The Rise of Athlete Protests in Sport
By: Nadine Portillo
Tags: Wp1f2020econ, Sports, NBA, BlackLivesMatter, MLB

Today, in the US more professional athletes are using their visibility to advocate for the Black Lives Matter movement. Pioneers from the past such as Muhammad Ali, Jackie Robinson and Olympians Tommie Smith and John Carlos have used their visibility as renowned athletes to protest social injustices. In recent times in 2016, we’ve had NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick whose been seen as a modern-day pioneer to step up and protest against racial injustice by kneeling during the national anthem because of police brutality towards unarmed black citizens. He sparked a long line of change in the topics of sport and politics to come. This past summer, after more racial injustices arose, athletes began to use their voices to advocate for change and used their visibility to raise awareness, such as posting to their social media platforms in giving awareness to the causes. Also, with the return of sports during a global pandemic, sports organizations have come together to advocate asking for change and share messages to fans of all backgrounds. Having teams wear messages on their jerseys, kneeling during the national anthem and even boycotting games were some examples. Then there is professional tennis player, Naomi Osaka, who during the U.S. Open wore seven different face masks for each match, with the names of each Black person who were victims of racial injustice and police brutality. After being asked what message she wanted to send, she replied, “I feel like the point is to make people start talking,” (Mansoor, 2020). She is one out of many athletes to use their platforms to spread a message and have people start talking such as having reporters question why she chose to use her visibility for this movement. As citizens who value justice, the rise of professional athletes using their platforms and playing field to bring up political issues, brings awareness to supporting a cause further.

The continuous rise of athletes advocating for social justice awareness and change is in to support the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement which began after the death of Trayvon Martin in 2012. As mentioned in their organization’s website: Black Lives Matter began as a call to action in response to state-sanctioned violence and anti-Black racism. Our intention was to connect Black people who have shared desire for justice to act together in their communities. The impetus for that commitment was and still is the rampant and deliberate violence inflicted on us by the state (“What We Believe,” n.d.). As racial injustices continue to rise in the US, it’s reasonable for athletes to use their status to support a cause. Since a lot of professional athletes are people of color especially in the NBA and NFL (Tower, 2018), for a time like this, they are able to step up and further discuss this to a wide range of audiences from different backgrounds. The public has responded with mixed feelings in bringing this cause into sports.

Kaepernick kneeling for the first time during national anthem September 1, 2016

Rewinding back to 2016, Colin Kaepernick made headlines when he decided to kneel during the national anthem. He, an African American NFL quarterback, continued to kneel throughout the 2016 season in protest of the racial injustices and systematic oppression of people of color in the US (Kleen, 2019). When this occurred, many people were outraged. He gained supporters, while others were very much against him. Then President Barack Obama defended his actions by saying it is his constitutional right (Wilner, 2020). Some fans responded with their wallets in a business aspect as in not renewing season tickets, to boycotting attending professional sporting events and so forth (Intravia, 2019). In addition, some athletes have set up auctions for fans to bid on with signed memorabilia where proceeds will benefit the Black Lives Matter movement such as what Washington Capitals goalie Braden Holtby did (Zielonka, 2020). NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell shared that he didn’t automatically agree with what he was doing but was in support with players who seek changes in society.

Recently, in June 2020, he admitted that the NFL was wrong for not listening to athletes earlier and encourages everyone to speak out to peacefully protest where it shouldn’t have been a pushback but to help their cause (Associated Press, 2020). In the end, Kaepernick is the modern-day pioneer to bring awareness on the playing field which further brought opportunities for other professional athletes to step up and protest these racial injustices in sport. Political writer, Adam Serwer from the Atlantic, contends that there has never been an anti-racist majority in American history since the Reconstruction, which occurred after the Civil War in regard to civil rights for African Americans and there is a more diverse society making up America now. He argues that, “there may be one today in the racially and socioeconomically diverse coalition of voters radicalized from the hope of Obama era to the cruelty of the Trump age” (Serwer, 2020) since many Americans see that there is a racism problem. With this new era, ordinary American sports fans might be more ready than ever to receive social justice messaging with an open mind, from seeing their favorite teams take part in it for justice.

