Two Sides to My Game

An opinion piece on athletes and activism.

Illustration by Natalie McNulty

Written by Daniel Hornbuckle

Everyone knows that being a professional athlete is one of the most revered careers a person can aspire to have. We all want to “be like Mike.”

It comes with its perks: Money, endorsements, fancy cars and homes. Not to mention the excitement of competition, winning and the fans. Yes, the fans, who can be as fickle as the weather. They have extreme respect for your athletic ability until you open your mouth to express an opinion about a social or political issue.

In March 1967, heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali created a firestorm with his controversial comments about being drafted into the military and the Vietnam War. He said:

“My conscience won’t let me go shoot my brother, or some darker people, or some poor hungry people in the mud for big powerful America. And shoot them for what? They never called me n****r, they never lynched me, they don’t put no dogs on me, they didn’t rob me of my nationality, rape and kill my mother and father. …Shoot them for what” How can I shoot them poor people? Just take me to jail.”

Public reaction to Ali’s stance as a conscientious objector made him very unpopular. He was ridiculed for being un-American and a disgrace to his country. In addition to speaking out about the war, Ali had also converted to Islam and previously made comments about racial discrimination and what he called “American Imperialism,” with respect to U.S. involvement in other countries.

Television and radio talk show hosts, fans, Sports Illustrated magazine and even Major League Baseball player Jackie Robinson expressed disappointment with Ali’s comments.

“Cassius has made millions of dollars off of the American public, and now he’s not willing to show his appreciation to a country that’s giving him, in my view, a fantastic opportunity,” Robinson said.

Controversial opinions on social and political issues are not new to professional sports. In addition to Ali, runners Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their fists in a Black power salute during the 1968 Summer Olympics, tennis player Arthur Ashe marched in anti-apartheid rallies and NBA player Bill Russell led a boycott when he and his teammates were refused service at a restaurant.

Female athletes have also been outspoken against issues from racism to gender equality. Eroseanna Robinson remained seated at the 1968 Pan-American Games when the “Star Spangled Banner” played and staged a hunger strike when she was jailed for tax evasion, claiming the flag represented “war, injustice, and hypocrisy.” Who would have known that 57 years later, former NFL player Colin Kaepernick would kneel during the national anthem to protest police brutality? Recently, tennis player Naomi Osaka was criticized for wearing face masks that drew attention to Black victims of racial profiling and police brutality.

In August 2021, New York mayor Bill de Blasio mandated that performers and professional athletes had to be COVID-19 vaccinated. Brooklyn Nets player Kyrie Irving got caught in the backlash because he refused to get vaccinated and was banned from playing in home games. His refusal prompted a lot of comments for and against his decision. The ban was lifted March 24, 2022.

College athletes are becoming more vocal too, about everything from George Floyd to transgender athletes to COVID-19 vaccinations. In 2015, the entire University of Missouri football team refused to play in protest of the university president’s mishandling of racist incidents on campus.

Earlier this year, Western Washington University athletes met with the vice president of enrollment and student services to express their frustration with how COVID-19 mandates were negatively affecting them.

“It was important for the athletes to speak up about the administration’s policies because it directly affected us,” women’s basketball player Monique Fierke said. “It didn’t sit well that no one asked us how we felt.”

Too often, athletes who have spoken out have been criticized, and some have been blacklisted for commenting about controversies. With everything from COVID-19 mandates to race relations to police brutality to sexual harassment to international affairs, they have been told that sports are not the appropriate platform to discuss social issues.

In 2018 NBA player LeBron James was told by Fox TV Host and journalist Laura Ingraham to “shut up and dribble” when he commented on President Trump and being a Black man in America.

Ali’s, Kapernick’s and stories along with other college and professional athletes like Peng Shuai are compelling because they have taken a lot of heat for speaking out. Ali’s refusal to be drafted in the Vietnam War resulted in him being stripped of his heavyweight title, a boxing suspension, a $10,000 fine and a five-year jail sentence.

Kapernick lost millions of dollars in pay and endorsements because NFL teams shunned him for “taking a knee.” Peng Shuai went missing for publicly accusing a Chinese government official of sexual assault. Two months later, she emerged with a much different story. During a controlled interview with French sports newspaper, L’Eauipe and under the watchful eye of a Chinese official, Shuai denied saying that she was a victim of sexual assault, claiming it was simply a “misunderstanding.”

For the majority of people who enjoy sports, they only see it as a form of entertainment. An escape from the daily monotony of work or school. Attending games is for socializing, supporting their favorite players and teams and an outlet for releasing aggression and trash-talking the competition. Fans draw the line when athletes “get out of character” and speak out about social and political issues. Athletes are paid to play and not talk about anything other than the game.

Like LeBron, college and professional athletes are role models in a sense, especially for younger fans or aspiring athletes. Their united activism can have a positive effect and be a catalyst for change. Athletes should not be denied the opportunity to use their platform to speak about social and political issues. Writers, actors, musicians, artists and businesspeople have all used their platforms to publicly defend their views. Why should athletes be criticized for theirs?

Athletes and activism. Why are they mutually exclusive? Some would argue that sports is entertainment and that athletes are paid to perform. Others would argue that being an athlete shouldn’t separate them from being people with feelings and opinions. But should athletes use their influence as a platform to speak about social and political issues? The real issue is the extent to which the First Amendment protection of freedom of speech applies (or not) to athletes.

Although sports are recreational, athletes should not be expected to operate in a vacuum and disconnect from the realities of what’s going on in the world. Athletes are not one-dimensional. Often, they have dismissed and given the label of “dumb jocks,”when their beliefs and opinions are just as valid as their fan’s. Everyone is protected under the First Amendment and too often think that athletes are incompetent and incapable in areas outside of their sport.

“We sometimes put athletes in a box and believe they simply need to focus on what they are good at: their sport,” said Jaime Sawchuk, who holds a doctorate in sports psychology. “We forget that they are humans with opinions and humans with platforms to help elicit change.”

Athletes are people too. The same issues: war, homelessness, racism, discrimination, immigration and police profiling that affect everyone else affect athletes as well. Fame and fortune do not make them any less affected by the realities of what’s going on in the world. Because of their influence as role models, athletes have one of the biggest stages to express themselves.

In 2014, five African American players on the Los Angeles Rams football team locked arms and raised their hands, symbolizing “hands up don’t shoot.” They were showing support for protestors who were challenging the shooting of Michael Brown, an 18-year-old African American who was shot by a white police officer. Police officers and fans immediately called for a boycott of the team and a FaceBook page “Boycott the St. Louis Rams” had 25,000 likes and thousands of comments within only a week.

Athletes who speak up should not face losing endorsements, professional contracts or scholarships for voicing their opinion on social or political issues. They should not feel compelled to project an image that doesn’t align with what they believe for fear of retribution or backlash. In 2020, the International Olympic Committee updated Rule 50 to include sanctions for displaying political messages, signs and armbands, hand gestures and kneeling.

As the U.S. population becomes more ethnically, racially and gender diverse, the sports culture is evolving into one that is more passionate about being engaged in social and political issues. Whether it’s marching, standing, sitting, kneeling or wearing jerseys with “Black Lives Matter” or “#SayTheirNames” stenciled on them, athletes want people to know that they are aware of the very real issues affecting everyone.

Sports fans and commentators should enjoy the game but know that just like there are two sides to every coin, there are two sides to every athlete’s game. The side that wants to entertain you, and the side that wants to educate you on their personal experiences and feelings.