How have athletes used their platform to advocate for social causes? How have sports leagues, journalists, and fans responded to athlete activism? And can athlete activism lead to social change? To support your answer, include specific examples. Limit: 13 responses
Over the last decade, more and more athletes have used their large platforms to advocate for social causes. Depending on their sport, athletes have been able to find ways within the rules to stand up for what they believe in. For example, over the last several years in football, players have decided to kneel during the national anthem, go to the locker room during the anthem, and write messages on their cleats (Serazio). More specifically, NFL player Colin Kaepernick started a country-wide movement against racism by kneeling during the national anthem. His actions sparked a large debate, but undoubtedly opened many eyes to what is going on in our country. A recent survey found that, “70% of American sports fans actually want teams and leagues to support athlete activism” (Serazio). Athletes are taking advantage of the newfound support, which is credited largely in part to Kaepernick’s actions, and taking to any platform they can to spread their message to the world.
ReplyDeleteThere have been many mixed reactions to athlete activism. Many people are in support, but others wish athletes would ‘stick to sports’. According to CNN, “ESPN released a poll last year that found viewers do not want to hear about politics on the network”, which ESPN experts, “used as a reason to keep politics out of its coverage” (Flynn). Many people use sports as an escape from politics, and do not want those two parts of their lives to intertwine. Many athletes and journalists have differing opinions on the matter. For example, Carl Champion, a former ESPN analyst has said that, “’As Black journalists, [he] feels it is so important for us to speak up about what we see because what’s happening in the country right now requires someone who’s lived that life’” (Flynn). Consequently, many athletes and journalists are going to continue to report on politics within sports as they feel like they are already so intertwined anyway.
Athletes can certainly play a large hand in contributing to social change. Athletes play such a large role in so many people’s actions and thoughts, that there is no denying they could play a role in deciding how much emphasis people put on social activism. There are many ways athletes can use their platform to enact social change among their followers. Benson and Ross believe that “The athletes’ most effective tools for speaking out for justice and equality are their own authentic voices and personal stories” (Benson and Ross). Athletes can share their own stories to such a large audience. It is almost certain that they will inspire a group of people to be more aware of the current state of the world that we are living in. Additionally, fans are always craving to hear their favorite athlete’s opinions and to ‘know’ them on a deeper level. By sharing their own personal stories, athletes are giving fans exactly what they want, which could inspire more change compared to them just giving a broad and general statement to their audiences.
ReplyDeleteWorks Cited
Benson, Jocelyn, and Stephen M Ross. “Athletes Can Lead the Push for Social Change.” Detroit Free Press, Freep, 6 Apr. 2017, https://www.freep.com/story/opinion/contributors/2017/04/05/athletes-can-lead-push-social-change/99306522/.
Flynn, Kerry. “ESPN and Competitors Ditch Their 'Stick to Sports' Mantra. Politics Is Now Fair Game.” CNN, Cable News Network, 1 Sept. 2020, https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/01/media/politics-in-sports-media/index.html.
Serazio , Michael. “The Numbers Behind America's 180 on Athlete Activism.” The Conversation, The Conversation US, Inc., 15 Sept. 2020, https://theconversation.com/the-numbers-behind-americas-180-on-athlete-activism-145828.
Rita Sherban
ReplyDeleteThere was a time where sports and politics did not mix. Over the past years, it’s been hard to keep politics out of the sports sphere as more and more fans want to see their favorite players engage in activism. In a poll conducted by, “Nielsen found that 70% of American sports fans actually want teams and leagues to support athlete activism” (Serazio, 2020). Colin Kaepernick is largely credited to the shift of athlete activism, after he kneeled during the National Anthem in 2016 (Serazio, 2020). At the time, many people were furious at his act of protest, but this attitude as slowly come to change especially in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement of 2020. During the season, many teams and individual players showed their activism either through kneeling during the National Anthem or refusing to leave the locker room until after the anthem (Serazio, 2020). Player activism is important, and the NHL shows that it can be a catalyst for change.
The demographic of men who play hockey professionally are largely white, with only a handful of BIPOC players. This isn’t because there’s a lack of interest, but largely a lack of support to encourage minorities to play the game. Hockey is inaccessible to minorities because it’s expensive. While there are league fees to pay for ice time, this doesn’t include hockey equipment. While it’s not uncommon for youth sports to have fees, equipment is largely included in the cost. In Pop Warner football programs, often the equipment is supplied by the program and not an outside cost. Hockey on the other hand, requires individuals to buy their own. Bryant McBride, the vice president of business development for NHL saw this disparity and teamed up with Willie O’Ree, the first black player in the NHL to help relieve this problem. The two men, “teamed up to advance minority hockey programs, donate equipment and bring players of color together” (Bromberg 2020). The initiative, Hockey is for Everyone aims to include more BIPOC hockey players and help diversify a largely white league. While activism on the playing field is apparent in all leagues, athletes have shown their support off the pitch as well.
