To conclude this month’s Impactfull series on the Olympics, we’re zooming out to explore sports and activism beyond the Olympics rings. Here are the five gold medals we give to inspiring activist athletes in 2022.
š„ Allyson Felix
Allyson Felix is one of the greatest Olympians of all time. With seven gold medals in track & field, Felix is a powerhouse on the track. But her activism is just as impressive.
As a mother herself, Felix is a powerful advocate for maternal health. She had unexpected pregnancy complications with her daughter Camryn. Since then, Felix has spoken out about her experiences and even met with Vice President Kamala Harris about the topic last year.
š„ Brian Flores
During the middle of this past month, former NFL head coach Brian Flores made headlines when he announced a lawsuit against the National Football League. Flores, who is Black, alleges that the League discriminates against minority coaches in its hiring practices.
Perhaps the most inspiring part of Flores’ suit is the effect that it could have on his own career. Although Flores is still seeking a new coaching position in the NFL, he went forward with the suit.
Listen to a podcast episode from the New York Times about the NFL rule at the center of the lawsuit below.
š„ Maya Moore
Maya Moore is the greatest women’s basketball player of all time, full stop. She has won four Women’s National Basketball League championships. But Moore left her basketball career to help Jonathan Irons, who was wrongly convicted of burglary and assault with a deadly weapon, to be released from prison.
Moore was committed to the cause for years, and the story is captured in a recent ESPN 30 for 30 documentary. Moore made headlines last year when she won the Arthur Ashe Award for her activism at the ESPYs. Today, Moore advocates for fairness in the criminal justice system.
Watch the trailer for Breakaway, the ESPN documentary about Moore, below.
š„ Colin Kaepernick
If you’ve heard anything about Colin Kaepernick lately, it was probably a tweet or Instagram post reflecting on how his activism was punished years before George Floyd was killed. The former NFL player was shunned from the league after kneeling during the National Anthem to protest police brutality.
I was reminded of Kaepernick this past weekend while watching a documentary about Trayvon Martin, who was murdered 10 years ago this month. Kaepernick was one of the first professional athletes to use his platform to advocate for racial justice. Today, Kaepernick is involved in the same activism that got him pushed out of the NFL, advocating for racial justice.
š„ Peng Shuai
Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai made headlines last fall when she accused a former high-ranking Communist Party official of sexual assault. Shuai disappeared for several months after making the allegations, leading to global discussion of what might have happened to the tennis star in a country with a record of disappearing those who cross it.
Shuai reemerged in a controlled interview during the Olympics, where she walked back the allegations while watched by a Chinese Olympic official. The International Olympic Committee was timid in its handling of the situation.
The irony of ending an article on sports and activism with an athlete who was silenced for speaking out isn’t lost on me. But as the world contends with the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the greater rise of autocracy around the globe, it’s an important reminder that those of us who have the freedom to speak out and act must do so.
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