Pro Athletes Voice Their Opinions

There is a high chance you have read or heard about the recent events that displayed the racial injustice and police brutality predominantly black communities have been facing throughout the United States. Names such as Breonna Taylor and George Floyd have headlined news sources resulting in social protests and the need for social change. Professional and college sports and athletes have taken part in protesting against racial inequality and police brutality using their large followings to spread awareness and create change.

The recent acts of racial inequality and police brutality in the United States has resulted in widespread protest and the demand for change. George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks, and Jacob Blake are the names that have been headlining the news for the past few months. Each of their deaths were due to acts of police brutality. George Floyd “died on May 25 after being handcuffed and pinned to the ground by a white police officer’s knee in an encounter that was captured on video” (Blue). Jacob Blake was the most recent death as “a policer officer in Kenosha, Wisc., shooting Jacob Blake, a Black man, in the back multiple times as he entered his vehicle and his children watched from inside the vehicle” (Ray). The commonality of each one of these deaths is that each person was part of the black community. “Black people are 3.5 times more likely than white people to be killed by police when Blacks are not attacking or do not have a weapon… Black teenagers are 21 times more likely than white teenagers to be killed by police… A Black person is killed about every 40 hours in the United States.” (Ray) Evidently these acts of racial inequality and police brutality are targeted toward the black community. The sheer fact that a black teenager is 21 times more likely to get killed by the police than a white teenager displays racial inequality. The perception that the black community is a threat results in the police acting with an increase of hostility and violence. Protests and marches have been seen happening across the United States. Defunding the police or a restructure of law enforcement agencies are the goals that the public hope to attain. As many feel that targeting the root of the problem that being law enforcement agencies rather than the police officers themselves would prove to be more effective.

Professional sport organizations and athletes have joined in protesting against racial inequality and police brutality. Though this is not the first time we have seen athletes’ have stepped into the spotlight and taken a stand. Dating back to 1968 when two black Olympic sprinters named Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their fists as a symbol of black power and the human rights movement. More recent in history, professional basketball player Lebron James and his teammates from the Miami Heat posted a picture on twitter in response to the shooting of Trayvon Martin. Trayvon Martin was a 17-year-old who was shot and killed on his way back to his father’s fiancés’ home in Sanford, Florida. Trayvon was shot and killed by a neighborhood watch volunteer named George Zimmerman. Zimmerman contacted 911 when he saw Trayvon Martin and stated ““This guy looks like he’s up to no good, or he’s on drugs or something. It’s raining, and he’s just walking around”” (Botelho). As a result of Trayvon Martin’s death, a picture was tweeted by Lebron James accompanied by his teammates wearing hoodies with their heads bowed. James used the hashtag “WeWantJustice” and had caught the attention of millions of people throughout the country. “Heat coach Erik Spoelstra called it ‘a powerful move’ (Windhorst). Lebron James brought attention to the fact that an innocent black teenager was killed because he looked as if he was up to “no good.” His picture allowed for this act of racial inequality to be heard by many. Similarly, to Lebron James, former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has voiced his opinions on racial inequality and police brutality that occur throughout the United States. Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the presenting of the national anthem which is done prior to each NFL game. This was perceived as very disrespectful to the country, the flag, and those who risk their lives to protect the country. Kaepernick stated “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color” (Wyche). As a result of his actions, Kaepernick and the 49ers did end up parting ways and he was not signed by another team. Colin Kaepernick has gone on twitter posting civil rights messages and encouraging others to impact change. Aside from voicing their opinions and influencing the public both of these athletes have helped influence other athletes to speak out and not be afraid to make their voice heard. Not only have professional athletes have gotten involved but student athletes have been encouraged to participate as well. “Recently, NCAA leadership development launched A4, a four-part virtual program to educate student-athletes on the power they have and how they can use it to effectively enact meaningful change. More than 200 joined the first week’s session” (McGuire).

