tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/colin-kaepernick-30791/articlesColin Kaepernick – The Conversation2023-08-15T19:48:20Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2080912023-08-15T19:48:20Z2023-08-15T19:48:20ZOnline outrage can benefit brands that take stances on social issues<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/539078/original/file-20230724-14742-flc4a2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=13%2C17%2C2982%2C2061&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A large billboard featuring Colin Kaepernick stands on top of a Nike store at Union Square in San Francisco.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Eric Risberg)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/online-outrage-can-benefit-brands-that-take-stances-on-social-issues" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Nike’s advertisement featuring Colin Kaepernick sparked a social media firestorm in 2018. Kaepernick, a former San Francisco 49ers quarterback, first made headlines in 2016 when he <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/06/01/colin-kaepernick-kneeling-history/">protested against police brutality by kneeling during the American national anthem</a>.</p>
<p>Those who deemed Kaepernick’s refusal to stand for the anthem as unpatriotic expressed a great deal of outrage and <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-nike-kaepernick-idUSKCN1LK1DK">called for a Nike boycott</a>. Despite initial concerns about the financial impact of Nike’s decision, the advertisement <a href="https://www.vox.com/2018/9/24/17895704/nike-colin-kaepernick-boycott-6-billion">proved successful for the company</a> — Nike earned $6 billion from the campaign.</p>
<p>One explanation for this success is that existing Nike customers rallied behind the brand, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2018/09/13/colin-kaepernicks-nike-ad-campaign-gets-more-yeahs-than-nays-from-young-people/">outnumbering those who were outraged</a>. But social media conversations at the time suggested there was an alternative phenomenon taking place. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/nikes-courageous-new-ad-campaign-mixing-racial-politics-with-sport-will-be-vindicated-102707">Nike's courageous new ad campaign mixing racial politics with sport will be vindicated</a>
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<p>Some people expressed support for Nike in response to the outrage but not because they were already loyal customers of the brand. This suggests people who shared Kaepernick’s concerns were motivated by online outrage to support Nike as a way of symbolically defending or supporting their beliefs about racial equity and police brutality. </p>
<p>After seeing this example and noticing more brands were taking stances on social issues through marketing campaigns, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/jcpy.1364">we decided to embark on a research project</a>. Our aim was to examine whether brands that take such stances benefit from the ensuing outrage from opposing consumer groups.</p>
<h2>Positive outrage</h2>
<p>We conducted five studies using real examples of brands that took stances on social issues and faced online backlash. Participants were presented a tweet that either expressed outrage or disapproval towards the brand’s social message. We then measured how connected participants felt to the attacked brand and what their intentions to make a purchase from that brand were.</p>
<p>Across all five studies, we found that participants who shared the brand’s promoted values felt more closely connected to it and were more willing to buy its products when they saw an outraged tweet. This was true for the brand that was specifically attacked, but also for other brands with similar social values.</p>
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<img alt="A collage of tweets by people condemning Nike's advertising campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/538809/original/file-20230722-41771-xyjt9q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/538809/original/file-20230722-41771-xyjt9q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538809/original/file-20230722-41771-xyjt9q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538809/original/file-20230722-41771-xyjt9q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538809/original/file-20230722-41771-xyjt9q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538809/original/file-20230722-41771-xyjt9q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538809/original/file-20230722-41771-xyjt9q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Nike’s 2018 advertisement featuring Colin Kaepernick sparked backlash on social media.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Twitter)</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
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<p>The underlying psychological reason for this positive outrage effect was that participants perceived the outrage as a threat to their personal social values.</p>
<p>This is consistent with existing theories that suggest public expressions of outrage can <a href="https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/dgt6u">be seen as a threat to people’s beliefs and values</a>. In response to such threats, individuals respond by engaging in symbolic acts <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S1364-6613(03)00135-9">to defend the threatened value</a>.</p>
<p>Importantly, this feeling of threat and the subsequent positive brand consequences occurred under a certain set of conditions. Namely, the positive outcome occurred when the outrage was expressed by a member of a group with opposing values, such as political opponents, or when the outrage had online viral support.</p>
<h2>Managerial implications</h2>
<p>From a managerial perspective, brands have been hesitant to take sides on <a href="https://hbr.org/2020/02/how-do-consumers-feel-when-companies-get-political">contentious social issues</a>, partly because of the risks associated with triggering online outrage. However, consumers are increasingly expecting companies <a href="https://hbr.org/2020/10/when-should-your-company-speak-up-about-a-social-issue">to speak out on social issues that are important to them</a>. </p>
<p>Our research offers optimism, as it indicates outrage can benefit brands by bolstering support from those who share the promoted values. These are the customers companies should be trying to reach in such marketing activities. </p>
<p>But a word of caution: brands need to be mindful of the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0022243720947682">risks of alienating consumers that hold opposing views</a> about the social issue in question, particularly when a brand’s customer base holds diverse social values. Brands can <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/bud-light-sales-dropped-21-4-percent-in-april">risk driving away customers and losing profit</a> when they take a stance on social issues.</p>
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<img alt="A case of Bud Light beer bottles" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540874/original/file-20230802-6332-5a9zc3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540874/original/file-20230802-6332-5a9zc3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540874/original/file-20230802-6332-5a9zc3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540874/original/file-20230802-6332-5a9zc3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540874/original/file-20230802-6332-5a9zc3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540874/original/file-20230802-6332-5a9zc3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540874/original/file-20230802-6332-5a9zc3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">After Dylan Mulvaney, a transgender influencer, promoted Bud Light on Instagram, a group of consumers called for a boycott of the brand.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)</span></span>
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<p>This underscores the importance of ensuring that such social marketing campaigns are aligned with the existing values of a brand’s core customer base. By doing so, brands can navigate the potential risks of alienation while maximizing the potential benefits of generating outrage.</p>
<h2>Societal implications</h2>
<p>As influencial figures, brands have the power to incite social change by taking stances on social issues. To bring about change, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/tommybeer/2020/12/10/colin-kaepernick-partners-with-ben--jerrys-on-namesake-vegan-frozen-dessert/">ideas must spread and gain enough support among the population</a>. </p>