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ReplyDeleteSherban (cont.)
ReplyDeleteSir Lewis Hamilton, one of the most decorated Formula One drivers in history and the first black driver, attended the 2021 Met Gala with a mission. He bought an entire table specifically for black creators (Hess 2021). Hamilton said that he, “wanted to create something that was meaningful and would spark a conversation” (Hess 2021). For Hamilton, it was important to create a diverse space in fashion as he’s seen the similarities between diversity and inclusion in Formula One and fashion. He has already been instrumental in getting more representation in his sport through the Hamilton Commission and wanted to translate that into the fashion world. He realized, “A lot of young brand and designers don’t have the same opportunities, so that’s what really set me off” (Hess 2021).
Bromberg, L. (2020, September 29). The privilege of play: Hockey's racist and affluent culture still hasn't changed. Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved April 7, 2022, from https://sports.yahoo.com/the-privilege-of-play-hockeys-racist-and-affluent-culture-still-hasnt-changed-140255916.html
Hess, L. (2021, September 14). How Lewis Hamilton offered Black designers a seat at the table for this year's met gala. Vogue. Retrieved April 7, 2022, from https://www.vogue.com/article/lewis-hamilton-met-gala-2021
Serazio , M. (2021, April 27). The numbers behind America's 180 on athlete activism. The Conversation. Retrieved April 7, 2022, from https://theconversation.com/the-numbers-behind-americas-180-on-athlete-activism-145828
Danielle Price
ReplyDeleteDr. Burns
MSS420
4/9/22
Blog 8
Athletes typically have a fanbase, so when using their platforms for social causes, awareness and exposure to specific issues rise. For instance, “Jackie Robinson was the face of desegregation. That was political. Billie Jean King fought for equal pay and equal rights for women. That's political. The NFL got money from the service branches to have their representatives at games. That's political” (Flynn). A more recent example of athlete activism includes Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem. This single action from Kaepernick led to much controversy, and attention was drawn. His response when a reporter asked about his action was, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses Black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder” (Quarterback Colin Kaepernick). His goal was to bring attention to racial injustice, and police brutality. Not everyone agreed with what Kaepernick did because they feel it is disrespectful to the people that fight for our country. For instance, Donald Trump even said “try another country” (Quarterback Colin Kaepernick) when he found out about this, along with many NFL owners. However, others defended his action such as Barack Obama, saying that he has a “constitutional right to make a statement” (Quarterback Colin Kaepernick). Kaepernick silently protested but this single action evoked opinions and got people talking. Therefore, he used his platform as a player on the 49ers to advocate for social and/or political causes. Further, “decades before Kaepernick took a knee, Muhammad Ali was banned temporarily from boxing and sentenced to five years in prison for draft evasion in protest of the Vietnam War” (Flynn). It is clear that many athletes participate and are passionate to make a change, so they use their platforms to do so.
Danielle Price Part 2
ReplyDeleteAfter Kaepernick took a knee, a national survey was conducted to observe fans responses to actions and statements like this. The researchers found that “half of all American sports fans agreed with the statement that ‘sports and politics should not mix.’ Only 20% supported activism, while the remaining 30% didn’t commit either way” (Serazio). However, once the Black Lives Matter Movement erupted, and the shooting of Jacob Blake occurred, fans felt differently. For instance, it was found that “70% of American sports fans actually want teams and leagues to support athlete activism. A similar majority expect athletes to be involved with the movement for racial justice, believing that athletes possess ‘important influence’ over social change” (Serazio). Moreover, I believe that athlete activism can lead to social change. This could depend on the athlete making the change, and whether or not fans agree though. When people disagree and have such strong opinions without an open mind it is extremely hard to make change, but athletes should still try. Kaepernick ended up raising money and got a lot of people on board. With current issues such as BLM, this is possible as long as it is done effectively and peacefully. Overall, athletes or even celebrities in general using their platforms are crucial to making change because they essentially have more power than an ordinary person, and more leverage due to fanbases and popularity.
Works Cited
Flynn, Kerry. “ESPN and Competitors Ditch Their 'Stick to Sports' Mantra. Politics Is Now Fair Game.” CNN, Cable News Network, 1 Sept. 2020, https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/01/media/politics-in-sports-media/index.html.
“Quarterback Colin Kaepernick Sits during National Anthem, Gives Interview about It for the First Time.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 9 July 2021, https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/colin-kaepernick-kneels-during-national-anthem.
Serazio, Michael. Associate Professor of Communication. “The Numbers behind America's 180 on Athlete Activism.” The Conversation, 27 Apr. 2021, https://theconversation.com/the-numbers-behind-americas-180-on-athlete-activism-145828.
