How are athletes now at the forefront of fighting racism and social injustice in society?

An insight into sports' fight for equality

By Brian Matovu

people in black shirts and black shorts sitting on bench during daytime

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

Photo by Gene Trent on Flickr

Photo by Fotoshoptofs on Pixabay

Photo by Wes Candela

Photo by Gene Trent on Flickr

Photo by Fotoshoptofs on Pixabay

Photo by Wes Candela

There has always been a huge debate as to whether politics and sport should be kept separate.

However, due to the rising number of Black athletes who are invested in their communities and, amidst an era of social media, we have seen a rise in the number of athletes who are no longer afraid to speak out against racism and social injustice.

In times of old when African Americans would look up to political figures like Dr Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X, athletes used to be vilified for bringing up political and societal issues within their line of work.

But modern-day sporting figures have taken on the burden of responsibility of calling for change.

Historically, American sports have reflected the political issues surrounding civil rights for African Americans because their professional sports teams and leagues were subject to Jim Crow laws.

Jim Crow laws enforced racial segregation in the early part of the 20th century which meant that African Americans were unable to compete in the same leagues as their white counterparts.

In response to this, African Americans formed their own leagues and in baseball, they were known as the Negro Leagues which were first played in 1920.

It took until 1947 for Jackie Robinson to become the first African-American to play in the official professional league of Major League Baseball.

Despite Jackie Robinson breaking barriers in sports, regular African Americans were still fighting for their civil rights on a day-to-day basis.

The Civil Rights Movement was at its most illustrious height during the late 1950s and throughout the 1960s. During this era, landmark legislation such as the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act were passed.

Memorable events included the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott led by Rosa Parks and the 1963 March on Washington led by Dr Martin Luther King Jr - the largest political rally for human rights ever in the US. 

The fight for equality would continue throughout the whole of the 20th century and over time we have seen a number of significant African American athletes take a stance.

PRE MODERN-DAY
SPORTS ACTIVISM

Photo by Anefo

Photo by Anefo

MUHAMMAD ALI

Widely regarded as the greatest boxer of his generation, Ali was never one to shy away and conform to the standards of the majority. His determination to speak out against social injustice motivated and provided leadership to many. 

Ali’s most notable political altercation came in 1967 when he refused to enlist himself in the US Army to fight in the Vietnam War. Ali famously said he would not fight for a nation that denied African Americans like himself simple human rights. 

Although abstention from the army carried a potential five-year prison sentence, Ali proclaimed that he had already been in jail for 400 years as a Black person living in America. 

Despite avoiding jail, Ali was banned from boxing for three years during the middle of his prime. By the time Ali retired from boxing in 1981, he was known worldwide as a symbol of Black power and pride embodying the Civil Rights Movement.

TOMMIE SMITH AND JOHN CARLOS

One of the most notable civil rights sporting demonstrations took place at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City where African American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos appeared on the winners’ podium raising black-gloved fists during the playing of the US national anthem.

Professor Sarah Jane Blakemore described them as having "black-socked feet without shoes to bring attention to Black poverty, beads to protest lynching, and raised, black-gloved fists to represent their solidarity and support with Black and oppressed people around the world". 

This was a significant turning point in sports political activism because it was the first significant protest on a global sporting stage demanding equality in America.

Before Smith and Carlos, it was rare for African American athletes to speak out publicly against social injustices due to the fear of backlash and sponsors would cut ties with them.

Smith and Carlos can arguably see themselves as pioneers of sports activism, and with Ali, arguably paved the way for the new era of modern sports activism that we see today through the likes of Colin Kaepernick and LeBron James.

MODERN-DAY SPORTS ACTIVISM

Photo by Keith Allison on Flickr

Photo by Keith Allison on Flickr

COLIN KAEPERNICK

Colin Kaepernick is an American Football quarterback who most recently played for the San Francisco 49ers. Kaepernick is well renowned as a sports political activist after he decided to “take a knee” to protest police brutality and social injustices against African Americans in 2016 before NFL games.

Protests highlighting police brutality are nothing new in the NFL, for example in 2014 Cleveland Browns wide receiver Andrew Hawkins wore a T-shirt demanding justice for Tamir Rice and John Crawford III, two African Americans controversially killed at the hands of the police.

