A brief and incomplete history of fighting injustice through sport
Athletes tend to have large followings. Some athletes use their influence to take a stand for issues that matter to them. Whether athletes are advocating for a cause or acting in solidarity with others, their actions often make headlines. While they may have platforms from which their voices can be heard around the world, athletes also risk a lot by voicing their opinions.
While athlete protests, particularly #TakeAKnee, are currently making headlines, protests in sports are not new. Let’s take a look at moments of protest in sport over the last fifty years that have led us to the present.
1968 — Tommie Smith and John Carlos (200-meter run)
Tommie Smith and John Carlos protested the racial discrimination of African Americans in the United States during the medal ceremony of the 1968 Olympics. BBC reports that the men raised a black-gloved hand, representing black power and black unity, while the American national anthem played. Their protest was met with boos from the crowd. According to the website, History, the two men were forced to leave the Olympic Village and return home after forfeiting their medals.
1972 — Vince Matthews and Wayne Collett (400-meter run)
In 1972, the Olympics once again became the place to make statements. The Milwaukee Journal reported that at the Olympic games held in Munich, Germany, Vince Matthews and Wayne Collett, who had taken gold and silver in the 400-meter run, ignored the national anthem and did not face the flag during the medal ceremony. Their lack of attention to the anthem and flag was because “blacks had not received proper treatment in America,” read a comment from Matthews in the Milwaukee Journal article. The men did not see their act as a protest, but they were banned by the International Olympic Committee.
1981 — Billie Jean King (tennis)
Billie Jean King, a tennis player who is ranked number one in the world six times, consistently used her platform to fight for women’s and LGBTQ+ rights. The Guardian reported on her work to close the pay gap and fight sexism. King, along with eight other women, started a women’s tennis tour. In doing so, they had to boycott the Lawn Tennis Association, who then suspended them.
King and others founded the Women’s Tennis Association. King also fought for Title IX, which stated that people could not be discriminated against based on sex. One of her most well-known fights against sexism came in the form of a tennis match, dubbed the Battle of the Sexes. King won the match against Bobby Riggs. Her work resulted in tennis being the only sport in which there is not a pay gap — this is still true today.
In 1981, King was outed as gay, resulting in her losing all her endorsements. Since then she has fought for LGBTQ+ rights.
1995 — Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (basketball)
Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf received national attention during the 1995-1996 NBA (National Basketball Association) season, while playing for the Denver Nuggets. The Undefeated reported that Adbul-Rauf stopped standing for the national anthem. He started by spending the national anthem doing other things, such as stretching or staying in the locker room. Adbul-Rauf chose not to participate in standing for the anthem because it conflicted with his Muslim religion because of his view that the American flag is a symbol for tyranny and oppression. After sitting for the anthem, he received a one game suspension. The Vault reported on the debate that surrounded Adbul-Rauf’s choices, with the National Basketball Association Players Union and the American Civil Liberties Union taking his side. After his suspension he chose to stand and pray during the anthem. At the end of the season he was traded. When his contract expired in 1998 he was unable to get a new contract in the NBA despite being a great player. He continued to play basketball in other countries.
Adbul-Rauf’s protest continued in 2017 when he played in the Big3, a professional 3-on-3 league where he would pray during the anthem. The cost of protest can be high. In addition to losing his career in the NBA, he received death threats and had his house vandalized then destroyed by arson.
2003 — Toni Smith (basketball)
In 2003, Toni Smith, who played for Manhattanville College’s women’s basketball team, protested inequality in America and the potential war in Iraq. The New York Times reported that Smith protested by turning her back on the flag during the national anthem. Despite the audience arguments her protest invoked, the school and her teammates supported her decision to protest.
2004 — Carlos Delgado (baseball)
The New York Times reported that in 2004, the Toronto Blue Jays player Carlos Delgado chose not to stand for “God Bless America,” instead sitting in the dugout. Delgado was protesting the United States’ invasion of Iraq.
2010 — The Phoenix Suns (basketball)
In 2010, the Phoenix Suns basketball team protested a new law in Arizona regarding illegal immigrants. According to the New York Times, the protest — in which the players wore jerseys that read, “Los Suns” — was initiated by Robert Sarver, the Suns’ managing partner and received support from all the players. As with most of these protests, fans showed a mix of support and opposition.
2012 — Miami Heat (basketball)
The players of the NBA team, Miami Heat, took to social media in 2012 to speak up about the unjust killing of Trayvon Martin, as reported by CBC. The Miami Heat posted a photo of the team wearing hoodies, similar to what Martin was wearing when he was killed. During their next game, some players had messages on their sneakers in support of the case. Other NBA players also wore hoodies on social media or when arriving at a game, including Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire of the New York Knicks.
