TW: This post is going to touch a little bit on politics, and specifically on the dynamic of athletes and activism. While I try not to be too political with my posts if I can help it, I have been following this debate for the last few years and figured I’d write about my take on the matter. In all honesty you don’t have to agree with what I say in this post, or any others for that matter, and I do encourage respectful opposing arguments. Alright, here we go.
For those who live in the USA, the NFL started their season this week and along with it the conversation around athletes and their political opinions has been resurrected. Right now activism has the spotlight in our country and there are very different ways to be an activist in this day and age. Activism ranges from being open with your stance on social media, attending protests, donating money to the cause, aligning yourself with groups that represent your cause, brining awareness to your cause etc. The question that keeps popping up everywhere is: Does activism have a place in sports? The answer is yes. Activism has a place anywhere that political or social change is warranted.
Let’s talk about the NFL for a second. In the weeks leading up to the start of the season the leaders of the National Football league have seemingly flipped their stance on whether activism should be allowed during games. If you need a reminder: just a few years ago the NFL blacklisted a player you may know by the name of Colin Kaepernick specifically for kneeling during the national anthem to shed light on black oppression in America. It seems a bit hypocritical now that awareness for racial injustice is taking a big spotlight on the NFL’s platform while Kaepernick has yet to play another snap of football. Regardless, the NFL has taken the steps to open up the conversation and show that as an organization they will not stand for racial injustice and they won’t make their players stand for it either, literally.
Hear me out here. A company or organization reserves the right to hold its employees to a certain standard. If the NFL wants to allow players to kneel, stand in a moment of unity, lock arms etc. without repercussion then that is their decision to make. That’s it; that’s the end of the discussion. It doesn’t matter if it’s a player’s job is to do so or not. If the NFL allows them to show support for a cause they believe in, and might I add affects a large number of their employees, then so be it. If you don’t like it then you don’t have to watch or support that organization anymore, and it is your right to make that choice.
If a company does not condone political activism while employees are on working time then that company has the right to make that decision as well. I work for a chain hair salon and I am not allowed to wear anything political or even talk politics with customers per company policy. Does it get brought up from time to time? Yes. Am I trained to steer the conversation into a different direction? Yes. Am I still allowed to go home at night and light up my personal social media feeds with all of my thoughts about politics if I want to? Absolutely. Athletes deserve that same respect whether their company allows them to do it on work time or not.
The last thing I’d like to leave you with is this: every single person in the country no matter their occupation is allowed to have an opinion on politics and make that opinion known. Think about that for a second. The current president of the United States was elected with no political experience whatsoever; therefore, the argument that athletes should stick to sports is tone deaf and obsolete. Activism has a place in sports. Politics have a place in sports. Athletes in America have the right to speak on what they believe in. Companies in America have the right to support their employees and the causes that hold their employee’s best interest. Again, you don’t have to agree but you do have to acknowledge that everyone has a right to their opinion and the right to speak on that opinion regardless of their occupation and that includes professional athletes, period.