<p>Brands can play a significant role in helping this happen by uniting people and organizations around social issues through marketing campaigns.</p>
<p>While outrage from opposed groups can benefit brands, it’s possible that deliberately courting such controversy may also negatively impact society. One concern that has been raised is that this kind of marketing can <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Business/companies-increasingly-politics-marketing-risks-experts/story?id=88238066">increase the risk of political polarization</a>. </p>
<p>Polarization has the potential to lead to the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-parallel-economy-the-rightwing-movement-creating-a-safe-haven-for-deplatformed-conservative-influencers-201999">rise of parallel economies</a>: one for conservatives and another for liberals. The growing trend of companies positioning themselves as “anti-woke” in the United States is an example of this unfolding.</p>
<p>However, more research is still needed to fully grasp the positive and negative effects of these marketing activities on society. To gain a better understanding of this topic, for example, it would be valuable to study how consumer backlash impacts other entities like company employees, policymakers and investors.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/208091/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Peter Raymond Darke receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Theo Noseworthy receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Saeid Kermani does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Brands are increasingly taking stances on contentious social issues and facing mass outrage on social media. New research shows that this outrage can benefit brands.Saeid Kermani, Assistant Professor of Marketing, Trent UniversityPeter Darke, Professor of Marketing, York University, CanadaTheo Noseworthy, Professor of Marketing, York University, CanadaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1766342022-02-10T13:38:27Z2022-02-10T13:38:27ZA brief history of the NFL, ‘The Star-Spangled Banner,’ the Super Bowl and their tangled saga of patriotism and dissent<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/445232/original/file-20220208-13-g22ydy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=412%2C145%2C2283%2C1649&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Whitney Houston sings the national anthem on January 27, 1991, at Super Bowl XXV during the Persian Gulf War. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/whitney-houston-sings-the-national-anthem-during-the-news-photo/51746757?adppopup=true">Michael Zagaris/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>When NFL Commissioner <a href="https://footballfoundation.org/hof_search.aspx?hof=1372">Elmer Layden</a> visited the White House in August 1945, no sitting president had ever attended a professional football game. World War II was coming to a close and the commissioner presented President Harry Truman with a golden pass to any game on any day. </p>
<p>Pro football was still in its infancy. The NFL was barely 25 years old, and both baseball and boxing were more popular. So Layden made a promise that would inspire headlines and maximize his publicity stunt. The wartime practice of playing <a href="https://starspangledmusic.org/banner-moment-4-inspiration-key-witnesses-american-victory-history/">“The Star-Spangled Banner”</a> at every game would continue forever. </p>
<p>“The playing of the <a href="https://starspangledmusic.org/the-star-spangled-banner/">national anthem</a> should be as much a part of every game as the kickoff,” he proclaimed.</p>
<p>“The Star-Spangled Banner” was written by <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/francis-scott-key-the-reluctant-patriot-180937178/">Francis Scott Key</a> in September 1814, after the Georgetown lawyer witnessed the surprising and successful defense of Baltimore from British attack during <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/War-of-1812">the War of 1812</a>. He <a href="https://starspangledmusic.org/spangled-mythconception-3-key-wrote-a-poem-later-set-to-music-by-someone-else/">did not write a poem</a>, as most have been taught, but crafted a lyric to fit an already well-known melody. His creation is and has always been a song, an alloy of words and music to inspire hearts and change minds.</p>
<p>Key’s goal was to unite a divided nation. </p>
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<img alt="An enormous American flag covers the football field during the playing of the national anthem." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/445224/original/file-20220208-36472-1i30vvx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/445224/original/file-20220208-36472-1i30vvx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/445224/original/file-20220208-36472-1i30vvx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/445224/original/file-20220208-36472-1i30vvx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/445224/original/file-20220208-36472-1i30vvx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/445224/original/file-20220208-36472-1i30vvx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/445224/original/file-20220208-36472-1i30vvx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Country star Faith Hill performs the national anthem during the 2000 Super Bowl in Atlanta, Georgia.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/faith-hill-performs-the-national-anthem-before-the-start-of-news-photo/51042990?adppopup=true">Brian Bahr/Getty Images</a></span>
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<h2>A pregame ritual</h2>
<p>For the first time in 22 years, the Super Bowl anthem this year will be sung at a time when the country is not officially at war.</p>
<p>America’s troops have returned from Afghanistan. Yet <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/2/8/first-us-troops-arrive-in-romania-amid-ukraine-russia-tensions">military action brews</a> in Ukraine, and battles at home are waged over <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/08/health/covid-mask-restrictions.html">public health mandates</a>, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/08/politics/supreme-court-voting-rights-act-2024-election/index.html">voting rights</a>, <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/education/as-book-ban-efforts-spread-across-country-controversy-erupts-at-king-county-middle-school/">schoolbooks</a> and the value of American lives Black, white, brown and blue. American democracy is by definition a chaotic experiment, yet many Americans today may be united less by patriotism than by a <a href="https://www.apmresearchlab.org/motn/hope-worry-2022">shared anxiety</a> – a feeling that the nation is in crisis, the fear of a breaking point. </p>
<p>In the book <a href="https://www.worldcat.org/title/o-say-can-you-hear-a-cultural-biography-of-the-star-spangled-banner/oclc/1272856494&referer=brief_results">“O Say Can You Hear?: A Cultural Biography of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner,’”</a> I explore U.S. history through its national anthem. Chapters in my book examine Key’s authorship, life and relationship to slavery; the origin of the tune; its long-standing use in protest and how it became the rallying cry of the Union. As <a href="https://smtd.umich.edu/about/faculty-profiles/mark-clague/">I explain in my book</a>, the Civil War sanctified Key’s song, making it the only viable choice as the nation’s anthem when in 1931 Congress finally got around to declaring it so.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.npr.org/2018/09/06/644991357/how-sports-met-the-star-spangled-banner">first documented performance</a> of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at an American sporting event occurred during the U.S. Civil War. On May 15, 1862, a brass band played Key’s song before a baseball game to dedicate Brooklyn’s new Union Base-Ball Grounds. The song was rare in the early days of professional baseball, as only opening day or a championship merited the expense of hiring a band to play it. At the first World Series in 1903, “The Star-Spangled Banner” was played twice in a single game. </p>
<p>World war raised the stakes of patriotic rhetoric for pro sports. During World War I, baseball executives argued that their business was vital to morale on the home front and that pro athletes should be exempt from the military draft. Their arguments failed. Baseball was declared “nonessential,” player rosters were decimated and the 1918 season cut short. </p>
