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Athlete as Agent of Change The opinion piece,The “Athlete as Agent of Change,” by Lione Bunch and David Skorton, discusses how athletes try to express their feelings about the world by peaceful protests, but in return they only get negative comments and can potentially lose their job. One example of this evil hatred was on a 21-year-old senior guard on the Manhattanville College women's basketball team named Toni Smith. After the Iraq war in 2003 she expressed her opinion by turning her back to the flag. In paragraph 3 it states,”The history of protest in sports, much like that across society, holds many lessons for us that we can apply to the nation's current anger.” This statement states that throughout the generations of sports there has
Following recent cases of police brutality and racial oppression, many public figures are taking it upon themselves to stand against the issues. In this matter, Colin Kaepernick has been in the spotlight since his protest during a preseason game in August, where he took a knee during the National Anthem. In the articles “The Colin Kaepernick Effect; Another Athlete Stands Up For Social Issues” by LA Watts Times Sports Writer, Amanda Scurlock and “Colin Kaepernick’s Critics Called Him an Idiot. Who’s the Idiot Now?” by Slate Executive Director, Josh Levin, the authors talk about how Colin Kaepernick’s peaceful protest has had many positive and negative backlash. Kaepernick has received much support from not only his fans, but also people such
One of the major stands that were made during a black athlete’s tenure during his or her sport were their statements on racism. Racism in America was an ongoing situation in the 1900’s that seemed to have no resolve before black athletes took a stand. One prime example can be Jackie Robinson who became the first African-American athlete to play baseball in the modern era. Jackie grew up in one of the most racist towns in Pasadena, California and came from a poor family as his parents were sharecroppers and...
Since the early 2000s, racism in sport has changed. Nowadays black professional athletes do not face as much racism as in the early 2000s. Professional athletes are admired by almost everyone in this country, no matter their race. In Claudia Rankine's book called Citizen: An American Lyric, she presents many stories that portrait racial injustices from the white community to the black community in many different ways. These racial injustices are evident, in her lyrics, not only towards a regular black person, but also to famous athletes in the early 2000.
Athletes are national heroes who are held in high regard. When their reputation gets very high and they fail to realize that they are still accountable for their actions regardless of the position they hold in their societies, athletes can turn into violent activities. They become egocentric and selfish-centered, forgetting that their moral conduct should be put at check just as any other citizen.
It seemed that the majority of Americans disagreed on how they were doing it. That they use sports as a get away from the real world, a three to four hour break from reality and all of their problems that might be going on in their own lives. Most people that you talk to that disagree with the protest all say the same things. “If I did something like that at work I would get fired, It is a double standard”. “When you protest the American flag, you are disrespecting our troops”. “Politics have no place in sports”.
...o far ahead that people don’t realize what you’re doing until years later.” (page 46, Carlos) Now 45 years later, have people finally realized what John Carlos and Tommie Smith were doing October 16? Neither Carlos nor Smith regrets their decision to this day. Despite the challenges and obstacles they faced, Carlos believed what they did was far more important than their lives and could live with the history he created. In contrast to their iconic peers, such as Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and Malcolm X to name a few, Carlos and Smith stood in unison in their demonstration. The significance of the fist-raised is a power beckon of strength for everyone to take with them in any given situation. The entire world has broadcasted their rebellious image and has interpreted their own meanings about the most historic moment in sports and the broader community.
"Politics has come to be considered not only inappropriate in the arena of sports, but actually antithetical to it," Zirin says. "We want so much to see sports solely as an arena of play, not seriousness. But here's the thing, this can cheapen not only the greatness and relevance of sports to us as a society, but also the courage of the athletes" (The Nation). The pursuit of fame, wealth and status can blind the human conscious, which is why it is important for us to encourage athletes to speak their minds. As a nation, we should not silence the athletes, because it is the truly courageous athletes who have the audacity to stand up when it’s not popular. Sports should be used as a platform for a certain kind of politics: militarism, nationalism. There is a rich tradition of resistance to politics in sports, but their actions have been integral to country’s struggle for racial and gender equality; sports are a safe place to discuss these difficult topics.
