidents of injustice instantaneously and effectively, an offer which traditional media omits. For professional athletes in particular, social media is an avenue for the voice of social change. These athletes build up massive fan followings for many years, and social media gives them the opportunity to grow that following and promote important social issues.
How Do Athletes Advance Solutions?
Sports bring people together of all experiences and backgrounds. Most of us are connected to sports in some way: we have a favorite team, we have a favorite athlete, or we have deep rooted connections to one particular city or country and root for our hometown teams. In this way, many of us feel an emotional investment with this enterprise. Because of these factors, sports casts an extremely wide net of outreach capability, creating a powerful platform unlike any other to communicate messages. Especially in recent months, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to shake apart communities, athletes are using their heightened roles by leveraging their platforms to shine a spotlight on various social issues.
The impact athletes and sports organizations have is enormous. According to a Nielsen Sports study, published in July 2020, across all professional sports, 69 percent of fans indicated their support for Black Lives Matter, 70% of fans think teams and leagues should support athlete protests and initiatives, and 72% of fans believe athletes provide a unique perspective on social movements and could bring important influence. That influence was key when NBA teams collaborated with local election officials to convert their stadiums to polling places with added safety measures during the 2020 election. It was also important when the United States women’s national soccer team’s equal pay lawsuit inspired professional women in some of America’s biggest corporations to sue their employers for equal pay. And that’s not to forget the multiple campaigns, initiatives, and dollars the WNBA has created and set aside to fight racial injustice. Sports is a powerful tool for social integration and inclusion, while also possessing the power to unite people together. It is a unique cross section. And these athletes’ voices energize the next generation of leaders.
Nelson Mandela once reminded us that sports have the power to change the world, even more so than government, and sports are a way to help us understand matters of all forms of injustice. As a humble soccer player and avid sports spectator myself, I expect professional athletes to continue advancing social reform by providing a common platform that brings us together where we can echo all of the voices for change.