<p>At the start of World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt <a href="https://baseballhall.org/discover/inside-pitch/roosevelt-sendsgreen-light-letter">ordered that baseball</a> continue, and in that moment patriotism and the business of sport became forever linked.</p>
<h2>A symbol of protest</h2>
<p>Playing the anthem at every game became a flashpoint in the 1960s. Interestingly, the controversy arose not during a football game but during the Olympics, when, in 1968, American sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised <a href="https://www.history.com/news/black-athletes-raise-fists-1968-olympics">their Black fists</a> on the medal podium to protest racial injustice. By 1973, the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1973/01/21/archives/reforms-sought-to-reduce-nationalism-at-the-olympics-reforms-sought.html">U.S. Olympic Committee</a> attempted to skip the anthem at a qualifying meet to avoid controversy. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1973/01/17/archives/garden-to-hear-anthem-at-track-meet-after-all.html">The backlash was immediate</a>.</p>
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<img alt="Three athletes -- one white and two Black -- wearing medals stand in a field, with the Black men raising their black-gloved fists." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/445236/original/file-20220208-12-10v6482.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/445236/original/file-20220208-12-10v6482.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=925&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/445236/original/file-20220208-12-10v6482.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=925&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/445236/original/file-20220208-12-10v6482.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=925&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/445236/original/file-20220208-12-10v6482.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1163&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/445236/original/file-20220208-12-10v6482.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1163&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/445236/original/file-20220208-12-10v6482.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1163&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">American sprinters Tommie Smith (center) and John Carlos raise their fists and give the Black Power Salute during the U.S. national anthem at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/american-sprinters-tommie-smith-and-john-carlos-raise-their-news-photo/514698444?adppopup=true">Bettmann/GettyImages</a></span>
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<p>When the Vietnam War ended and the nation celebrated its 200th birthday in 1976, protests around the anthem subsided. By 1977, the NFL could safely break its promise. Super Bowl organizers that year featured “America the Beautiful” instead of the national anthem, and no controversy ensued.</p>
<p>In 1991 <a href="https://youtu.be/N_lCmBvYMRs?t=38">Whitney Houston’s celebrated</a> Super Bowl XXV anthem marked a turning point, both musically and socially. Her signature arrangement <a href="https://osaycanyouhear.wordpress.com/2013/01/26/adding-a-beat-to-the-banner-the-power-of-44-time/">added a beat to each bar</a>, allowing her voice to expand and soar. </p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/N_lCmBvYMRs?wmode=transparent&start=38" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Whitney Houston’s 1991 Super Bowl XXV anthem is often cited as the song’s greatest-ever performance.</span></figcaption>
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<p>Her rendition was an ecstatic gospel ballad, a sacred hymn to the nation. Radiating a moment of optimism as the U.S.-led military of Operation Desert Storm <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2016/01/operation-desert-storm-25-years-since-the-first-gulf-war/424191/">dominated Iraqi forces</a> in the Persian Gulf, Houston’s voice activated a renewed wave of patriotic pride. As she sang, tens of thousands of people packed into the stadium waved miniature American flags.</p>
<h2>A divided patriotism</h2>
<p>Today, the NFL’s promise to play the anthem at every game cuts both ways. </p>
<p>As a lawsuit boils over the hiring practices for Black coaches, the anthem has again become a flashpoint, expressing tribal affiliation as much as unity. When in 2016 <a href="https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/colin-kaepernick-kneeling-protest-timeline/xktu6ka4diva1s5jxaylrcsse">Colin Kaepernick knelt</a> in protest over racial injustice and President Donald J. Trump <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/everything-donald-trump-said-nfl-anthem-protests-1509333">attacked the gesture as un-American</a>, the anthem ritual not only served as a platform for protest but became a divisive tool of the culture war.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Two professional football players kneel on the field surrounded by teammates." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/445217/original/file-20220208-22-1kuouc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/445217/original/file-20220208-22-1kuouc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/445217/original/file-20220208-22-1kuouc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/445217/original/file-20220208-22-1kuouc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/445217/original/file-20220208-22-1kuouc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/445217/original/file-20220208-22-1kuouc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/445217/original/file-20220208-22-1kuouc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Before the start of this 2016 game, San Francisco 49ers Eric Reid and Colin Kaepernick (#7) knelt during the national anthem in protest of racial injustice.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/eric-reid-and-colin-kaepernick-of-the-san-francisco-49ers-news-photo/599673398?adppopup=true">Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For Super Bowl LVI, three songs performed by four Black American female vocalists will offer a musical suite of unity in the face of division. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mary-mary-mn0000860985/biography">gospel duo Mary Mary</a> will sing the Black national anthem <a href="https://sos.sdes.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/62/2019/01/Lift20Every20Voice20and20Sing1.pdf">“Lift Every Voice and Sing.”</a> Promising to “march on till victory is won,” the 1899 lyric by civil rights activist and <a href="https://naacp.org/find-resources/history-explained/civil-rights-leaders/james-weldon-johnson">poet James Weldon Johnson</a> affirms his enduring belief, despite the lived experience of racial segregation and injustice, in the dream of a nation founded upon the principles of freedom and equality.</p>
<p><a href="https://wtop.com/lifestyle/2020/12/via-songwriting-and-freestyling-jhene-aiko-finds-her-voice/">Neo-soul stylist Jhené Aiko</a> will perform “America the Beautiful.” The song has preceded the Super Bowl anthem since 2009. Its peaceful melodic strains and pastoral, seemingly uncomplicated <a href="https://www.classical-music.com/features/articles/america-the-beautiful-lyrics/">opening lyrics</a> are preferred by some as the nation’s musical signature.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A Black woman dressed in a bright red jacket sings into a microphone." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/445241/original/file-20220208-22-16plqa6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/445241/original/file-20220208-22-16plqa6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/445241/original/file-20220208-22-16plqa6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/445241/original/file-20220208-22-16plqa6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/445241/original/file-20220208-22-16plqa6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/445241/original/file-20220208-22-16plqa6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/445241/original/file-20220208-22-16plqa6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">In this 2021 photograph, country star Mickey Guyton performs onstage during a tree-lighting ceremony.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/mickey-guyton-performs-onstage-during-the-rockefeller-news-photo/1356690883?adppopup=true">Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Finally, the Texas-born <a href="https://www.mickeyguyton.com/">country singer Mickey Guyton</a> will offer “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Her very presence upends assumptions on both sides of today’s culture war. She is a rare Black female star in a historically white conservative genre. Her unlikely 2020 hit <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKximTk8JCM">“Black Like Me”</a> received little radio play but became popular on social media. Embraced by critics, the song made Guyton the first-ever Black woman to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/24/arts/music/mickey-guyton-grammy-nominations.html">receive a Grammy nomination</a> for best country solo performance.</p>
