Voices of hope, on and off the sports field
Nobody should be denied the opportunity to play a sport because of the colour of their skin. And yet, it wasn’t until 1947 that baseball player Jackie Robinson broke the colour line and was allowed to play in the MLB. Since then, racial boundaries have slowly eroded, so that black athletes can now participate in all major sports leagues. Unfortunately, in the world beyond the sports field, many black people continue to face hate, discrimination, poverty, and elevated rates of incarceration. In response, several professional black athletes try to use their platforms to draw the rest of society’s attention to ongoing racial injustice.
Take former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick and others kneeling during the American national anthem in solidarity for black lives lost at the hands of police officers. Many opposed this movement, calling the protestors unpatriotic, while many others felt they were exercising their right to peaceful protest, standing up for what they believed is right.
Regardless of one’s interpretation, it is clear that actions like these have brought considerable attention to racial issues. The price for some athletes has been steep, including being ostracized from playing professional sports altogether, as Kaepernick claims has happened to him.
Oakland Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch has also taken to kneeling during the national anthem and continues his activism outside of sports in his hometown of Oakland. On an episode of Real Time With Bill Maher, Lynch said that to combat gentrification, he was “[buying] up some real estate in the area that I grew up at in order to give people opportunity.”
Tennis all-time great Serena Williams has also been a major voice in the pursuit of racial justice in sports. In 2016 Williams spoke out adamantly against police brutality towards black people. For Williams, it hit close to home as she realized her young nephew could be a victim.
Williams explained why she won’t remain silent on this issue in a Facebook post where she quoted Martin Luther King Jr.: “There comes a time when silence is betrayal.” Williams also added: “Have we not gone through enough, opened so many doors, impacted billions of lives? But I realized we must stride on — for it’s not how far we have come but how much further still we have to go.”
Toronto-born NHL superstar defenseman P.K. Subban of the Nashville Predators has stood up to racism in the hockey world. When a 13-year-old hockey player from Detroit experienced racial abuse on the ice, Subban reached out to the boy online with a video message, urging him to stay strong.
“You got to believe in yourself,” said Subban in the video. “And let nobody tell you what you can and can’t do, especially if it’s because of the colour of your skin.”
These are just a few of the many black trailblazers in sports today, and there are plenty more lesser-known athletes doing their parts in the fight for justice. For the voiceless and victimized, professional black athletes will continue to use their platforms because their voices can be heard loud and clear. For the sake of sports, athletes, fans, and the world, it’s important that these voices are heard. To people enjoying their favourite sport, listen to what’s being said. It goes beyond the sports field — these protests are dealing with human rights. And that is more important than any game.