Matthew Miller
ReplyDeleteAthletes have frequently used their platforms to advocate for social causes. More and more athletes have brought awareness to social causes in recent years. One example of an athlete using his platform to advocate for social causes is LeBron James. In one of his press conferences during his final season with the Cavaliers in 2018, LeBron was talking about politics —as he has a right to— and was met with much criticism. Laura Ingraham of Fox News responded to James by telling him to shut up and dribble. This led to Lebron responding by saying, “We will definitely not shut up and dribble… I mean too much to society, too much to the youth, too much to so many kids who feel like they don’t have a way out.” (Sullivan 2018). Another athlete who tried to raise awareness was Colin Kaepernick when he was with the San Francisco 49ers and knelt during the anthem. While other players applauded him for his actions, he was essentially blackmailed by the rest of the league. Kaepernick can still be a starting quarterback in the NFL today but will likely never receive another opportunity due to his actions. The NFL created the Rooney Rule, which states that when hiring a new head coach, you must interview at least one or more diverse candidates. Brian Flores, former coach of the Miami Dolphins, has opened up a race discrimination lawsuit against the NFL. He targeted the New York Giants in his report claiming that “Mara (New York Giants Owner) put him (Flores) through a pantomime token interview.” (Jenkins 2022). As a New York Giants fan, I think this is outlandish. I believe that the Giants did not put him through a pantomime interview to satisfy the Rooney Rule, as they also interviewed another minority for head coach in Leslie Frazier. If they did not also interview Frazier, he might have a point, but why would the Giants interview two minority candidates instead of the required one if they were not interested in hiring them.
Team names have also changed in recent years. The Cleveland Indians became the Cleveland Guardians, and the Washington Redskins became the Washington Football team, now known as the Washington Commanders. According to a FiveThirtyEight analysis, hundreds of schools across the country still use Native Americans as their team mascots — monikers widely seen as racist and dehumanizing to the Native American community.” (Zaru 2020). Why can these schools not change their names? Is it because they like it too much or because they feel they can get away with it as they are not seen in the public eye. Sports leagues, journalists, and fans have responded to athlete activism differently. While the leagues say they support their players, what are they doing to show their support. Actions speak louder than words. Journalists will say whatever garners them more attention, even if it means saying something they do not particularly want to say. Fans have both supported the athletes and went against the athletes. Many people fail to realize the issues going on in the world which needs to change. I believe that athlete activism can lead to social change. With these athletes having such a big platform, people will listen to what they say, which will lead to change happening.
Works Cited
DeleteJenkins, S. (2022, February 3). Perspective | NFL owners are committed to diversity - until it's their turn to make a hire. The Washington Post. Retrieved April 10, 2022, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/02/03/brian-flores-new-york-giants-interview/
Sullivan, E. (2018, February 19). Laura Ingraham told Lebron James to shut up and dribble; he went to the hoop. NPR. Retrieved April 10, 2022, from https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/02/19/587097707/laura-ingraham-told-lebron-james-to-shutup-and-dribble-he-went-to-the-hoop
Zaru, D. (2020, December 31). For Native Americans, the fight against mascots is much bigger than sports. ABC News. Retrieved April 10, 2022, from https://abcnews.go.com/US/native-americans-fight-mascots-bigger-sports/story?id=74736944
Many athletes use their social media platforms to advocate for social causes nowadays. Within the past few years, we have seen a huge change in how we view professional athletes. They have always been known as sports players and how many goals they scored, but now they can also be seen as influencers. By talking about social justice or LGBTQ issues it is important for the athletes to show what they care about. Due to the large number of followers these players have, it is easier to spread awareness on their platforms. These athletes know that their fans will listen to them and admire what they have to say. Even though athletes have been doing this for years, I personally believe it was until the death of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor that things really started to pick up. It is not only shown on the court or field but in interviews and social media accounts that they express how they are feeling.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I have seen the most effort and change within the NBA. The players on the teams had the option of changing their last names to words like justice, Black Lives Matter, Equality, etc. According to the article Social justice messages each NBA player is wearing on his jersey by The Undefeated, 300 players out of 350 choose to wear social justice messages on the back of their jerseys. The WNBA and NBA are two of the most prominent leagues to take a stand and demand a change. In an article written by Forbes titled Can Professional Sports Offer Diversity and Inclusion Insight for All Industries, it talks about these two legumes specifically. The states that the WNBA has held the top position for the annual Racial and Gender Report Card since 2004. They use a social justice council that makes sure everyone is treated equally.
They do an excellent job in the category by holding anti-racism training and programming.
One sport that I think needs to make more changes in the MLB. This league seems to struggle and has endured many diversity problems from the beginning. In the article titled Where have all the Black baseball players gone? Written by Ernie Suggs from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, it states that in 2021 only 7% of the players were African American. The article mentions that African Americans used to be more prominent in the MLB and wonders why and how it went so low in recent years. The few African American players that are in the MLB are leading stats in just about every category. So if it is not because of the skill they have it must have to deal with racism and inequality.