<p>In my view, this year’s attempt by the NFL to engineer a feel-good anthem for all is a fool’s errand. No political gesture today can please everyone. Yet football may be the one remaining institution that still brings Americans together across the political barricades. It is each year’s <a href="https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/super-bowl-ratings-historical-viewership-chart-cbs-nbc-fox-abc/">most-watched television event</a> and I, like many of its anticipated 100 million other viewers, still cherish the annual Super Bowl anthem.</p>
<p>For me, the anthem is not a worn, unchanging icon but a contemporary act of citizenship. Every performance is a living expression of community, one renewed time and again by musical artists who can elevate lyric and melody to meet the moment and share a collective belief in the nation’s promise. In song anew, that promise again becomes the responsibility of us all.</p>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mark Clague received a "Public Scholars" grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities in 2016 to support his anthem research.</span></em></p>For the NFL, playing the national anthem started as a patriotic marketing ploy. It’s now played before every game alongside ‘Lift Every Voice,’ the Black national anthem, and ‘America the Beautiful.’Mark Clague, Associate Professor of Musicology, Arts Leadership & Entrepreneurship, University of MichiganLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1765052022-02-08T13:34:45Z2022-02-08T13:34:45ZWhoopi Goldberg awkwardly demonstrates how the idea of race varies by place and changes over time<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/444877/original/file-20220207-17-dyo905.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=8%2C23%2C1403%2C762&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">On "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," Whoopi Goldberg said, "I don't want to make a fake apology."</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdkhVQZGSSU">Youtube</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Whoopi Goldberg, co-host of ABC’s “The View,” set off a firestorm when she insisted on Jan. 31, 2022 that the Holocaust was “<a href="https://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2022/02/03/exp-tsr-stelter-abc-suspends-whoopi-goldberg-two-weeks.cnn">not about race</a>.” Hands outstretched, she went on to describe the genocide as a conflict between “two white groups of people.” </p>
<p>As someone who <a href="https://www.wesleyan.edu/academics/faculty/rautry/profile.html">writes and teaches</a> about racial identity, I was struck by the firmness of Goldberg’s initial claim, her clumsy retraction and apologies, and the heated public reactions.</p>
<p>Her apology tour on her own show the <a href="https://twitter.com/ADL/status/1488587634758897665">next day</a>, on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdkhVQZGSSU&t=331s">“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert”</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/WhoopiGoldberg/status/1488320164517101574">on Twitter</a>
raised more questions about her views on race, antisemitism and the Holocaust. Goldberg also seemed unaware of the <a href="https://theconversation.com/lgbtq-history-month-gay-victims-and-survivors-of-the-holocaust-are-often-forgotten-we-need-to-tell-their-stories-154417">non-Jewish</a> victims of the Nazis. By the end of the week, the president of ABC News described Goldberg’s remarks as “wrong and hurtful” and announced that she was <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/01/us/whoopi-goldberg-holocaust.html">suspended from the show for two weeks</a>. </p>
<p>How did a conversation about <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/01/31/1076970866/maus-banned-tennessee-school-board">the controversial banning</a> of the <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/441622367">Holocaust graphic book “Maus”</a> by the Tennessee Board of Education, which Goldberg opposed, turn into such a media spectacle? And what does it tell us about the social norms guiding how we talk about race and violence?</p>
<h2>Filling the void</h2>
<p>Sociologist and American Civil Liberties Union attorney Jonathan Markovitz defines “<a href="https://www.routledge.com/Racial-Spectacles-Explorations-in-Media-Race-and-Justice/Markovitz/p/book/9780415883832">racial spectacles</a>” as mass media events surrounding some racial incident that is passionately debated before dying down. </p>
<p>Think of <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/05/30/this-is-why-colin-kaepernick-took-knee/">Colin Kaepernick taking a knee</a> or <a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/02/01/690806434/warren-apologizes-to-cherokee-nation-for-dna-test">Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s apology to the Cherokee Nation after taking a DNA test</a>. Markovitz argues that the lack of ongoing public conversation about racism fuels these events, leaving Americans to react intermittently to <a href="https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-06-05/george-floyds-death-sparks-voices-on-americas-deep-pain-and-searing-rage">shocking violence</a> and <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/jessica-krug-rachel-dolezal-america-s-white-women-who-want-ncna1239418">salacious confessions</a>. While it’s not bad that these events get people talking about race and racism, Markovitz worries that what is learned is limited because emotions tend to run high and these moments quickly fade from the news cycle. </p>
<p>In the absence of sustained national dialogue, shows like “The View” and comedians like Goldberg can easily become lightning rods. The American public often overestimates their ability to unpack complicated social issues. Are they <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/what-happened-americas-public-intellectuals-180963668/">public intellectuals</a> or entertainers? Critics might also ask why someone like Goldberg, who has <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmGWAKLqX08">already demonstrated odd</a> thinking about racial identity and a willingness to <a href="https://slate.com/culture/2019/02/ted-danson-blackface-whoopi-goldberg-political-correctness.html">defend racist acts</a>, would have such a huge platform in the first place. But this isn’t just about Whoopi Goldberg.</p>
<p>Let’s clear up a few points: <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/11/how-racial-data-gets-cleaned/541575/">Race is an elastic</a> social category, not a fixed biological one; Jewish identity and experience are not synonymous with whiteness; and Jewish people have historically been treated as a distinct racial group. The Holocaust was the systematic genocide of some 6 million Jews from 1941 to 1945, fueled by the Nazis’ belief that they were an inferior race. Other victims included Poles, Roma, gay men, lesbians and others.</p>
<p>The Holocaust is one of the most extreme and tragic examples of what sociologists Michel Omi and Howard Winant referred to as “<a href="https://www.thoughtco.com/racial-formation-3026509">racial projects</a>.” In their work on racial formation, they used that term to describe how racial categories are formed, transformed and destroyed over time. In other words, the fact the Jewish people themselves <a href="https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/article-695351">may disagree</a> over whether they are a racial or ethnic group does not undo their long history of being categorized and marginalized as such.</p>
<p>Still, it is unsurprising that an American, perhaps especially a Black one like Goldberg or myself, would think that race is about skin color given how it plays out in our lives. As a graduate student studying racial violence and collective memory, I was stunned to learn how ideas about racial difference varied wildly across societies and how those ideas could morph within the same society over time. </p>
<p>I learned that race is a social idea that is propped up by observable traits, only one of which is skin color. The racialization of Jewish people may not be about complexion, but physical markers are still often used to differentiate and <a href="https://www.jewishtimes.com/wearing-your-natural-curls-is-an-act-of-jewish-resistance/">stereotype the Jewish body</a>.</p>
