By Marissa Scott
Stand up for what you believe in.
Speak up for what is right.
These are all words children hear while growing up, but not words many decide to follow on a large scale.
For athletes, being outspoken about a controversial issue embeds a target on their back. It follows them throughout their entire career and can often lead to negative consequences.
Athletes have the right to protest, and if they feel strongly about a topic, they should stand up for what they believe in. However, this can be tricky to do if they have scholarships, contracts and advertisement deals to silence them.
On Aug. 26, 2016, former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick sat on the bench during the National Anthem to protest the oppression of people of color in the United States.
This sparked controversy throughout the sports and political world.
He was criticized for disrespecting the country and the military. At the end of the 2016-2017 season, he became a free agent and has yet to be signed by another NFL team.
Although some believe Kaepernick hasn’t been signed because of his abilities as an athlete, many believe that it is because he spoke his opinion and knelt to spread an impactful message against police brutality against African Americans.
Other athletes, who still have their jobs, sat and kneeled in solidarity with the message the former quarterback sparked.
Both professional athletes and student-athletes across America began to kneel, sit or put their fist up during the National Anthem, which is when the college athlete protest topic began to form.
The NCAA decided to have a meeting shortly after Kaepernick’s protest discussing student athlete’s rights to protests and came to a consensus to let the players speak.
“From the Vietnam War to the present, student-athletes have felt compelled to use their platform to express opinions about social issues,” said Kevin Rome, President of Lincoln University in a panel discussion. “Whether by wearing black armbands or kneeling during the national anthem, student athletes should not lose their constitutional rights.”
When athletes decide to stand out and practice their First Amendment right, people are shocked, but moved.
Protests by athletes aren’t a new concept in the sports world.
During the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, two San Jose State University students, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, stood on the first and third places on the podium with their fists in the air and their heads down.
They shed light on racial inequality and injustice happening in the United States at the time and were a part in fueling the Black Power movement.
The protest created a buzz throughout the world and brought attention to the track and field program at SJSU, both negative and positive.
Often times student-athletes are not outspoken about issues in our society, but some have shown their support.
Because student-athletes at colleges have a platform, showing activism can prove successful since many people are able to see it.
In late 2015, the University of Missouri’s football team went on strike after a series of racist incidents on campus weren’t addressed by the school’s president, Tim Wolfe. After a long series of protests and activism, Wolfe eventually resigned.
Because the football program brings a lot of money to the school, it was heavily involved in the incident so the president had no choice but to acknowledge the students’ activism.
When a group of people who have a large impact come together and peacefully protest for an issue, it is more likely to be solved.
“On the 10 o’clock news, it’s news, weather and sports. Not news, weather and opera. Athletes have a platform. We have an opportunity to be a voice for those who do not have a voice,” said Alan Cureton, chair of the Division III Presidents Council. “We have an opportunity to speak up for those who can’t speak up. The platform allows athletes to say, ‘This is what I believe in.’”
Regardless of what different spectators thought of the protest, the athletes spread the message they believed in and stood for what is right.
After the University of Alabama won the college football national championship in 2018, the coach decided the team would take a trip to the White House, a trip which is made by many professional sports teams after they win a trophy.
Although some players expressed their differences in political views with the president, the coach made all of the players attend, which was wrong.
Athletes should have the choice of taking the trip if they don’t agree with the message, but they were forced.
Whether someone believes athletes have an opinion that’s worth listening to, they deserve to be heard and their voices can make a world of difference.