When I was told to pick a topic that was problematic and related to civil disobedience, I immediately thought of an event that got more media coverage than anything else in August of 2016. Headlines resembling phrases like “Disrespect to Our Great Nation”, “Black Lives Matter Advocate Crosses Line”, and “Footballer Disrespects Military”. Other headlines included ones like “Football Player Takes a Stand by Taking a Knee”, and “NFL Player Uses Platform for Social Justice”. The national anthem in sports has traditionally been known and characterized with celebrities, and elaborate performances. However, in August of 2016 Colin Kaepernick changed that by taking a knee in protest for the mistreatment and oppression of people of color. Initially,
Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream, but so Cassius Clay, Jackie Robinson, and Bill Russell. Long before King’s famous “I Had a Dream” speech or Rosa Parks famous stand came something much simpler: sports. Sports have always had the ability to open people’s eyes in a way that is more impactful than words or actions. The way that athletics can shape a persons mind, or open their eyes to something beyond what they already believe, is incredible. They can get everyone to root for a common purpose, a common goal. And for some, that was freedom. The integration of professional and collegiate athletics not only changed sports history, but helped shape American history.
Racism occurs every day and everywhere. We cannot get away from it. In sports, Racism is happening more often and becoming a much bigger problem. Most agree that sports are a reflection of society. What this means is that sports often act as a small-scale version of society and thus, racial problems in sports have been, and continue to be, brushed away as nothing unique. It takes outrageous conduct for the reality of racism in sports to come to the forefront. When comparing a minority athlete to a non-minority athlete we can see they both are victims of discriminated because of their race. However, the type of discrimination is very different, and the effects are very different. To a lot of people, the sports world is a place in which none of the normal problems of the “real” world could possibly exist. Although, racism in sports has been an issue throughout the world. It has had an impact on our Athletes of all ages and race. In both their personal life and outside their personal
The scholars expounds that Black athletes were commodities on the playing field to help win games and bring in revenue to their respected schools. However, the schools were just as eager and willing to leave their Black players behind and dishonoring the player as a part of the team. Therefore, not compromising the team’s winning and bring in profits for the school. Sadly, Black athletes at predominately White institutions (PWIs) who believed that they were bettering the live of themselves and their families members by going to college and playing collegiate sports to increase their post secondary careers. However, these athletes were only “show ponies” for their schools. Unfortunately, Black athletes had allegiance to their school; however, the school turned their backs on the athletes to protect the profit and notoriety of the school and the programs. Money and respect from White fans and spectators were more important to the PWIs than standing up for the respect of their Black players. Racial bigotry in sports was rampant and it was only going to get worse.
Sports psychology is the study of how psychology influences sports, athletic performance, exercise and physical activity. Some sports psychologists work with professional athletes and coaches to improve performance and increase motivation. Other professionals use exercise and sports to enhance people’s lives and well-being. While finding ways to help athletes is certainly an important part of sports psychology, the application of exercise and physical activity for improving the lives of non-athletes is also a major focus.
Referring to slide two Nelson Mandela once said that “Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than government in breaking down racial barriers.” Sport is one of the biggest and strongest unifiers in the world. Although there may be certain issues within a country or the world such as political affiliations, gender, race and ideologies, sport always seems to bring people closer regardless of the current issues at hand.
"Politics has come to be considered not only inappropriate in the arena of sports, but actually antithetical to it," Zirin says. "We want so much to see sports solely as an arena of play, not seriousness. But here's the thing, this can cheapen not only the greatness and relevance of sports to us as a society, but also the courage of the athletes" . The pursuit of fame, wealth and status can blind the human conscience, which is why it is important for us to encourage athletes to voice their opinions. As a nation, we should not silence our athletes, because it is the truly courageous athletes who have the audacity to stand up when it is socially unacceptable. Sports should be used as a platform for a certain kind of politics such as militarism, nationalism and human rights. A few athletes stand out as political advocates of their time who were not afraid to express their opinions: Muhammad Ali, Jackie Robinson, and Billie-Jean King. There is a rich tradition of resistance to politics in sports, but their actions have been integral to country’s struggle for racial and gender equality; sports are a safe place to discuss these difficult topics and therefore is essential.
True role models are those who possess the qualities that we would like to have. Role models are those who have affected us in ways that influence us to be better people. They are people who others imitate, emulate or look to for guidance. There are good role models who inspire greatness in others and bad role models who are bad influences. There are even anti-role models, pegged by the media as "bad girls" or "bad boys" who serve as good examples of what not to do if you want to become a successful, respected person. With the majority of my time spent as an athlete throughout high school and college, I believe athletes should pose as role models.