Furthermore, after the police killing of George Floyd in late May 2020, more solidarity among professional athletes rose after outrage continued. When sports decided to resume during the coronavirus pandemic, many players, teams and organizations came together to show solidarity. This was an ideal time for their message to be seen by all viewers about participating in this social justice movement. Dr. Woojun Lee, an Assistant Professor in Sports Management at Wilkes University, whose research interests include social justice issues in sport, argues that the pattern of inequality has stimulated athletes to realize that social change effort within their field of interest is critical. In addition, many athletes have used their positions of fame and popularity to ask their fans to get involved in social justice advocacy (Lee, 2019). These athletes have become advocates and have influenced our society more especially to younger audiences to engage and look into these causes. By using their bodies, athletes and teams have kneeled in protest and in solidarity during the national anthem. President Donald Trump tweeted out stating he was looking forward to live sports, but still saw the anthem protests as “disrespect” (Bumbaca, 2020), organizations such as the NBA and MLB participated in the anthem protests. Since they are kneeling in protest on national television, it reaches out to audiences from different backgrounds and political views. Some fans began to outcry on social media that they didn’t like this, but we are in a time where these injustices need to be heard and actions need to happen. The NBA has had a rule that required players to stand in a line during the national anthem since 1981(Wolken, 2020) but it was no surprise that all players decided to kneel together. This was not an act of defiance, but it was a way to send a powerful message that black lives do matter to different audiences. The MLB decided also to kneel during Opening Day which was the first time they participated in this and show solidarity with a movement. The MLB has been slow to address social issues publicly compared to other sport leagues (Wagner, 2020), so this was a big step for them to act on. The MLB Official Twitter account replied to different comments in regard to the kneeling protest. They stated that supporting human rights is not political and how kneeling has never been about the military or the flag where the players and coaches are using their platforms to peacefully protest (Bumbaca, 2020). This is eye opening for fans who seemed unsure where to stand that the MLB has come forward to what they stand on. When using their bodies, athletes have then also used attire to show support of this movement.

Damian Lillard #0 Portland Trail Blazers & Jrue Holiday #11 New Orleans Pelicans

In addition to the national anthem protests of kneeling, athletes and sports organizations have also used their jerseys and other attire to show an allyship in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. When the NBA was able to resume playing, they agreed to wear messages on their jerseys instead of having their names printed. Some of the approved messages to be worn included “Black Lives Matter,” “I Can’t Breathe,” “Justice,” “Say Their Names,” “How Many More,” “Ally,” “Anti-Racist,” and so forth (Turner & Woike, 2020). This is something very new because NBA rules indicate that an athlete must wear their last name on their jerseys. This movement is making a huge impact on changing rules seen in sports. Also, Lakers coach Frank Vogel mentioned that other coaches had discussed ways that they can wear things visually, but also ways they can be very vocal and use their platform to help this movement (Turner & Woike, 2020). Messages like this have spread throughout social media after police brutality incidents against black citizens. “I can’t breathe” were the last words of Eric Garner and a handful of other citizens who died during police encounters. These messages are so powerful, it can lead to interaction for a viewer at home to search it up to learn more about this. This is all for a big effort to show support for this big social justice movements for different audiences to see. There’s an interaction for athletes to show where they stand in this and that they are not quiet. They may be playing the game and when the camera shows their back, the viewers at home read those messages, where it can spark thoughts. These thoughts may be conversations that families have at home, debates, and so forth but it shows that this is a movement that needs more awareness.

St. Louis Cardinals players wearing “Black Lives Matter” t-shirts July 24, 2020

As well, the MLB provided shirts that had “Black Lives Matter” and “United for Change” printed for players to wear during warmups. The MLB also lifted restrictions for the season to allow players to decorate their cleats with social justice messages and causes (Wagner, 2020). This was such a big step for the MLB because as mentioned prior, they had been slow in addressing these issues. At the same time since they are now participating in supporting the Black Lives Matter movement, it sparks more conversations to happen. Moreover, while players wore attire to show support for the Black Lives Matter movement and bring awareness, another police shooting occurred in the midst of it.

Tweets on George Hill & LeBron James

Just recently, another police shooting took place in Kenosha, Wisconsin and unfortunately another Black man was shot; His name is Jacob Blake, but he was left paralyzed. When the shooting took place, athletes used their platforms to boycott games and even had them postponed for both in the NBA and MLB. How athletes are using their platforms and playing field started with the Milwaukee Bucks coming together to boycott Game 5 against the Orlando Magic to protest the police shooting. Bucks player George Hill expressed how they’re tired of the killings and the injustice (Bontemps, 2020) and because of that, it led to the NBA postponing all Game 5 matches that were to take place that day. Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse expressed how his athletes, Want to be part of the solution. They want to help. They want justice. They want this problem to be handled in a much better way. Boycotting the game has come up for them as a way to try to demand a little more action (Bontemps, 2020). Prior to this, when the incident occurred, NBA players took to Twitter to express their anger about it. Lebron James tweeted out with profanity first and how he is sick of this and demands change while in all caps (DeNatale, 2020). In addition, the MLB postponed games too after the incident, even minutes prior to when games were about to start. On Jackie Robinson Day, players from the Oakland Athletics and Houston Astros took a moment of silence then walked off the field together as they draped a Black Lives Matter shirt on home plate. They chose to not play that day. This led to other MLB games to postponement for the next few days. With a lot of athlete protesting during these months led to people raising concerns about their actions outside the movement.

