Silenced Voices, Exploring the High Stakes of Social Activism in Sports

Consequences of Activism: Why More Athletes and Entertainers Don’t Push for Social Change

By: Nick Hamilton

We live in a time when people often expect athletes and entertainers to use their platforms for more than selling a product, endorsing a film, or appearing on camera. With all the crises going on today, people almost demand that sports figures choose a position in a crisis.

It's to be expected, considering those who have set the tone—from actor Marlon Brando, who joined forces with the American League for a Free Palestine in 1947, to Muhammad Ali, who was punished for using his voice to stand against the Vietnam War.

Ali is an example of the consequences an athlete can face when taking a strong position that challenges the status quo. His refusal to back down in his pursuits for equality for Black Americans and his opposition to the war resulted in the Boxing Commission stripping him of his title. While this never stopped him from speaking against racism and injustice in this country, it would take three years for Ali to get the title back.

While Ali understood the possible backlash for addressing societal ills, he continued to spread his message across cities nationwide until he began suffering from the effects of Parkinson's disease.

Baseball player Curt Flood sued Major League Baseball (MLB) for not allowing players to be free agents. In 1969, teams signed players to the roster under the reserve clause. The MLB teams reserve clause allowed owners to treat the players as property, and a player was bound to that team for life unless he was traded or released. Under the reserve clause, a player could not become a free agent and remain in a deal that only allowed them to be free if they chose retirement.

Flood would lose the case in the Supreme Court; however, years later, MLB would grant players the opportunity to become free agents. Flood stood up for all of the players on current rosters. However, none of the players stood with him out of fear of retaliation from owners.

In 1972, Congress passed a measure to remove the antitrust exemption and even named the bill after Curt Flood, who had the chance to benefit from the ruling. Because of his sacrifice and courage, free agency exists today. Flood was outside baseball and is still not fully recognized by the league.

Remember, after the police death of Minneapolis, Minnesota resident Philando Castillo, four-time WNBA champion Maya Moore and the Minnesota Lynx took a stand. They understood their position in the league and began wearing shirts with statements that helped spread their message to the masses. Doing so helped further awareness about police corruption and brutality in their city and cities across America.

Moore would move out of the limelight to focus on prison reform that has plagued many people in the Black community and communities of color across this nation. Several mainstream media outlets would barely speak of Moore until the rookie phenom Caitlin Clark made it a point to recognize Moore at a women's college tournament basketball game in 2024.

Although there is often an underlying expectation that athletes and entertainers use their platforms to speak up, fans must understand that this can often create costly challenges for the athlete.

Once athletes or entertainers stand for what is right and it goes against the status quo, their voices, opportunities, and marketing abilities vanish or become so minute that people overlook them and their important message.

Standing for Your Rights Doesn’t Always End Up Nice

By: Mykell Mathieu

Growing up, I was always told to stand up for what I believed in.

One of my favorite Bob Marley songs is "Get Up, Stand Up." Marley created this song for the Black generation of his time, encouraging them not to give up the battle and to stand up for their rights when they most needed to hear it.

Taking a stand can often bring about much-needed social change, but when you are an athlete, sometimes speaking up can be detrimental to your career.

We all know the story of former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick after protesting and speaking out against police brutality in America. Kaepernick has not played in an NFL game or been on a roster since 2016.

Many sports fans may need to learn the story of Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf. Abdul-Rauf is a former NBA player who made headlines in 1996 for refusing to stand for the United States national anthem. The NBA suspended him, which led to Abdul-Rauf losing $31,707 for every game he missed.

Abdul-Rauf, who converted to Islam in 1993, eventually stood for the national anthem after he and the NBA came to a compromise. He would stand in prayer during the anthem. While this facilitated his return to the game, his career was never the same. Three years after his protest, Abdul-Rauf could not find a job in the NBA.

Most sports fans know about the 1968 Summer Olympic Games when African-American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos went from track-and-field stars into major controversy over their raised-fist salute.

With them, accepting his silver medal, was a white Australian runner, Peter Norman. Norman didn't raise his fist that day but stood with Smith and Carlos. This show of solidarity ended up destroying his career.

Norman was punished harshly by the Australian sports establishment. Though he qualified for the Olympic team over and over again, he was not selected by the team in 1972. Rather than allow Norman to compete, the Australians decided not to not send a single sprinter to represent the country.

Norman immediately retired from the sport - and began suffering from depression and alcoholism.

Norman was still not recognized when the Olympics took place in Sydney, Australia, in 2000. Norman died in 2006 without any acknowledgment of his contributions to the sport in Australia.

In 2012, the Australian government apologized for how the country treated Norman. That is no consolation, as the apology came six years after Norman's death.

These are just a few stories of athletes who spoke out on what they believed was right and how their careers were ruined by doing so.

So, you would hope to see more athletes speak out against situations that are happening all throughout the world, including Gaza. But most athletes understand that speaking out can ruin their careers, and most of these athletes have families to take care of and can't risk losing their careers because of their feelings & beliefs.

Standing up for what's right sometimes doesn't end up right at all for athletes!

Breaking Barriers: How Sports Journalists Can Champion Athlete Activism Against Capitalism's Constraints

By: Jackie Rae

The human mind is a fascinating thing. Capitalism is not. There is no love, no enlightenment, and no concern for humanity in capitalism. Yet it often stifles the mind and prevents us from moving forward as a society.

As a Black woman who has the well-being of my community at the forefront of my mind, I've repeatedly heard a phrase over and over again. "As a sports journalist, you should keep politics out of sports."

I always find this phrase perplexing, often because of the timing. As Nick Hamilton pointed out, most outlets refused to mention Maya Moore on their platforms. Her commitment to raising awareness regarding police brutality and the need for prison reform made her a nonstarter for every major outlet.

This is extremely troubling. Outlets will never shy away from reporting on athletes who are involved in domestic violence, have a DUI, or even bet on a game. Every aspect of an athlete's life is fair game. Yet when they stand for something that can benefit the lives of their fellow man, they are ostracized.

Of course, that makes sense. Contrary to popular belief, capitalism does not breed patriotism. The definition of patriotism is "the feeling of love, devotion, and a sense of attachment to a country or state." If one genuinely has love and a sense of attachment to a country, that means the people who live within it. All the people.

Capitalism breeds an "every man for themselves" mindset. However, my colleagues mentioned Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Tommie Smith, John Carlos, Peter Norman, Muhammad Ali, Maya Moore, and Curt Flood — these athletes are not just names. They are beacons of courage, challenging the system and moving the needle for equality and systemic change despite the backlash they received for taking a stance.

In every war, there are casualties. Perhaps that is precisely what these brave athletes have become—but we, as journalists, could have lessened the blow -- if not saved them completely.

Again, as sports journalists, we are told not to be political, yet we are reporting on people's lives. Politics are about people and affect every aspect of our lives—including people in the NBA, NFL, WNBA, Olympic athletes, and everyone in between.

As journalists, we have the power to influence narratives. We've called out athletes when they are wrong, praised them when they shine, and even created hype where there was none. We are in a unique time, a time where we all have an opportunity to make life better for our fellow man. If athletes are going to pick up the sword and fight, the least we can do is pick up the pen and join them in the fight for a better future.