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Sports activism in the United States plays a pivotal part in the nation's culture because professional athletes are well known and generally have large platforms through which they can spread their messages. In the early 20th century, having a platform was much more difficult to achieve because of a lack of technology. Athletes' actions used to be publicized in traditional news sources such as newspapers and radio. Now, this is done through social media sites and modern news sources on the internet. As technology continues to advance, professional athletes are able to be more active in speaking out about social issues and participating in activism. From the early activists in sports, such as Jim Thorpe and Jackie Robinson, to the modern-day activists including Colin Kaepernick and LeBron James, there is a long history of athletes using their platforms to advocate for important social issues.
National Football League
The NFL has seen activity in many areas of activism such as United States military, Black Lives Matter, and aspects of feminism.
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Colin Kaepernick was the first major activist of the Black Lives Matter movement in the NFL. Colin Kaepernick started his protest to raise awareness towards people of color and more specifically black Americans by sitting on the bench during the National Anthem. After catching the eye of American Football fans around the world, he was told by one of his teammates that it would be more respectful to take a knee. Colin's actions continued to capture attention and gained more popularity after every game. The attention had both positive and negative reactions. Many people around the United States were angry because the National Anthem is often seen as something that is representative of the United States and its military. While he was taking a knee, many people believed that it was disrespectful to the military and all of those who served their country, while other people saw it as a way of bringing awareness to racism in America.
Olympics
1968 Olympics
The 1968 Olympics provided another turning point in activism in American sports. During this time period, the Civil Rights Movement was coming to an end, but statements to bring awareness towards racism still existed. The Olympic Project for Human Rights (OPHR) was a movement organized by Dr. Harry Edwards and led by star and critical athletes for the success of the United States in the 1968 Olympics, like Lee Evans, Tommie Smith, and John Carlos. The iconic photograph of Tommie Smith and John Carlos holding up their fists on the podium came after the Men's 200M Race, in which Smith placed first and Carlos placed third. This act helped bring attention to the Civil Rights movement and its ideals. Smith and Carlos proved in this action that words are not needed to convey a message.
Major League Baseball
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National Basketball Association
LeBron James is considered by most people to be one of the greatest players in the history of the NBA. And, throughout his career, James has made it a focus to better the world around him. Despite this, James has faced racism during his NBA career. Since Kaepernick took the knee, James has followed in his footsteps, but led in his own way and in his own sport. Despite being told to "shut up and dribble," James has continued to be an activist against racism by taking action on social media and during the pregame of NBA games. The use of his high platform allows for more people to follow or hear about his activism. At the 2016 ESPYs, James and a few fellow NBA players used their platform to express their support toward the Black Lives Matter Movement. James has used his platform more every year as he gains more popularity, and his platform continues to grow.
Social media
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Feminism
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References
- Lopez, Jason Kido (2021-03-15). "Rewriting activism: the NFL takes a knee". Critical Studies in Media Communication. 38 (2): 183–196. doi:10.1080/15295036.2021.1884275. ISSN 1529-5036. S2CID 233974629.
- Hartmann, Douglas (2022-07-03). "What media coverage of the 1968 Olympic protests reveals about the deep structure of attitudes about athletic activism in the United States". Sport in History. 42 (3): 405–426. doi:10.1080/17460263.2022.2058074. ISSN 1746-0263. S2CID 248196899.
- Johnson, Tyler; Reinke, Lauren; Noble, Gloria; Camarillo, Tyler (2020-06-19). "Shut up and dribble? How popularity, activism, and real-world events shape attitudes towards LeBron James and race". The Social Science Journal: 1–20. doi:10.1080/03623319.2020.1768484. ISSN 0362-3319. S2CID 225718580.