ReplyDeleteRueda, Michael. “Can Professional Sports Offer Diversity and Inclusion Insight for All Industries.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 28 Jan. 2022, https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelrueda/2022/01/27/can-professional-sports-offer-diversity-and-inclusion-insight-for-all-industries/?sh=9150585719f9.
Suggs, Ernie. “Where Have All the Black Baseball Players Gone?” Ajc, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 28 Oct. 2021, https://www.ajc.com/life/where-have-all-the-black-baseball-players-gone/PGRMNL36QVEELLCR2HV5RTIAMY/?fbclid=IwAR3UdYQEmde47jQzwyCJa3V6yH3tzE7eyquT4QubeKxDC7Zmh2NiVO8KaiU.
TheUndefeated. “Social Justice Messages Each NBA Player Is Wearing on His Jersey.” Andscape, Andscape, 3 Aug. 2020, https://andscape.com/features/social-justice-messages-each-nba-player-is-wearing-on-his-jersey/.
Brandon Krikorian
ReplyDeleteProfessor Burns
11 April 2022
Weekly Blog #8
In recent years athletes have used social media to their advantage for a multitude of reasons. One in particular is the use of social media for activism which has become a huge topic over the last couple of years. Before diving into present days, activism started with Muhammed Ali protesting the Vietnam war which led to him not being to box for multiple years during his absolute prime which robbed him of becoming even greater than he was. That was over 50 years ago and since then activism in sports died down and we did not really see that much activism. There were a couple of instances with certain cases throughout the years, but it really got started again with the Colin Kaepernick situation. In 2016, Kaepernick kneeled for the national anthem in protest against police brutality. It led to a lot of backlash against him and led to him basically being exiled from the NFL. At the time, according to, The Conversation, “half of all American sports fans agreed with the statement that sports and politics should not mix” (Serazio). That was back in 2016 when this was the biggest activism case we had seen in almost 50 years and people did not like it. Fast-forward 4-5 years and those numbers are completely flipped. From the same article, around 70% of Americans wanted teams and athletes to be involved in activism after the George Floyd and Jacob Blake incidents. That is a huge shift in only a matter of years and it helps that sports networks are joining in on the cause. ESPN is the biggest sports network in the world and always just talked about sports without bringing in their personal takes on what was going on in the world. This was changing over time and really hit its head a couple of years ago when Jemele Hill was dismissed from ESPN for her takes on President Trump and other political opinions. It was not just Hill who was bringing politics into sports from the journalist side as a lot of other people were doing the same and it seemed like ESPN was okay with allowing it.
After they fired Hill, they went back to their “Stick to sports” instruction and audience members appreciated it, but it changed again. After the George Floyd and other events, ESPN completely changed its directions. From CNN Business, “The network has gone all in on its coverage of athletes who have joined protests and spoken out about the death of Black Americans such as George Floyd and Breonna Taylor at the hands of police” (Flynn). They changed their perspective on the whole situation as the rest of the country did as well and realized that you do need to talk politics and sports in the same conversation. A perfect example of a league that went full force into the social justice space was the WNBA as they were the first league to really fight for it. Just because it is not the biggest league in America should not take away from the fact of all the work they have done for social justice. According to NovelHand, they talked about all the things that the WNBA has done for social justice. “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” (Weinreich). They were doing all of these things way before any of the other leagues were even thinking about changes and taking stands. It says a lot about the WNBA and women in general, that they were willing to take that kind of stand for what they thought was right and it eventually led to the other leagues to follow in their footsteps.
DeleteFlynn, Kerry. “ESPN and Competitors Ditch Their 'Stick to Sports' Mantra. Politics Is Now Fair Game.” CNN, Cable News Network, 1 Sept. 2020, www.cnn.com/2020/09/01/media/politics-in-sports-media/index.html.
Serazio, Michael. “The Numbers behind America's 180 on Athlete Activism.” The Conversation, 27 Apr. 2021, theconversation.com/the-numbers-behind-americas-180-on-athlete-activism-145828.
Weinreich, Shoshanah. “Athletes and Activism: Changing the Dynamics of Social Movements – Novel Hand: Activism, Meet Impact.” Novel Hand | Activism, Meet Impact, 26 Oct. 2021, novelhand.com/athletes-and-activism-changing-the-dynamics-of-social-movements/.
Blake Guerriero
ReplyDeleteWith it becoming my commonly accepted for athletes to use the platforms given to them to their advantage when it comes to social causes. The most notable and controversial one to this day is when former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick started a movement against racism by getting down to one knee during the national anthem. This sparked huge debate and controversy and had a lot of people talking, but also had a lot of people finding is powerful and following the movement as over the last several years in football, players have decided to kneel during the national anthem, go to the locker room during the anthem, and write messages on their cleats (Serazio). It even started in schools as I personally saw kids in my high school do it during the pledge of allegiance in the mornings. While Kaepernick’s actions rubbed a lot of fans the wrong way, it has only benefited journalists who were given countless amounts of headlines to write about. Due to so much backlash from Kaepernicks actions, in 2018 the NFL announced a policy that required players and league personnel on the field to stand for the national anthem but gave them the option to remain in the locker room if they don't want to stand. Teams had the power to set their own policies to ensure the anthem is being respected during any on-field action. If a player chose to protest on the sideline, the NFL would fine the player (Platt 2018).
