Political statements don’t belong in sports, not because athletes shouldn’t voice their activism or don’t deserve the right to support movements, but because they can greatly harm their careers.
From Tommie Smith and John Carlos to Colin Kaepernick, athletes have made political statements for decades yet continue to be blacklisted and experience harm to their careers.
One of the first cases of activism within the sports world was in the instance of boxer Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr., more commonly known as Muhammad Ali.
In 1967 Ali was sentenced to five years in prison after refusing to participate in the Vietnam War for religious and political beliefs.
He was stripped of not only his championship title, but respect and support from fans, according to a Jan 13. Britannica webpage.
Although Ali was eventually allowed to box again years later, his career was never the same and the stigma surrounding Ali’s refusal still persisted.
No matter the movement, speaking out about personal political beliefs is a danger to athletes' careers.
The career of former 49ers quarterback Kaepernick is proof of that.
After his political statement in 2016 where he kneeled during the national anthem in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, Kaepernick was left unsigned from the NFL after becoming a free agent, according to a New York Times timeline.
The movement that Kaepernick began within the sports world created a whole wave of U.S. activism, but the message has become lost as people and corporations participate in performative activism.
The NFL has ironically been an example of that, capitalizing off the Black Lives Matter movement as a trend, most recently in this year’s Super Bowl when the league released its “Inspire Change” ad promoting a campaign to end systemic racism.
But the league has yet to release an apology specifically acknowledging Kaepernick’s career decline, according to a June 7, 2020 ABC news article.
The article discussed the NFL’s apology in light of the Black Lives Matter movement where commissioner Roger Goodell said the league was “wrong for not listening to NFL Players earlier.”
The inconsistency between the two is ridiculous and directly correlated with politics.
Some supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement said getting the message out is still important, but it's become harshly criticized on a larger scale.
Even though it’s not the fault of the movement or the advocates, the truth is that criticism and mocking could’ve been avoided by leaving political statements off the field.
U.S. athletes have the constitutional right of free speech and can openly support their political views in their own time, however those with views that might be “controversial” shouldn’t have their success taken away.
Some sports fans can’t appreciate the athleticism of certain athletes without the personal political beliefs of those athletes overshadowing their talent.
Tom Brady has been seen with a “Make America Great Again '' hat in his locker, a symbol of former President Donald Trump who’s famously denounced the Black Lives Matter movement.
Connor McGregor is one of the best UFC fighters and also an avid Trump supporter.
Many fans can’t support these athletes because of their political views, even though they’re reputable players, according to sports columnist Nancy Armour in a Feb. 2 USA Today article.
Some would ask how are fans expected to support a certain team or player that is physically talented, but don’t share their same values?
With a clear separation of sports and politics, fans can be more unified over the actual game rather than the views of the athletes playing.
The slander that is directed at athletes after they show support for political movements during a game, can overshadow the importance of that activism. While the social movements are critical, they should be left out of the game to prevent harm to an athlete's career.