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<p>It is also important to understand <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-antisemitic-conspiracy-theories-contributed-to-the-recent-hostage-taking-at-the-texas-synagogue-175229">ongoing antisemitism</a> in the U.S. and <a href="https://www.museumoftolerance.com/education/teacher-resources/holocaust-resources/what-is-holocaust-denial.html">efforts to deny</a> that the Holocaust even happened. Goldberg’s remarks were clearly the sort of “<a href="http://pswar.org/content/publications/i_006/publication_23_pages______.pdf">excitable speech</a>” that gender theorist Judith Butler writes about, disorienting us by bringing violent histories to bear on us today. The way we talk about the <a href="http://cup.columbia.edu/book/desegregating-the-past/9780231177580">past matters</a> – as does the way people are held accountable for misrepresenting it – because so much of it helps to explain the contours of existing conflict.</p>
<h2>Another lesson</h2>
<p>At the same time, dismissing Goldberg’s comments and the backlash would mean missing an opportunity to appreciate what can result. For example, in light of the recent controversy, the Anti-Defamation League announced it will <a href="https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-695487">revise its definition of racism</a> to include both race and ethnicity. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1488587634758897665"}"></div></p>
<p>In this moment, people are talking about Jewish identity, racism and a violent history <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/27/world/europe/auschwitz-memorial-anniversary.html">we’re meant to “never forget.”</a> But they’re also talking about Blackness. </p>
<p>What can we make of the frenzied rush to chastise and publicly ridicule a Black woman for talking about race in the wrong way? On the one hand, this is similar to other celebrities condemned for racist speech <a href="https://www.today.com/popculture/paula-deens-bizarre-apology-failed-experts-say-fans-are-divided-6C10452611">whose apologies</a> get scrutinized. </p>
<p>Yet, the Goldberg affair feels different to me. It reignites a recurring suspicion that Black people, while oppressed, suffer from twisted bigoted racial thinking – that Black people are not innocent victims after all. When a <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-news/nick-cannon-viacom-cbs-fired-anti-semitic-comments-1028904/">Black celebrity</a> makes racist remarks, suspicions reawaken that perhaps it is a collective failing. This sort of projection of individual acts onto an entire group as if it were a shared trait is anti-Black.</p>
<p>Yes, many of us think Goldberg got it horribly wrong. And yes, her apologies made matters worse. There are better ways to think and talk about race and racism.</p>
<p>But observers shouldn’t be surprised when these conversations go awry, considering how little time is spent openly having them in the first place.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/176505/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Robyn Autry does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>In the absence of meaningful national dialogue about race, the American public often turns to entertainers to unpack complicated social issues.Robyn Autry, Associate Professor of Sociology, Wesleyan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1712372021-11-11T16:03:34Z2021-11-11T16:03:34ZWhy wearing a poppy and taking a knee in football should not be dismissed as ‘gesture politics’<p>At the London Stadium on Sunday, November 7, the players of West Ham United and Liverpool football clubs gathered around the centre circle, arms interlinked. Falling poppies filled the big screen as former England team captain Trevor Brooking read John McCrae’s poem, In Flanders Field, and a trumpeter played The Last Post. Such remembrance ceremonies have become a <a href="https://theconversation.com/poppies-are-a-political-symbol-both-on-and-off-the-football-pitch-68113">familiar feature</a> of the football calendar in November. </p>
<p>Since June 2020, a more recently adopted ritual has been observed in UK football. In the wake of George Floyd’s murder in May 2020, English Premier League players started <a href="https://theconversation.com/taking-the-knee-in-football-why-this-act-of-protest-has-always-been-political-162541">taking the knee</a> in a gesture of protest against racial discrimination inside football and the <a href="https://www.theplayerstribune.com/posts/dear-england-gareth-southgate-euros-soccer">wider community</a>. The English Football League and the Scottish Premier League followed suit.</p>
<p>Football has become enveloped in the burgeoning post-Brexit <a href="https://theconversation.com/culture-wars-uncovered-most-of-uk-public-dont-know-if-woke-is-a-compliment-or-an-insult-161529">culture wars</a>. This is often framed as an intergenerational conflict between young and old or as a political clash between conservatives and the so-called woke left. </p>
<p>At first glance, there seems to be little that unites these two symbolic acts. But, on closer inspection, there are commonalities. Identifying these can help us avoid, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17526272.2021.1930701">as I have shown</a>, the intellectual dead end that is the “keep politics out of sport” mantra. </p>
<h2>Invented traditions</h2>
<p>During Euro 2020, Home Secretary Priti Patel defended some fans right to boo players who knelt. For her, the latter were engaging in “<a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/priti-patel-taking-knee-boo-england-b1865409.html">gesture politics</a>”. <a href="https://theconversation.com/gesture-politics-and-foreign-aid-evidence-vs-spin-90718">This term</a> is most often used disparagingly to describe crude symbolism resulting in little practical action. But Italian philosopher Giorgio Agamben <a href="https://repository.ubn.ru.nl/bitstream/handle/2066/46452/65632.pdf">argues</a> that such gestures harness potent political power. </p>
<p>Whereas wearing the poppy is often portrayed as <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/37848413">traditional and apolitical</a>, taking the knee is perceived as new and ideological. In reality, both are what British historian Eric Hobsbawm has called <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0275720042000257403?journalCode=ghan20">invented traditions</a>. They draw on longer legacies to imply continuity with the past, seeking to inculcate values and norms of behaviour through repetition. </p>
<p>Although the Poppy Appeal was first launched by the Royal British Legion <a href="https://www.britishlegion.org.uk/get-involved/remembrance/about-remembrance/the-poppy">100 years ago</a>, the poppy entered the football calendar far more recently. Minute silences were introduced to matches <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17526272.2021.1930701">in around 2000</a> and footballers only started wearing a poppy in 2009, following <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1225562/Kop-Liverpool-Manchester-United-Bolton-refuse-wear-poppies-weekend-matches.html">a Daily Mail campaign</a>.</p>
<p>Conversely, although the immediate inspiration for taking the knee came from quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/sep/14/the-kaepernick-effect-a-story-of-the-other-athletes-who-kneeled-in-protest">protest</a> in 2016, the gesture has a much longer lineage. The English Football Association <a href="https://www.thefa.com/news/2021/jun/12/a-message-to-england-supporters-20210611">pointed out that it</a> can be traced back to <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/abolition/africans_in_art_gallery_02.shtml#:%7E:text=The%20inscription%20%27Am%20I%20Not,of%20the%20Pennsylvania%20Abolition%20Society">the 18th-century abolitionist movement</a>.</p>
<h2>Collective memory</h2>
<p>Wearing a poppy and taking a knee are examples of what French philosopher and sociologist Maurice Halbwachs calls <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17526272.2021.1930701">collective memory</a>. They seek to reconstruct the past through the prism of the beliefs and needs of the present. In commemorating fallen soldiers and victims of racial injustice, both represent public performances of collectivised grief. These in turn generate what sociologists term <a href="https://edisciplinas.usp.br/pluginfile.php/1000207/mod_resource/content/1/%5BNeil_J._Smelser,_Richard_Swedberg%5D_The_Handbook_Economic%20sociology.pdf">symbolic capital</a>: which can help to facilitate political reform, as well as consolidate or reinvent national identities.</p>