A lot of fans were not pleased with Kaepernick’s actions as According to CNN, “ESPN released a poll last year that found viewers do not want to hear about politics on the network”, which ESPN experts, “used as a reason to keep politics out of its coverage” (Flynn). Athletes know they have such a large voice nowadays, given the rise of social media and sports coverage, athletes now have an opportunity more than ever before to state their beliefs. Even players who identify as homosexual now have a voice to spread awareness of homosexuality amongst athletes and that they can feel accepted and welcomed into their sport. Mental health is very important as well as Calvin Ridley of the Atlanta Falcons took a large majority of the season off to focus on his mental health, and same thing with Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price. If people, especially kids who deal with mental health see that these star athletes who seem to have the world in the palm of their hands are struggling just like them, it makes them feel safe and supported. Athletes will continue to user their voices, and there will always be critiques but it can only bring good to those who need it.
DeleteWorks Cited
Flynn, Kerry. “ESPN and Competitors Ditch Their 'Stick to Sports' Mantra. Politics Is Now Fair Game.” CNN, Cable News Network, 1 Sept. 2020, https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/01/media/politics-in-sports-media/index.html.
Serazio , Michael. “The Numbers Behind America's 180 on Athlete Activism.” The Conversation, The Conversation US, Inc., 15 Sept. 2020, https://theconversation.com/the-numbers-behind-americas-180-on-athlete-activism-145828.
Monday, L. P. |. (2019, April 18). Athlete activism is on the rise, but so is the backlash. Global Sport Matters. Retrieved April 12, 2022, from https://globalsportmatters.com/culture/2018/04/16/athlete-activism-is-on-the-rise-but-so-is-the-backlash/
Jason Vent
ReplyDeleteBlog 8
MSS420
Burns
Activism has long been an idea and has been practiced by great people and leaders over the years and it has recently made its way to the sports world in the form of athletes speaking out and standing up to things that they feel need to be changed in society. ESPN has transferred their platform over the last three years to include much more information regarding the topic of activism and the athletes who partake in these demonstrations. “The network has gone all in on its coverage of athletes who have joined protests and spoken out about the death of black Americans…at the hands of police” (Flynn). Colin Kaepernick lit the world on fire with his display of activism in kneeling for the nation anthem in 2016 and opened lots of eyes to the injustices that were happening behind the scenes in America. The act was met with a variety of responses by leagues, players, and fans alike and started a chain of events that has led the country to both split itself and come together at the same time to fight against police brutality and other injustices. While ESPN and other networks have boosted their coverage of athletes and their activism, fans took a different view on the topic after Kaepernick’s kneeling, and a 2016 study showed that “half of all American sports fans agreed with the statement that sports and politics should not mix. Only 20% supported activism, while the remaining 30% didn’t commit either way” (Serazio). The people reacted in a very different way than I’m sure Kaepernick was hoping but this has been going on for years with a variety of athletes including Jim Brown, who decided in the 1960’s to use a different form of activism than Kaepernick and focus his efforts off the field. He founded multiple off the field programs that fought for black Americans but also stated that he “wouldn’t have followed Kaepernick’s example in kneeling for “The Star-Spangled Banner”” (Lazzeretti). This goes to show that there is not one right way to show your support through activism and that there are many different things that athletes and people in general can do to get people on their side in a fight. I think that athletes have been doing a good job using their platforms to inspire change and I do think that it can work. The NFL and other leagues have changed their diversity and equity views since Kaepernick’s act and will continue to change with the growing American climate and people.
Kerry Flynn, CNN Business. “Politics in Sports: ESPN and Competitors Ditch Their ‘stick to Sports’ Mantra.” CNN, 1 Sept. 2020, edition.cnn.com/2020/09/01/media/politics-in-sports-media/index.html.
Lazzeretti, Craig. “Most Influential Social Activists in Sports History.” Stadium Talk, 27 Jan. 2022, www.stadiumtalk.com/s/most-influential-athlete-activists-changed-society-cfd0aedd8cf9428f.
Serazio, Michael. “The Numbers behind America’s 180 on Athlete Activism.” The Conversation, 15 Sept. 2020, theconversation.com/the-numbers-behind-americas-180-on-athlete-activism-145828.
