Some individuals say, “Athletics and politics don’t mix.” While there is some truth to that, many sports fans use sports as a haven to avoid the stresses of daily life, this is a flawed point. 

Throughout sports history, athletes have used their platforms to make powerful political statements, which has become even more prevalent with the evolution of the internet and social media platforms. 

This progress had significant roots in the 1960s when great athletes such as Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Muhammad Ali, and Jim Brown stood up for human rights during a crucial time. These brave acts were actively inspired by the great work of Martin Luther King Jr. and others who had fought for civil rights. 

Fast forward to 1968, the United States was in a crucial period following the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy, only a few months apart. The World Olympics in the Estadio Olímpico Universitario of Mexico City, Mexico, were in limbo. Athletes such as Harry Edwards of San Jose State University and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar of the University of California, Los Angeles, both basketball players boycotted the Olympics in support of the betterment of Black rights and religious rights, as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a practicing Muslim. 

However, two prominent athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlo, still wanted to compete with an inner desire to make a statement to the world and win.

In the ’68 200-meter final, Smith dealt with a pulled muscle, which heavily limited his ability to perform, but the race was not over. His teammate Carlo led most of the race out of the gate with the opposition not far behind. 

Smith miraculously came back, and both athletes knew their hard work had led up to this moment, and it was their time to make a statement.  

As Smith and Carlos walked to the victory stand, they breathed proudly, bowed their heads, and held their gloved fists in the air to make perhaps the most significant statement of unity and pride — in not only winning but also making a stand for their rights and a statement at the Olympic games despite the counter-protests of Avery Brundage. Brundage, the president of the Olympic Committee, kicked them off the American team, which lit a fire under the American athletes who supported the beauty of Smith and Carlos’ messages. Brundage’s response amplified the message of the American athletes and set the groundwork for the continuous fight for equality in America.

The next period of political action by athletes was closer to our current time. We fast-forward to April 1992. America was a changing country, both culturally and politically. Following back-to-back conservative U.S. Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush, America had enough, especially with the recent rising inflation and gas prices under the Bush administration. Urban Culture was growing, and the rise of technology and the internet was imminent. And then, boom! A bomb went off in Los Angeles, California. 

March 29, 1992, 3:15 p.m. PDT: Four Los Angeles Police Department officers are found not guilty of assaulting motorist Rodney King on March 24, despite overwhelming evidence showing excessive force.  

Four Hours Later: Game three of the 1992 NBA first-round matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Portland Trail Blazers at the Los Angeles Forum in Inglewood, California, miles from South Central Los Angeles and Compton, California, was a complete warzone. Businesses, cars, buildings and streets are lighting the LA skyline ablaze, but not for celebratory reasons. Citizens of South Central Los Angeles are angry and riled up. They believe Rodney King was wrongfully assaulted and the LAPD already had a controversial past.

An excellent article written by Arash Markazi in 2012, ESPN writer at the time, chronicles the situation: 

“Despite the win, the emotions of the Lakers players in the locker room were somewhat subdued as the reports of the riots were relayed to them. As fans headed for the exits quicker than usual, Lakers players were again reminded of the safest routes to take home. The seriousness of the situation hit many Lakers players as they walked out of the Forum tunnel to their cars and found a deserted parking lot that would usually be filled with fans and autograph seekers after the game.”

“It was pretty much a ghost town heading to my car, which was pretty alarming because that had never happened before,” Lakers forward A.C. Green said. “When I finally got in my car, I wasn’t more than a half a block away before I saw emergency lights and drove a few more blocks and actually heard gunfire. That’s when I put the windows up, turned the radio off and tried to get out of there and off the streets as fast as I could. I didn’t know what would happen next.”

Green won three titles with the Showtime Lakers in the 1980s, but getting out of Los Angeles unscathed was perhaps an even more challenging ordeal.

At the time, players did not know what to think. Some were angry at the verdict, but their safety mattered the most. The Lakers and the NBA decided to move the series to the University of Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada, for the well-being of fans, employees and players. However, the players knew then what they could do for the city. 

“We knew we were playing for more than that game,” said Olden Polynice, former Los Angeles Clippers center. “We were trying to help the city recover and heal.”

Green described the situation as “a test of nerves, a test of character and a test of faith.” 

Eventually, Los Angeles recovered and rebuilt the damaged property and structures. Still, the citizens of Southern California who were present in 1992 don’t forget the memory and impact of that time. 

Returning to the time machine, we travel forward almost 20 years to 2020. The world enters a global pandemic due to a COVID-19 outbreak. The economy is shut down for March and April. The United States suspended all significant sports and millions worldwide must stay indoors to contain the spread of the disease. 

May 25, 2020: Minneapolis resident George Floyd has been detained and arrested after using an allegedly counterfeit $20 bill at a local convenience store. Surrounded by four Minneapolis police officers, he begins to panic and is placed on the ground. Officer Derek Chauvin kneels on his neck for at least eight minutes while a crowd starts to surround the scene. Floyd eventually succumbs to the pressure and dies. Bystanders surround the scene to film and take pictures of this interaction, and post them online. 

May 26, 2020: The footage reaches millions nationwide and spreads like wildfire. Police brutality protests began across the United States in cities like Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, Dallas, Indianapolis and most prevalently, Minneapolis, where the act took place. 

Following in the footsteps of Russell, Jabbar, Ali and Brown, athletes of the four major U.S. sports took action. Star athletes around the world, like LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers), Kyrie Irving (Brooklyn Nets, at the time), Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics), Naomi Osaka (Professional Tennis Athlete), John Wall (Washington Wizards, at the time), Malcolm Brogdon (Milwaukee Bucks at the time), Bubba Wallace (Richard Petty Motorsports, at the time), Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team, at the time), David Alaba (Bayern Munich FC, at the time) and countless others posted on social media in support of the protests and the Black Lives Matter movement. Brown, Wall and Brogdon also participated in street demonstrations in their local communities. 

The summer of 2020 was a real sliding doors moment for the United States, and its greatest athletic stars were at the forefront. However, perhaps the journey of the power of expression is what we as a nation can take pride in. The sacrifices of the few give power to the many, which is certainly something not to lose sight of in this upcoming election. Voting is how we make the world a better place, or at least that’s the goal of that action. 

“There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long-range risks of comfortable inaction.” — John F. Kennedy