Social activism in sports: normalizing helping your teammates up

By Justin Berry

As we limp through what has been a tumultuous year to say the least, sports have been on the proverbial back-burner.

Only now are things beginning to slowly ease toward a restart, but the impact of athletics and of athletes themselves has remained ultra-relevant in our society. The United States has no shortage of controversy and polarization today—from environmental and economic issues, to women’s and LGBTQ rights, to the current battle against racial injustice, there is ample room for discourse and activism. It has become increasingly common for athletes and coaches to participate in both, to the joy of some fans, and the dismay of others.

In the wake of such political and social division the last few years, notable voices from within the sports world have entered the chat, so to speak. Influential figures like Greg Popovich, Steve Kerr, Megan Rapinoe, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Colin Kaepernick, LeBron James and others all have become vocal politically in the form of social activism. 

At this level, many sports personalities have followings that dwarf those of politicians and decision makers. Even more recently, leagues and organizations have broken stance and silence by voicing solidarity against racial injustice. Among the most surprising have been NASCAR and the NFL. 

These moves haven’t come without resistance. Many fans and pundits across the country have voiced their own criticisms of athletes, coaches, and organizations voicing political views—these range from “I supported the Spurs until Pop got political” remarks in Texas, and “they’re disrespecting the flag/military” (NFL), to Laura Ingraham’s now infamous “shut up and dribble” suggestion to LeBron James and other NBA players. Their argument in general seems to be that somehow sports should be immune from social and political discourse—that it should be a haven, safe from societal ills and influences. 

Views like these beg the questions: Does one’s occupation and platform require silence? Can/should sports be decoupled from societal issues? It’s not self-evident the two can be separated. Many consider sport itself a social institution that merely parodies the epoch in which it finds itself in. If we viewed it through the lens of Gordon Allport’s Contact Hypothesis, we’d understand sport as a fundamentally diplomatic construct because it increases contact between separate individuals and groups which, in turn, minimizes friction, division, xenophobia and the sort of misunderstandings that often lead to inter-group violence.

As a universal language, sport has the ability to transcend linguistic and sociocultural differences to mitigate and sublimate conflict. From the Olympic Truce in which diverse Greek city-states offered protection to athletes, spectators and officials journeying to and from the Games, to the World War I Christmas Truce in which German and British soldiers exchanged gifts and played football together in No Man’s Land, people have used sport as a tool to defy pre-existing conflicts and reduce tension between varying groups. 

Regardless of whether sport can be separated from societal issues, there will be an abundance of consequences—some good, some harmful—to those who publicly amplify that relationship. Muhammad Ali was one of the most outspoken and influential athletes to ever wade into the waters of social activism in the United States, but his decision to oppose the controversial Vietnam War, along with highlighting blatant racial inequality in America, came with a heavy price. Not only did it invoke public criticism across the country, but he was convicted of violating the selective service law, had his passport revoked, was stripped of the world heavyweight title and banned from boxing. 

Though he was eventually reinstated and twice more reclaimed the heavyweight title, sacrificing his livelihood and millions of dollars in the prime of his career to stand for a principle has certainly been the model for social activism within the sports world. 

In the 21st century, we’re living in the most socially conflicted, divided period since the sixties. Some of the same issues exist. Some have evolved. Some athletes, though not necessarily on the level of Ali, have sacrificed their athletic futures for activist roles. Regardless of your opinion on his protest, Colin Kaepernick did that. Maya Moore, one of the best women’s basketball players in the world, has done that. Few athletes and coaches have sacrificed their careers for the sake of social issues, but more and more are beginning to use their platform to influence opinion and promote change. 

Millionaires are often removed from the experiences of the everyday person, just as professional athletes are often distanced from those of the common fan. This, paired with fear of harming their status and/or income has perhaps contributed to silence in the past. Now as the landscape is changing, it has quite quickly become less of a risk to take a stand and speak up for those who live outside their experience.

It’s not a stretch to think the millions of people who admire and respect what these athletes, coaches, and organizations do will opt to follow that example. Something that previously could be described as a distraction from society is now a platform to help change it. 

Sports are an undeniable part of American and global culture. In nearly all team sports, there are falls that come in various forms—people being knocked down and losing their balance. Within these sports, it’s almost a universal concept to help your teammate to their feet after those falls. On good teams, teammates rush to do so—I  want you all to imagine your community, your city, your country, and even the world as a “team” in this case. If we can carry the mentality of helping our teammates who are at a disadvantage back up to their feet, society will be a better place for it.