Robert Fritz
ReplyDeleteIt has never been easier for people to connect to each other than it is now and a large part of that is through social media. Because of this it has empowered people to speak out on issues that bother them and with each passing day that is becoming the norm in our society. Athletes are no different than us in this regard as no matter the profession or the salary things will have an impact on people. Once upon a time you were an outcast as an athlete if you spoke on political issues just take a look at the career of former NBA player Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf. Abdul-Rauf sitting for the national anthem in 1996 caused quite the stir and ultimately ended up being the reason for Abdul-Rauf for falling out of the league. Since that time things have begun to change a little and one of the reasons for that is Colin Kaepernick. Kaepernick like Abdul-Rauf refused to stand for the anthem before games leading to, yet another stir and a daily talking point in the media. In that time, we’ve seen a few reactions the first of which is support for these athletes using their name and prowess to support a cause, secondly is the opposite and those who are vehemently against the cause and don’t care for what an athlete has to say outside of their sport. Some are indifferent to the situation, but those two reactions are the main ones leading to this “Stick to Sports” mantra by those against athletes speaking on social causes. ESPN the worldwide leader in sports did a poll and it showed that people don’t want their sports and politics to mix. But even with that one could argue its they don’t want sports and the politics they disagree with to mix. Take a look in the summer of 2020 with the shooting of Jacob Blake and what the NBA did in response to that. NBA players kneeled before the game in their support of Blake but one of the players didn’t and that is Orlando Magics Jonathan Isaac. Isaac since that time has been on Fox news countless of times to talk about his political beliefs but the same people interviewing him were the ones to people like LeBron James who is on the other side of the political spectrum to shut up and dribble. Athletes and their activism can lead to change as LeBron has built schools for those in need of education. Grand scale change maybe not but being a change in the community is a definite.
Flynn, Kerry. “ESPN and Competitors Ditch Their 'Stick to Sports' Mantra. Politics Is Now Fair Game.” CNN, Cable News Network, 1 Sept. 2020, https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/01/media/politics-in-sports-media/index.html.
Serazio , Michael. “The Numbers Behind America's 180 on Athlete Activism.” The Conversation, The Conversation US, Inc., 15 Sept. 2020, https://theconversation.com/the-numbers-behind-americas-180-on-athlete-activism-145828.
Mikala Morris
ReplyDeleteAthletes have always been individuals who are held at a higher standard in society than then most due to stereotypes and stigmas. As a result of such notions, it has resulted in the belief as though athletes should also act at a higher standard that their peers, especially within their communities. For example, it is assumed that athletes should be model citizens of the law and are always acting accordingly. This has now transitioned for the expectancy to have voices when it comes to social issues as well because of the status that have within society. An example that come to mind when thinking about this topic is Lebron James and his statements regarding social injustices specifically police brutality and the unfortunate occurrence with George Floyd and the police, and amongst other racial injustices that have occurred. Due to his openness regarding this topic an article by Curtis Bunn called ‘How Lebron James has Become a Leading Voice for Social Change in a Racially Divided Nation’ stated, “For some, in the ongoing debate about the greatest basketball player of all time, LeBron James only enhances his case through his activism off the court…The Los Angeles Lakers superstar has used his platform to speak out on political and social issues and recently helped form “More Than a Vote,” a group dedicated to mobilizing African American voters and fighting voter suppression. The organization was created in response to the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police on May 25, which touched off more than three weeks of global protests for social justice” (2020). Though James is just one example of an elite and influential athlete that uses his platform to speak out against injustices, many others have joined him. Due to such individuals speaking out I believe that is has led to a social change in some ways. I know Colin Kaepernick was the first to begin the idea to kneel during the national anthem to get his point across. However, when he did this he was practically forced out of the league because no one wanted to sign him due to beliefs and backlash that resulted from his actions. For example, in 2018 the NFL announced a policy that mandated players and league personnel on the field to stand for the national anthem or remain in the locker room if they don't want to stand (Platt 2018).
Though after the murder of George Floyd, when individuals in the NBA began to speak out and inevitably started to kneel, it cause a rippling effect to where almost all professional sports teams kneeled and almost boycotted playing until action was taken in response of his tragic death. However, speaking against injustices and calling out are not always welcomed or even wanted by fans. According to one of the passages in The Numbers behind America’s 180 on Athlete Activism, “a 2016 study showed that “half of all American sports fans agreed with the statement that sports and politics should not mix. Only 20% supported activism, while the remaining 30% didn’t commit either way” (Serazio).
ReplyDeleteBunn, C. (2020). How Lebron James has Become a Leading Voice for Social Change in a Racially Divided Nation. NBC News. Retrieved April 12, 2022 from https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/how-lebron-james-has-become-leading-voice-social-justice-racially-n1231391
Monday, L. P. |. (2019, April 18). Athlete activism is on the rise, but so is the backlash. Global Sport Matters. Retrieved April 12, 2022, from https://globalsportmatters.com/culture/2018/04/16/athlete-activism-is-on-the-rise-but-so-is-the-backlash/
Serazio, Michael. “The Numbers behind America’s 180 on Athlete Activism.” The Conversation, 15 Sept. 2020, theconversation.com/the-numbers-behind-americas-180-on-athlete-activism-145828.