However, the significance of Kaepernick’s knee gesture was that it took place during the playing of the US National Anthem. This opened up Kaepernick to the realms of heavy criticism as many Americans viewed it as a total disrespect to the country’s fallen soldiers but it also widened the debate on what the flag means to the different demographics of American society.

Kaepernick’s protest rejuvenated the well-known discussion around systemic forms of racism and led to the re-examination of already published studies on police brutality and racism to identify trends.

By September 2017, the NFL protests became more widespread as over 200 players had sat or knelt during the anthem.

Kaepernick encouraged others at the college and recreational level of sport to take a stance. For example, Howard University cheerleaders, Laguna Creek High and Garfield High School players all took a knee during the national anthem echoing solidarity with Kaepernick. Artists such as Pharrell Williams, Eddie Vedder and John Legend kneeled at specific points during their concerts to show their support for Kaepernick. 

People from all races and sections of life were inspired by Kaepernick and joined in with his protest either by raising their fists, locking arms, or taking a knee. There was a real sense of optimism from the African American community that sport was going to be the driving force behind change in race relations in America. 

Photo of Colin Kaepernick by Mike Morbeck on Flickr

Photo of Colin Kaepernick by Mike Morbeck on Flickr

Photo Washington Commanders players taking the knee by Keith Allison on Flickr

Photo Washington Commanders players taking the knee by Keith Allison on Flickr

Photo of Las Vegas Raiders players taking the knee by Keith Allison on Flickr

Photo of Las Vegas Raiders players taking the knee by Keith Allison on Flickr

Photo of Kaepernick supporter by Miki Jourdan on Flickr

Photo of Kaepernick supporter by Miki Jourdan on Flickr

LEBRON JAMES

Another one of the main athletes at the forefront of social change has been NBA player LeBron James. From being told to just “shut up and dribble” when criticising President Trump in 2018, James now resides as the face of the new wave of sports political activism.

Following the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd at the hands of police in 2020, James spearheaded the “More Than A Vote” campaign which aims to increase voter participation in African American communities.

The campaign encouraged NBA teams to turn their arenas into safe in-person voting areas for the 2020 US Presidential election to reduce the hour-long waits which mainly occurred in African American communities that previously deterred people from voting.

Karen Finney, a Democratic political strategist underpinned the significance of James by saying he has "the respect and credibility within the African American community”.

If James’ influence were not credible, then it would not have forced the White House adviser and son-in-law of President Trump, Jared Kushner, to reach out to him to discuss concrete policy on how they could work together in resolving social issues.

Although he has significantly raised awareness and increased voter registration amongst the African American community, James has been unable to force through meaningful social justice reform.

Photo of LeBron James by Erik Drost on Flickr

Photo of LeBron James by Erik Drost on Flickr

THE TWO MAJOR TURNING POINTS IN SPORTS ACTIVISM

man in black hoodie standing beside wall with graffiti

Photo by Tito Texidor III on Unsplash

Photo by Tito Texidor III on Unsplash

THE MURDER OF GEORGE FLOYD

The police murder of unarmed African American George Floyd in May 2020 was a significant turning point in race relations and sports activism.

When Floyd was killed by police officer Derek Chauvin in Minnesota, a fresh wave of civil rights activism was formed in America fronted by the “BlackLivesMatter” (BLM) Movement.

The nine-minute-long video clip that captured the explicit nature of Floyd’s death caused global outrage and led to protests all over America.

It also forced organisations from various industries to evaluate whether they were doing enough to tackle systemic racism.

Although Kaepernick did not lead these worldwide protests, he became the face of the movement as more non-African Americans began to understand the reasoning behind his protests during the anthem just four years prior. 

Despite over 400 years of oppression and inequality, Floyd’s death was the ultimate trigger for America’s long awakening to the prejudiced reality that African Americans regularly face from the police and systemic institutions.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was one of those to acknowledge this reality stating that “protests around the country are emblematic of the centuries of silence, inequality and oppression of Black players, coaches, fans and staff”.

This was ironic given that when Kaepernick first knelt, Goodell publicly voiced his disagreement and just two years ago, he introduced a policy that forced players to stand for the anthem or to stay in the locker room.

As a result, Goodell rescinded the ban on kneeling and apologised on behalf of the NFL for not listening to players’ concerns about racial inequality and pledged £250m towards social justice causes.