<p>If the culture wars can be understood as a debate about what values the UK stands for, as a nation, the controversies surrounding the poppy and taking the knee (in UK football) can be seen as attempts to shape the narrative on British national identity. Both address a perceived sense of <a href="https://theconversation.com/brexits-global-britain-uk-needs-a-clear-economic-strategy-for-its-trading-future-not-a-dead-colonial-fantasy-116707">crisis</a> in postcolonial Britishness from alternative perspectives. </p>
<p>In the context of a fracturing British state, military remembrance remains, as the political scientist Michael Moran put it in <a href="https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-319-49965-9">The End of British Politics</a>, “the one civic ideology” that is truly bipartisan and common to all parts of the United Kingdom. Although taking a knee has been <a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/england-fans-boo-players-knee-southgate-not-political-stand-b938499.html">explicitly defined</a> by the players according to a relatively narrow anti-racist message, it is symbolically connected (not least by its <a href="https://twitter.com/Nigel_Farage/status/1404360783467851777?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1404360783467851777%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.breitbart.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost-new.php">rightwing detractors</a>) to the wider Black Lives Matter movement, as well as <a href="https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/324092">the campaign</a> for greater critical awareness of Britain’s colonial past and contemporary inequities.</p>
<p>These collective visions are punctured by the alternative experiences of individuals. James McClean and Nemaja Matic have refused to wear the poppy because of its connotations with British military interventions in <a href="https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/O/bo3619875.html">Northern Ireland</a> and <a href="https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/nemanja-matic-manchester-united-poppy-22022377">Serbia</a>, respectively. <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/56126928">Wilfred Zaha</a> and <a href="https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11661/12413223/marcos-alonso-chelsea-defender-to-stop-taking-knee-after-claiming-anti-racism-gesture-is-losing-strength">Marcus Alonso</a> have similarly vowed to stop taking the knee, describing it as “degrading” and “losing strength” as a gesture of anti-racism. </p>
<p>Common to both <a href="https://talksport.com/football/152145/poppy-not-political-statement-its-symbol-remembrance-and-mark-respect-scottish-fa-chief/">military remembrance</a> and <a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/england-fans-boo-players-knee-southgate-not-political-stand-b938499.html">taking the knee </a> in football is a denial of their underlying politics. More than mere gestures, they convey a great deal about how the British think about their collective national identity in the 21st century.<br>
Acknowledging this is the first step to better mutual understanding. Closing down debate and maintaining the naive belief that politics can be kept out of the national sport only enables expedient politicians and commentators to exploit football for cheap populist points.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/171237/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Daniel Fitzpatrick does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>On-field demonstrations of remembrance and protest are able to harness potent political power.Daniel Fitzpatrick, Lecturer in Politics, Aston UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1695192021-10-21T14:38:01Z2021-10-21T14:38:01ZWhat if Tom Brady took a knee instead of Colin Kaepernick?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/426736/original/file-20211015-25-fon2ty.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=26%2C10%2C3444%2C2305&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady celebrates after defeating the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL Super Bowl 55 football game in February, 2021. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Ashley Landis)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The 2021-22 NFL season is underway and Colin Kaepernick is still out of a job. It’s been more than five years <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/06/01/colin-kaepernick-kneeling-history/">since he took a knee during the national anthem</a> and in so doing further exposed issues of systemic racism in the NFL. </p>
<p>I’ve been researching and writing about sport and media for several years and I frequently use Kaepernick’s case in my classes. To illuminate the gendered and racialized nature of that case and of the NFL, I ask a hypothetical question: what if Tom Brady took a knee?</p>
<p>Kaepernick’s <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/15/sports/nfl-colin-kaepernick-protests-timeline.html">story is now quite familiar</a>. In 2016 he began kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racial injustice in the United States. In what sports reporter Dave Zirin calls “<a href="https://www.pbs.org/wnet/amanpour-and-company/video/the-kaepernick-effect-how-taking-a-knee-began-a-movement-u6r/">the Kaepernick Effect</a>,” this gesture spurred a movement across different sports.</p>
<p>For the NFL, Kaepernick’s gesture created <a href="https://thesportjournal.org/article/how-the-nfl-responded-to-the-colin-kaepernick-protests-in-2016-2017-and-how-the-league-responded-to-athlete-protests-during-the-black-lives-matter-movement-of-2020-a-sport-study-social-phenomenologi/">a public relations nightmare</a>. </p>
<p>Following the death of George Floyd and swell of the Black Lives Matter movement, the NFL was forced to make public displays in support of inclusivity, which included “allowing” players to post social justice messages such as “End Racism” or “Stop Hate” <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/05/sports/nfl-social-justice.html">on their helmets</a>. </p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/i-dont-have-an-ounce-of-racism-in-me-jon-gruden-and-the-nfls-whiteness-problem-169806">'I don't have an ounce of racism in me': Jon Gruden and the NFL's whiteness problem</a>
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<p>Whether or not the Kaepernick Effect has lead to any meaningful change in the NFL is up for debate, though the recent controversy surrounding <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/12/sports/football/nfl-jon-gruden-emails.html">Jon Gruden</a> would suggest not. But for all its apparent nods to inclusivity and ending racism, Kaepernick has yet to be re-signed to an NFL team.</p>
<h2>A vitriolic response to protest</h2>
<p>Kaepernick was clear in his <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/video/sports/football/100000004643947/kaepernick-explains-his-protest.html">communications with media</a> that his protest was about police brutality and racial discrimination — he was simply calling attention to well-documented facts. </p>
<p>Yet the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/sep/22/donald-trump-nfl-national-anthem-protests">response to his kneeling quickly turned ugly</a> with fans, team owners, media personnel and then-President Donald Trump calling him un-American and unpatriotic. Several went so far as to call him a traitor. The disconnect between what Kaepernick meant and how his detractors interpreted his protest is remarkable. </p>
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<img alt="Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick kneels during the national anthem." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/426746/original/file-20211015-57123-wyokf3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/426746/original/file-20211015-57123-wyokf3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=455&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/426746/original/file-20211015-57123-wyokf3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=455&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/426746/original/file-20211015-57123-wyokf3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=455&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/426746/original/file-20211015-57123-wyokf3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=572&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/426746/original/file-20211015-57123-wyokf3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=572&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/426746/original/file-20211015-57123-wyokf3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=572&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) and outside linebacker Eli Harold (58) kneel during the playing of the national anthem before an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons in Atlanta.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/John Bazemore)</span></span>