Athletes are in the unique position to have the capacity to cause change through positive uses of their platforms in the context of social justice and reform. Now more than ever, with the United States amongst one of many countries in a divided political climate, an expectation has been placed on professional athletes to speak out and advocate for social justice causes, as their voice can amplify the need for action. An example of an athlete who has reached out and served as an advocate for social justice is Colin Kaepernick, an NFL quarterback who made a statement about the #BlackLivesMatter movement and police brutality against black people. According to an article written by Michael Serazio in The Conversation, Kaepernick first took a knee during the playing of the national anthem at NFL games to protest the issue of police brutality (Serazio). This decision firstly lead to a mixed reaction from fans, who were then polled by Serazio and other colleagues on whether political statements should be brought onto the field. The findings concluded that half of all American sports fans agreed with the statement that “sports and politics should not mix”, and that only 20% initially supported activism before it was eventually re-evaluated to a 70% activism support rate in a later study (Serazio).
ReplyDeleteClever Streich Part 2 (Previous post was Part 1)
ReplyDeleteKaepernick’s actions lead to a reversal in fan belief that political speech had no place in sports, as fans now see the importance of highlighting important social issues within the arena that sports provide. Leagues, journalists, and media networks have also taken notice, as Kerry Flynn reported in an article published by CNN that ESPN has “all but ditched its ‘stick to sports’ mandate”, with a new focus on elevating political statements and setting an initiative to spark social change (Flynn). The NBA also experienced a player strike after the police shooting of Jacob Blake, which prompted the league and the wider sports world to postpone games and reassess the values their leagues have tried to promote (Flynn). This has caused all members on all levels of sports media to turn their attention and work actively to shine a light on issues that plague society at large, altering the responsibilities of leagues, media, and athletes, and highlighting the power that sports can have when trying to affect its audience and promote change. An example of how athletes becoming activists can lead to change in a larger social context is during the NBA Bubble playoffs in 2020, when athletes banded together to center the tournament around the #BLM movement. According to Ramsey Khabbaz’s article published in the Harvard Buisness Review, the NBA distributed a statement denouncing racism, and players took the courts to promote the movement, with on-court BLM decals, special message printed jerseys stating “Say Their Names” and similar messages, and postgame interviews often featuring questions which addressed social justice so that any fan watching would be repetitively exposed to the movement and its messages (Khabbaz). This level of openness and support from athletes, media, and the NBA league at large was unparalleled, keeping the spotlight on important social issues while entertaining and playing in competition. If other leagues were able to follow suit with the NBA’s actions, further fans would become aware of social justice issues and movements so that the audience can generate the change that the sports world is attempting to promote.
Clever Streich Part 3
ReplyDeleteWorks Cited
Flynn, Kerry. “ESPN and Competitors Ditch Their 'Stick to Sports' Mantra. Politics Is Now Fair Game.” CNN, Cable News Network, 1 Sept. 2020, https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/01/media/politics-in-sports-media/index.html.
Khabbaz, Ramsey. “Sports and Social Justice.” Harvard Business Review, 27 Aug. 2021, https://hbr.org/2021/01/sports-and-social-justice.
Serazio , Michael. “The Numbers Behind America's 180 on Athlete Activism.” The Conversation, The Conversation US, Inc., 15 Sept. 2020, https://theconversation.com/the-numbers-behind-americas-180-on-athlete-activism-145828.
Dylan Sommer Part 1
ReplyDeleteAthletes have used their platform to their advantage in addressing social causes like Black Lives Matter and politics. Since athletes’ opinions are taken into consideration by the public, they are more likely to get through to people. The same goes for their thoughts on social justice in the country. For example, after several cases of police brutality against Black people, Utah Jazz and New Orleans Pelicans players banded together to kneel right next to Black Lives Matter wording on the court. According to an ESPN article, it says “instead of having two groups protesting separately, both teams want to display a united front…the coaches are expected to join the players in the demonstration” (Andrews and Spears). The NBA stars wanted to make a statement to the world that there were bigger issues going on in the world at the time and kneeling during the national anthem showcased that. Moreover, this would not be the first time that an athlete kneeled during the national anthem. Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick knelt while the national anthem was playing during the 49ers’ last preseason game. Kaepernick saw the acts of police brutality and social injustice occurring across the country and he decided to stand up for it. Even though he ended up losing his job after protesting, people admired Kaepernick for bringing light to an issue that was not receiving enough coverage. Thus, athletes’ voices and actions for social causes help people realize that there is more to the world than just sports.