2014 — Ariyana Smith (basketball)
Sporting News reported that on Nov. 28, 2014, Ariyana Smith of the Knox College Women’s basketball team put her hands up in a “don’t shoot” posture and kneeled while the national anthem was being sung, in protest to the police shooting of Michael Brown. As the anthem continued she laid down on the floor, where she stayed, and then walked out of the gymnasium. Originally, administrators were going to suspend Smith for one game, but they reversed the decision.
2014 — Five St. Louis Rams players (football)
ESPN described the events of Nov. 30, 2014, in which five St. Louis Rams players also protested the shooting of Michael Brown by walking onto the football field with their hands in a “don’t shoot” pose. Despite the St. Louis Police Officers Association wanting an apology from the players and for the players to be disciplined, the players were not fined.
2014 — NBA players (basketball)
In 2014, numerous players in the NBA made a statement by wearing T-shirts with the phrase: “I Can’t Breathe,” reported ESPN. The statement was a reference to the last words of Eric Garner who was killed by police. It was an attempt to bring attention to the issue of police brutality faced by people of colour. The NBA chose not to fine players who wore the shirts.
2016 — Feyisa Lilesa (marathon runner)
CNN reported that while Feyisa Lilesa ran across the finish line at the Olympics in 2016, he crossed his arms over his head. He repeated the symbol, which is a sign of solidarity, at a press conference. Lilesa showed his support for the Oromo people (the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia), who are being persecuted by the government. The New York Times reported that while the Ethiopian government has let Lilesa know he can return home, he does not believe them, instead believing that he would be sent to jail or killed if he was to return to Ethiopia. In 2017, Lilesa found refuge in Arizona with his wife and children.
2016 — Colin Kaepernick (football)
Colin Kaepernick, who played for the San Francisco 49ers, kneeled on the field during the national anthem for the first time in 2016. CNN reported that his protest was in response to police violence and racial injustice. While Kaepernick has become a social justice advocate off the field, he has paid a price for his actions on the field. Along with his former teammate Eric Reid, Kaepernick is in a legal battle with the National Football League (NFL), due to which he cannot get a job in the NFL despite being a great quarterback.
Kaepernick was shortlisted for Time Magazine’s person of the year. The article discussed the split reaction from the country.
On Sept. 4, 2018, Kaepernick became the new face of Nike. Kaepernick starred in an advertisement in which his activism is applauded. The advertisement includes a picture of Kaepernick’s face alongside the slogan: “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.”
In May, the NFL put a new policy in place that states that players are required to stand during the national anthem, but do have the option to stay in the locker room if they prefer. The team can be fined for breaking the rule, but the team also has the option to choose to fine individual players, as reported by ESPN. This policy has been put on hold; ESPN reported that it is unlikely the NFL will implement the policy this season.
2016 — Megan Rapinoe (soccer)
Many athletes have supported Kaepernick by kneeling. In addition to the many football players, the Guardian reported on Megan Rapinoe who plays for the Seattle Reign Football Club in the National Women’s Soccer League. She knelt during the national anthem for the first time on Sept. 4, 2016. In addition to expressing her solidarity with Kaepernick, she noted that the flag does not protect some of her liberties, including LGBTQ+ and women, specifically in regard to the wage gap.
2016 — Indiana Fever and Phoenix Mercury (basketball)
On Sept. 21, 2016 many players in the Women’s National Basketball Association, specifically all the players for Indiana Fever and two Phoenix Mercury players, knelt and linked arms during the national anthem, as reported by the New York Times.
2017 — Golden State Warriors (basketball)
The Golden State Warriors did not visit the White House after winning the championship in 2017. The Associated Press reported that Stephen Curry expressed that he did not want to go to the White House due to not sharing the same values as President Donald Trump, but that it would be discussed as a team. Trump then tweeted that Curry was no longer welcome, but it was unclear if that included the whole team. The Warriors decided not to go to the White House, instead planning to “celebrate equality, diversity, and inclusion.” The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) backed their players stating that they defend the rights of their members to exercise their free speech.
2018 — Malcolm Jenkins and De’Vante Bausby; Kenny Stills and Albert Wilson (football)
On Aug. 9, 2018, during the preseason, Eagles players Malcolm Jenkins and De’Vante Bausby raised their fists in protest, as reported by ESPN. Huffington Post reported that during their first NFL regular season game on Sept. 9, Miami Dolphins players Kenny Stills and Albert Wilson kneeled during the national anthem, keeping Kaepernick’s protest alive.
Photo obtained via Wikimedia Commons