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<p>The backlash to Kaepernick’s protest is most obviously <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2017/8/6/blackballing-kaepernick-fear-of-the-black-athlete">tied to the fact he is Black</a>. But to understand the peculiar level of vitriol in response to the protest it’s important to understand the NFL and its underlying myths. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.1975.tb00552.x">In a highly influential 1975 essay</a>, communications scholar Michael Real described the sport as “American ideology collectively celebrated.” </p>
<p>He identified football as an aggressive, militaristic, capitalistic enterprise that is both gendered and racialized. He concluded, “if one wanted to create from scratch a sport that reflected the sexual, racial and organizational priorities of American social structure, it is doubtful one could improve on football.” </p>
<p>Not much has changed since 1975.</p>
<p>Borrowing from sociology and anthropology, Real described the NFL as a mythic structure, one that was created from and helped to sustain the dominant social order in the U.S. </p>
<p>Myths function by appearing to be natural or normal. When faced with a challenge to a dominant myth, communities and societies often wilfully ignore concrete evidence in favour of sustaining belief in the existing social order. That’s what happened with Kaepernick.</p>
<h2>Challenging the myth of American exceptionalism</h2>
<p>Kaepernick’s protest called attention to <a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2011/10/11/the-myth-of-american-exceptionalism/">the myth of American exceptionalism</a> in a space that is built upon and demands allegiance to that myth. </p>
<p>His protest called attention to police brutality and racial injustice but also challenged the myth that the U.S. is a free and fair country where anyone can succeed through hard work and determination. In refusing to “shut up and play,” he called attention to the deep-seated racial tension that is baked into the DNA of the NFL and the U.S.</p>
<p>In response to this challenge, fans, players, owners and others had to either acknowledge the structural problems of their game and nation or find another avenue to keep the myth intact. </p>
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<img alt="A mural to honour George Floyd and former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick are plastered on a building." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/426754/original/file-20211015-16-eleo7q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/426754/original/file-20211015-16-eleo7q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/426754/original/file-20211015-16-eleo7q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/426754/original/file-20211015-16-eleo7q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/426754/original/file-20211015-16-eleo7q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=488&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/426754/original/file-20211015-16-eleo7q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=488&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/426754/original/file-20211015-16-eleo7q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=488&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">A pedestrian passes murals to honour George Floyd and former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)</span></span>
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<h2>What if Tom Brady took a knee?</h2>
<p>What if it was Brady and not Kaepernick that began the movement in 2016? The absurdity of the question is also what makes it so revealing. </p>
<p>It would be impossible for Tom Brady to take a knee — it would run counter to every other facet of his public persona. Where Kaepernick — as someone who is Black — was described as a traitor disrespecting his flag and country, Brady is quintessentially all-American: white, male, heterosexual, fit, attractive, married to a supermodel, family-man, tremendously wealthy, law-abiding, apolitical (or at least uncritical), multiple championship winner and future Hall-of-Famer. In short, he is a winner. </p>
<p>Brady taking a knee is counter to both the man and the league. Nonetheless, had he done so, he would have been received much more favourably — it would have been relatively easy for football’s mythic structure to absorb Brady taking a knee and remain intact. </p>
<p>The impact of the protest on the myth would have been outweighed by the magnitude of Brady’s American-ness. It would have been too costly (literally and figuratively) to purge Brady from the league as has been done with Kaepernick. And to do so would have acknowledged the racial and gendered hierarchy in America’s social structure — the exact forces central to Brady’s and the NFL’s success.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/169519/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jonathan Finn does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Brady taking a knee is counter to both the man and the league. Nonetheless, had he done so, he would have been received much more favourably.Jonathan Finn, Professor of Communication Studies, Wilfrid Laurier UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1625412021-06-16T10:10:35Z2021-06-16T10:10:35ZTaking the knee in football: why this act of protest has always been political<p>The England football team’s preparations for the 2020 European Championships were recently overshadowed by some of their own supporters’ decision to boo the team for “taking the knee” before matches. This was about players showing support for the fight against racism and campaigning for meaningful change in football, and not about frontline politics, according to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/jun/06/tory-mp-to-boycott-england-games-in-row-over-taking-the-knee?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other&fbclid=IwAR383D8iTJTV-e6nzfWSdv_HgIF2iHnvNT4p88oXisF0hlVieUXfM3nFmOo">manager Gareth Southgate</a>. </p>
<p>In the days that followed, sport media were full of paradoxical explanations for why some fans booed. “Politics should stay out of football” bemoaned right-wing politicians, commentators and some fans, including Lee Anderson, a Tory MP, as well as Nigel Farage and <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9658563/I-hope-England-lose-round-Euros-Laurence-Fox-joins-row-footballers-kneeling.html">Lawrence Fox</a>. </p>
<p>This group undoubtedly included some of the same fans who annually berate Fifa for not allowing the England team to include the remembrance poppy on uniforms for matches that coincide with Armistice Day, or who routinely sing “Rule Britannia” <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/37849491">during matches</a>. Others claimed they booed the gesture because of its claimed association with Marxism and socialism. </p>
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<p>No doubt these voices included, too, some fans fresh from recent protests against the formation of the proposed <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/european-super-league-103233">European Super League</a>, and who are currently lobbying English football to adopt a state-run regulatory body that, among other things, would redistribute the game’s wealth more evenly across all <a href="https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/12332846/footballs-fan-led-review-mps-call-for-strong-independent-body-to-oversee-clubs-finances-and-regulate-game">92 clubs</a>. Within this debate, those who booed were right about one thing: taking the knee in sport is <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/57144141">entirely political</a>. </p>
<h2>A history of taking the knee</h2>
<p>Taking the knee is part of long history of athletes using sport as a platform to draw attention to the racial inequalities that communities of colour experience, usually in white majority countries. </p>
<p>Famously, in 1968, African American sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised gloved fists when they received their gold and bronze medals at that year’s Olympics Games, to spread awareness of the anti-Black racism that characterised life for Black people in “Jim Crow” America. </p>