Although Goodell did not directly name Kaepernick, it would be unjust to suggest he was not referring to him to some degree with his apology, given that Kaepernick was the pioneer behind the “take a knee” protests in the NFL.

THE SHOOTING OF JACOB BLAKE

It would only be three months later that the American sporting world witnessed arguably its most significant ever statement in protest against racial injustice since Tommie Smith and John Carlos in 1968.

In August 2020 unarmed African American Jacob Blake was shot seven times by a police officer while opening his car door in Kenosha, Wisconsin. 

Three days after the shooting, which left Blake paralysed from the waist down, players from the Milwaukee Bucks refused to play their play-off match against Orlando Magic in protest at the shooting. 

Given the shooting happened only 40 mins from Milwaukee, the Bucks' team stayed in the locker room and demanded action from the Wisconsin State Legislature in charging the officer who shot Blake. 

The boycott was backed by the other five teams scheduled to play and it forced the NBA to cancel all playoff games on that day. The players felt it was a time to sacrifice potentially millions of dollars in salary in the hope of provoking change to make society fairer for the average African American. 

The NBA players’ lead was followed by boycotts in three MLB games, five MLS games and three WNBA games. Additionally, Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka withdrew from her scheduled semi-final of the Western & Southern Open in protest of what she described as “the continued genocide of Black people at the hands of the police”.

TO WHAT EXTENT CAN ATHLETES INVOKE CHANGE?

black and white abstract painting

Photo by Ehimetalor Akhere Unuabona on Unsplash

Photo by Ehimetalor Akhere Unuabona on Unsplash

Despite the action of the athletes such as LeBron James, Colin Kaepernick and the Milwaukee Bucks team, many sporting commentators have suggested that players ultimately cannot do much to implement significant change, unless they have the unrivalled support of their billionaire owners.

This is because most team owners have easy access to influential people such as politicians, lawmakers, and police commissioners - the bodies who are responsible for implementing reforms for social change. 

For example, when rapper Meek Mill was in jail, it was the owner of the New England Patriots, Robert Kraft and Michael Rubin, co-owner of the Philadelphia 76ers, who put pressure on the judge to drop charges against him just two weeks after they visited him in jail, publicly demanded his release and called for criminal justice reform. 

Furthermore, when the Milwaukee Bucks team boycotted their play-off game, their players spoke on the phone with the Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General of Wisconsin. This phone call was set up by the Bucks’ owners which again demonstrates their access to high places.

However, it may be hard for the owners to understand the African-American players’ frustration due to the lack of black and minority ownership in the major leagues of American sports. The infographic below shows the amount of ethnic ownership in the major sports in America - NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL.

Photo of Meek Mill by Philadelphia City Council on Flickr

Photo of Meek Mill by Philadelphia City Council on Flickr

OUT OF THE 124 TEAMS IN AMERICA'S TOP 4 SPORTS LEAGUES ONLY 1 CLUB HAS A BLACK MAJORITY OWNER

football field

Photo by Patrick Ogilvie on Unsplash

Photo by Patrick Ogilvie on Unsplash

HOW ATHLETES CAN CONTINUE THE FIGHT?

Andrew Ducille is the Operations Manager at the Black Collective of Media in Sport (BCOMS).

BCOMS was founded by Leon Mann MBE and is an independent group that is fully committed to diversifying the landscape of sports media in the UK.

Ducille mentioned that in that racial issues have improved in the sense that voices from the Black community are being heard but there is still a lot of progress to be made.

He stressed that people have lost faith in politicians and look up to athletes to address social issues as they are more relatable than politicians and used the example of Marcus Rashford who fought for free school meals for children during the pandemic at a time when the government were about to scrap it. Ducille also spoke of the great work of athletes such as Ian Wright, Chris Smalling and Tony Bellew

He concluded that the likes of Lebron James and Kaepernick in the US are doing great work to address racism issues but said that more Black owners are needed across sports organisations in the UK as they possess so much influence to get serious change done to address racial and societal issues.

female soccer players at the field near people on bleachers

Photo by Chris Leipelt on Unsplash

Photo by Chris Leipelt on Unsplash

people in conference

Photo by History in HD on Unsplash

Photo by History in HD on Unsplash

Photo Credits:

Muhammad Ali: Photo by Anefo

Tommie Smith and John Carlos: Photo by rocor on Flickr

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