With sports organizations and athletes bringing awareness to support the Black Lives Matter movement has brought the argument that they are only participating to save their image and aren’t genuinely supporting the movement. Some may argue that they are bringing up and showing solidarity for the Black Lives Matter movement in order to meet a quota or to gain more publicity because they want to avoid conflict. Saving face comes from the face negotiation theory where the face is an identity, the persona we keep up in society when managing conflicts (Face-Negotiation Theory, n.d.). It’s even been mentioned that some team owners are not in support of the movement but haven’t publicly announced it (Helin, 2020). Although they may be only doing this by saving face, they are in fact still bringing awareness because it is publicly being shared nationwide. Players have been standing in genuine solidarity though. Even prior to these recent actions, athletes such as Lebron James, Dwayne Wade and the Miami Heat showed solidarity by wearing black hoodies before a game after the shooting of Trayvon Martin in 2012. They have been actively showing awareness, have been vocal about it and fighting for the cause before it became sought after. It’s that now we are in a time where more athletes can comfortably come out to share their support where there is more attention than ever to finally come together for change.

Miami Heat wearing hoodies for Trayvon Martin March 23, 2012

In conclusion, the rise of professional athletes using their platforms and playing field to bring up political issues such as police brutality and bringing awareness to the Black Lives Matter movement helps further the cause. When sports resumed during the coronavirus pandemic, teams showed solidarity with the movement by kneeling during the national anthem, wear messages on their jerseys, and even having the power to boycott games. With actions like these, athletes have shown that they are going further in this cause and change is on its way.

References

Associated Press. (2020, June 15). Baltimore Ravens’ Matthew Judon blasts NFL commissioner Roger Goodell’s ‘Black Lives Matter’ speech. USA Today. Retrieved from https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/ ravens/2020/06/15/roger-goodells-black-lives-matter-speech-blasted-matthew-judon/3196057001/

Bontemps, T. (2020, August 26). Raptors, Celtics players jointly discussing boycott, other measures following Jacob Blake shooting. ESPN. Retrieved from https://www.espn.com/nba/ story/_/id/29746660/raptors-celtics-players-jointly-discussing-boycott-other-measures-following-jacob-blake-shooting

Bumbaca, C. (2020, July 21). Donald Trump ‘looking forward to live sports,’ but still sees anthem protests as ‘disrespect.’ USA Today. Retrieved from https://www.usatoday.com/ story/ sports/2020/07/21/donald-trump-athletes-kneeling-during-anthem-great-disrespect/5477583002/

DeNatale, D. (2020, August 26). ‘WE DEMAND CHANGE. SICK OF IT’: Lebron James sends out emotional tweet after shooting of Jacob Blake, NBA boycotts. Wkyc studios. Retrieved from https://www.wkyc.com/article/sports/nba/lebron-james/lebron-james-sends-emotional-tweet-after-jacob-blake-shooting/95-da47f32c-e26d-48ff-a422-36426bae816e

Face-Negotiation Theory (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.communicationtheory.org/face-negotiation-theory/

Helin, K. (2020, August 28). Report: Not all owners supported Black Lives Matter on NBA court. NBC Sports. Retrieved from https://nba.nbcsports.com/2020/08/28/report-not-all-owners-supported-black-lives-matters-on-nba-court/

Intravia, J., Piquero, A., Leeper Piquero, N., & Byers, B. (2020). “Just Do It? An Examination of Race on Attitudes Associated with Nike’s Advertisement Featuring Colin Kaepernick.” Deviant Behavior, 41(10), 1221–1231. https://doi.org/10.1080/01639625.2019.1604299

Lee, W., & Cunningham, G. (2019). Moving Toward Understanding Social Justice in Sport Organizations: A Study of Engagement in Social Justice Advocacy in Sport Organizations. Journal of Sport and Social Issues, 43(3), 245–263. https://doi.org/ 10.1177/0193723519832469

Mansoor, S. (2020, September 13). Naomi Osaka says she wore 7 masks about black lives during this year’s U.S. Open to ‘Make people start talking.’ TIME. Retrieved from https://time.com/5888583/naomi-osaka-masks-black-lives-matter-us-open/

Serwer, A. (2020, October). The new reconstruction. The Atlantic. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/10/the-next-reconstruction/615475/

Turner, B., Woike, D. (2020, July 3). NBA and players agree to ‘Black Lives Matter’ and other messages to wear on jerseys. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2020-07-03/nba-messages-on-back-of-jerseys-black-lives-matter

Wagner, J. (2020, July 23). On Opening Day, a rarity for MLB: Support for Black Lives Matter. New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/23/sports/ baseball/mlb-black-lives-matter.html

What we believe. (n.d). Retrieved from https://blacklivesmatter.com/what-we-believe/

Tower, N. (2018, December 12). In an ethnic breakdown of sports, NBA takes lead for most diverse. Global Sport Matters. Retrieved from https://globalsportmatters.com/culture/ 2018/ 12/12/in-an-ethnic-breakdown-of-sports-nba-takes-lead-for-most-diverse/

Wolken, D. (2020, July 31). Opinion: NBA players kneeling during the national anthem doesn’t seem like an act of defiance. USA Today. Retrieved from https://www.usatoday.com/ story/sports/ columnist/dan-wolken/2020/07/31/nba-players-kneeling-national-anthem-doesnt-feel-defiant/5558645002/

Zielonka, A. (2020, June 8). More than just protest: Athletes step up with donations to racial justice causes. Washington Times. Retrieved from https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/jun/8/athletes-step-donations-racial-justice-causes/