Professional athletes and sports organizations have displayed their abilities to spread messages to the public and influence the ideas of millions of people. Lebron James and Colin Kaepernick took different paths to get their messages heard yet both displayed the same idea. Social media, fundraisers, and the professional sport platform itself are all used to reach out to the public and spread awareness to impact change. These athletes have immense followings for example, Lebron James currently has 73.9 million followers on Instagram alone. While in our day and age social media is important it isn’t the only source of media that information can be spread through. Preslie Anderson, an NCAA volleyball player, wrote a poem after viewing a video of George Floyd and the police officer that knelt on his neck. “The poem Anderson wrote was published on California’s website as part of a first-person account of the recent national social injustices. Her words unpack a heavy load of emotions about the country’s long history of systemic racism” (McGuire).  Professional athletes not playing in games has also become more and more common. “When they refuse to play, that hurts the bottom line for leagues and team owners, who could try to force change. “The NBA is owned by billionaires, and billionaires have a lot of power,” said Erik Loomis, professor of history at the University of Rhode Island. He said owners could use that power to lobby state legislatures” (Segarra). Teams and players making the decision to not play sends strong messages to not only the viewers of the sport but to team owners and the sport organizations.

Professional sports and athletes have all the tools to impact change and their large followings give them an advantage in spreading their message. Whether spreading ideas through social media or not playing games such as NBA players have exhibited, pro and college sports and athletes possess the ability to impact change and impact the views of millions of people. Athletes like Lebron James and Colin Kaepernick have led the way with their protests allowing for other voices to be heard. Such as college athletes who have less followings but messages that are just as important. Social change, equality, and a stopping to police brutality are the goals the public wants to achieve.

 

Work Cited

Associated Press. “How Sports Can Start an Entire Social Movement.” New York Post, New York Post, 2 Feb. 2018, nypost.com/2018/02/02/how-sports-can-start-an-entire-social-movement/. Accessed 6 Oct 2020.

Blue, Victor J. “What We Know About the Death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 8 Sept. 2020, www.nytimes.com/article/george-floyd.html. Accessed 6 Oct 2020.

Botelho, Greg. “What Happened the Night Trayvon Martin Died.” CNN, Cable News Network, 23 May 2012, www.cnn.com/2012/05/18/justice/florida-teen-shooting-details/index.html. Accessed 5 Oct 2020.

McGuire, Corbin. “College Athletes Using Platforms to Speak out on Social Justice Issues.” NCAA.org – The Official Site of the NCAA, NCAA, 18 Aug. 2020, www.ncaa.org/about/resources/media-center/feature/college-athletes-using-platforms-speak-out-social-justice-issues. Accessed 6 Oct 2020.

Ray, Rashawn. “How Can We Enhance Police Accountability in the United States?” Brookings, Brookings, 27 Oct. 2020, www.brookings.edu/policy2020/votervital/how-can-we-enhance-police-accountability-in-the-united-states/. Accessed 29 Oct 2020.

Segarra, Marielle. “How Athletes Are Using Their Platform for Black Lives Matter.” Marketplace, 28 Aug. 2020, www.marketplace.org/2020/08/27/pro-athletes-have-a-platform-and-theyre-using-it/. Accessed 5 Oct 2020.

Wallace, Michael. “The Heat Stand Tall for Trayvon Martin.” ESPN, ESPN Internet Ventures, 23 Mar. 2012, www.espn.com/blog/truehoop/miamiheat/post/_/id/13046/the-heat-stand-tall-for-trayvon-martin. Accessed 5 Oct 2020.

Windhorst, Brian. “Heat Don Hoodies after Teen’s Death.” ESPN, ESPN Internet Ventures, 23 Mar. 2012, www.espn.com/nba/truehoop/miamiheat/story/_/id/7728618/miami-heat-don-hoodies-response-death-teen-trayvon-martin. Accessed Oct 5 2020.

Wyche, Steve. “Colin Kaepernick Explains Why He Sat during National Anthem.” NFL.com, NFL, 26 Aug. 2020, www.nfl.com/news/colin-kaepernick-explains-why-he-sat-during-national-anthem-0ap3000000691077. Accessed 6 Oct 2020.