At first, leagues, networks, and journalists were skeptical about athletes talking about social issues. However, it appears now that there are becoming more and more open about the idea of it. During the pandemic, ESPN switched from its general sports reporting to focus on racial injustice. In a CNN article, it explains “the network has gone all-in on its coverage of athletes who have joined protests and spoken out about the death of Black Americans such as George Floyd and Breonna Taylor at the hands of the police” (Flynn). ESPN realized that police brutality was a talking point that had to be nationally aired. Athletes gave their thoughts on social injustice in the country and now it was time for analysts and hosts to discuss it as well. Since then, many sports networks and platforms have taken the time to let athletes have a place where they can further spread their activism. Similarly, the leagues have been open to addressing social issues. The NFL allowed players to put the words “Black Lives Matter” and the victims of the police brutality on the back of their helmets. Meanwhile, the NBA gave the option for players to change the name on the back of their jerseys and added a “Black Lives Matter” logo to the court.
Dylan Sommer Part 2
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, fans are becoming more comfortable with the idea of athletes in activism. According to the Conservation, it says “Nielsen found that 70% of American sports fans actually want teams and leagues to support athlete activism” (Serazio). With leagues, networks, journalists, and fans all on board with activism in athletics, social change is in the works and it is heading in the right direction for the future to come.
Works Cited
Serazio , Michael. “The Numbers behind America's 180 on Athlete Activism.” The Conversation, 27 Apr. 2021, https://theconversation.com/the-numbers-behind-americas-180-on-athlete-activism-145828.
Flynn, Kerry. “ESPN and Competitors Ditch Their 'Stick to Sports' Mantra. Politics Is Now Fair Game.” CNN, Cable News Network, 1 Sept. 2020, https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/01/media/politics-in-sports-media/index.html.
Andrews, Malika, and Marc J. Spears. “How the NBA Bubble Has Become a Platform for Social Justice.” ESPN, ESPN Internet Ventures, 29 July 2020, https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29555143/nba-restart-how-nba-bubble-become-platform-social-justice.
Sports activism has been around for a very long time in various different ways in various different sports like for example, during the NBA bubble in the Covid 19 pandemic, when a 29 year old man named Jacob Blake was shot by the police in Kenosha, WN. It caused the Milwaukee Bucks to boycott a few of their games and also made athletes kneel during the national anthem, especially in football. More specifically, “NBA players' strike following the shooting of Jacob Blake prompted other sports leagues to take a stand for Black Lives Matters and postpone their games as well. Without a playoff game to dissect, ESPN's analysts filled the airtime with discussions about racial injustice. On TNT's ‘Inside the NBA,’ host Kenny Smith walked off set in solidarity with the athletes.” (Flynn 2020). So basically athletes have different ways to use their platforms to advocate themselves for their social cause, race, sexual oreintation, gender, and so on. There are a lot of different kinds of reactions throughout the sports world with sports activism. Some people are with the activism, some are not and say that sports it's just an escape from the real world. For example, “In a national survey conducted in 2016, after Colin Kaepernick first took a knee during the national anthem to protest police brutality, my colleague Emily Thorson and I found that half of all American sports fans agreed with the statement that ‘sports and politics should not mix.’ Only 20% supported activism, while the remaining 30% didn’t commit either way.” (Serazio 2020) and also “ESPN released a poll last year that found the majority of viewers do not want to hear about politics on the network. Miller, the ESPN expert, said the network used it as a reason to keep politics out of its coverage.” (Flynn 2020). Both of these quotes and polls basically show that most sports fans do not want to mix sports with other problems like politics, while others say that sports activism should stay. So no matter what sports is being focused, sports activism will always have mixed reactions and opinions.
ReplyDeleteBut however, because of sports activism, sports became more diverse in the years past and will continue in the future, especially the George Floyd protests. “However, one of Floyd’s most lasting legacies may well be his impact on the sports world. As a former athlete, his life story, which had a special meaning for a generation of athletes, underscored the fine line separating athletic heroes and victims of police violence. His death cemented a new generation of athletes as activists against police violence and professional sports leagues, at minimum, as performative allies. The history of athlete activism reminds us that this movement is one of radical possibility.” (Suddler 2021). In other words, this quote is basically saying that George Floyd’s death is basically a turning point for increased diversity in the sports world and brotherhood. Like you always stick together with teammates and will win the championship together no matter who they are.
DeleteWork Cited
Serazio, Micheal. “The Numbers Behind America’s 180 on Athlete Activism”. The Conversation. Sept 15, 2020. Visited Apr 12, 2022. Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/the-numbers-behind-americas-180-on-athlete-activism-145828
Flynn, Kerry. “ESPN and competitors ditch their 'stick to sports' mantra. Politics is now fair game”. CNN Business. Sept 1, 2020. Visited Apr 12, 2022. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/01/media/politics-in-sports-media/index.html
Suddler, Carl. “George Floyd changed the world of athlete activism”. The Washington Post. May 25, 2021. Visited Apr 12, 2022. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2021/05/25/george-floyd-changed-world-athlete-activism/