Messages on helmets or jerseys, kneeling to the national anthem: in recent years, US athletes have increasingly used their fame to support the Black Lives Matter movement. This means that US sport is involved in politics.
Whether in basketball, American football, baseball or soccer – after the death of George Floyd, players from the top leagues protested against racism and police violence against blacks, for the Black Lives Matter movement. Before games, athletes would be seen arm in arm during the national anthem, kneeling, some with fists raised.
And they weren’t the first in 2020. Colin Kaepernick, then quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, took a knee against racism in 2016. Kaepernick said at the time that he didn’t want to show pride in the flag of a country that oppresses black and colored people.
Kaepernick polarized with his gesture. Some athletes followed the football professional, others publicly criticized him.
The then US President Donald Trump foamed with anger, spoke of a “bad thing” and said that maybe Kaepernick should look for a country that appealed to him more.
After the death of George Floyd, Trump moderated his tone. But his attitude did not change. Not standing during the US anthem, not putting your hand on your heart, was, in his view, an unseemly disrespect. Kaepernick’s contract at the end of the season was not extended at the time, but he himself became a role model for a protest movement in sport.
Make the world a better place
The death of George Floyd has prompted many in sport to speak out. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes from the Kansas City Chiefs also knelt in the stadium after the death of George Floyd, supporting Black Lives Matter. He was just fed up with seeing this happen over and over again without anything really changing. Mahomes said he wants to do what he can to make this world a better place.
He was also among the NFL players who released a widely publicized video ten days after George Floyd’s death. In it they named the names of African Americans who had died as a result of police violence in the United States in recent years, including Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner and Walter Scott. And the NFL professionals called on the National Football League to take a clear stand, condemn racism and champion social justice.
A day later, NFL President Roger Goodell issued a public apology: “We, the NFL, condemn racism and the systematic oppression of black people. We, the NFL, admit that it was wrong not to listen to the NFL players sooner. We, the NFL, believe Black Lives Matter.”
Draws attention to grievances: Patrick Mahomes
Polling places where the fans are
And the NFL took action. In the 2020 presidential election, it made stadiums available for voting for the first time, along with the football, baseball, and basketball leagues. According to the NFL, more than 66,000 voters cast their ballots in NFL stadiums alone. The use of stadiums has shortened the waiting time for voters.
Basketball superstar LeBron James also founded the “More Than a Vote” initiative. Their goal is to bring black people to the polls, to enlighten them, to support them. James had also been politically involved before, supporting Black Lives Matter. But George Floyd’s death convinced him he needed to go out and do a little more, James explained.
Speaking on Vice TV, he said: “We’ve been lied to in the black community for so many years. We’ve been told that we can’t do this or that simply because we’re the last of the last – and that’s how we feel.”
James remains committed to Black Lives Matter, as does Mahomes and so many other athletes. Black Lives Matter has made sport more political.
2023-07-14 15:10:32
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