<p>More recently in 2016, NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick and teammates took the knee before matches for the San Francisco 49ers to draw attention to the brutality suffered by Black people in the US at the hands of the country’s law enforcement. This was after he was advised by a White ex-serviceman, Nate Boyer, a former Green Beret, that kneeling was a more respectful gesture than simply remaining in the changing room during the national anthem. </p>
<p>US basketball took a more unified stance to the killings of Black people by US police by postponing three playoff matches in response to the <a href="https://www.skysports.com/nba/news/36226/12057359/jacob-blake-nba-season-in-jeopardy-after-player-protests-force-postponement-of-playoff-game">shooting of Jacob Blake</a>.</p>
<p>In each case, responses from the state and large sections of the general public were eerily similar, mirroring the backlash faced by Southgate and his players today. Carlos has since recalled how he and Smith were <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/mar/30/black-power-salute-1968-olympics">booed by spectators</a> who cried: “I can’t believe this is how you [N-word] treat us after we let you run in our games.” They were immediately expelled from the Olympic village by the International Olympic Committee, informally blocked from competing in future US squads and even found gaining employment outside of the sport difficult. </p>
<p>Peter Norman, the White Australian sprinter who finished second and stood on the podium alongside Smith and Carlos was never selected for Australia again. This was <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/mar/30/black-power-salute-1968-olympics">punishment</a> for his association and support of their display of defiance. </p>
<p>Kaepernick was released by the 49ers in 2017 and has not been drafted by another NFL franchise since. In a remarkable example of the state and sporting governing bodies operating in tandem to silence and sanction dissenting Black athletes, at a 2017 rally in Kentucky, the then president, Donald Trump, boasted that he had been directly responsible for the blanket decision of NFL owners to <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/01/why-trump-targeted-colin-kaepernick/579628/">not re-sign Kaepernick</a>. </p>
<p>In response to his visceral criticism of Trump’s lack of commitment to racial equality, NBA star and race equality campaigner, Lebron James, was infamously told to stop complaining and “shut up”, by right-wing Fox News host Laura Ingram. She advised that James should instead <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/feb/17/lebron-james-laura-ingraham-shut-up-and-dribble-fox-news">“stick to dribbling”</a>. </p>
<h2>Anti-racism in football</h2>
<p>Until now, English football organisations have remained largely on the sidelines in the history of sport and anti-racism activism. This makes its current blanket anti-racism stance even more unusual and promising. Seldom, if ever, has the whole game in England (governing bodies, owners, clubs, managers, administrators, match officials, sponsors, related media, and players) been so unanimously committed to a singular anti-racism cause. To a Black scholar of race and sport such as myself, this certainly feels different. </p>
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<p>But some current and ex-footballers, including Wilfred Zaha and Les Ferdinand, point out that since players first started taking the knee back in March 2020, little meaningful progress has been made to change Black lives. <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/56388512">For Zaha</a>, it still “doesn’t matter whether we kneel or stand, some of us still continue to receive abuse”. <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54237179">For Ferdinand</a>, taking the knee is a start but it alone “will not bring about change in the game – (only) actions will”. </p>
<p>Their comments remind us that caution is needed before we lionise the game’s new credentials as a space that is fully committed to racial equity. Football in England has been more comfortable and engaged with addressing overt forms of racism such as racial chanting in stadiums and racial abuse directed at players on social media. Attempts to address the structural, systemic and culturally based racial inequities that are deeply embedded within the very fabric and culture of the game have been less forthcoming and effective.</p>
<p>For example, little has been done to address the nuanced barriers faced by British-born South Asian talent, and the near total exclusion of British-born East Asian football hopefuls from the professional game. Likewise, little progress has been made in relation to the <a href="https://theconversation.com/frank-lampards-talk-about-hard-work-will-not-help-football-tackle-black-under-representation-141653">longstanding and thorny</a> issue of the disproportionately low number of Black coaches in the professional game (1%) when compared to the number of Black players (30%). </p>
<p>There’s also been near total silence from those within and around the game in relation to the peculiar appointment of Tottenham under-23s manager Ryan Mason to interim first team coach <a href="https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11675/12306202/ryan-mason-exclusive-interview-spurs-interim-boss-on-his-rapid-rise-and-tottenhams-bright-future">in April</a>. He was hired over club legend and Tottenham first team coach Ledley King and current Tottenham and England first team coach Chris Powell – both of whom are Black. This is not a criticism of Mason. It’s the latest example of many professional football coaching opportunities that have been afforded to young White coaches over their Black peers. In this case, even when both Black coaches possessed significantly more experience, qualifications and standing within the game and club than their White coaching counterpart, Mason was still chosen. </p>
<p>Taking the knee represents a pivotal moment for race relations in English football. For those who long for a fully inclusive national game, we eagerly await to see if those championing the cause make good on their promise for meaningful change. If not, taking a knee in professional football will start and end as little more than a symbolic gesture.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/162541/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Paul Ian Campbell does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Those who booed the England team for their anti-racist demonstrations are part of a long tradition of silencing protest in sportPaul Ian Campbell, Associate Professor in Sociology (Race and Inclusion in sport and in education), University of LeicesterLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1463012020-09-20T19:41:52Z2020-09-20T19:41:52ZAthlete activism or corporate woke washing? Getting it right in the age of Black Lives Matter is a tough game<p>So-called brand activism is evolving fast. When Colin Kaepernick first knelt during the US national anthem in 2016, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/sport/american-football/52948942#:%7E:text=1%20September%2C%202016,by%20team%2Dmate%20Eric%20Reid.">professional football turned its back on him</a>. Now, consumer and sports fan expectations are forcing brands to see activism as <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2020-09-02/taking-a-knee-once-career-poison-now-seen-as-good-for-business">good for business</a>.</p>
<p>According to a recent <a href="https://www.nielsen.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/07/nielsen-sports-blm-Infographic.pdf">Nielsen survey</a>, 72% of sports fans believe athletes are an important influence in the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. A whopping 59% expect athletes to engage personally with BLM activism. </p>
<p>In short, if brands aren’t taking a stand (or a knee), <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/05/motorsport/f1-austrian-grand-prix-drivers-kneel-and-stand-hamilton-bottas-spt-intl">consumers notice.</a></p>
<p>Sporting codes have woken up to the benefits of strategically targeting a younger, more racially-diverse demographic. As National Hockey League (NHL) executive vice president for social impact Kim Davis <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/10/sports/hockey/nhl-racism-protests-george-floyd.html">put it</a>:</p>
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<p>People understand that doing the right thing is also right for the business.</p>
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<p>After the <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2020/08/27/us/jacob-blake-shooting-what-we-know/index.html">shooting of Jacob Blake</a> by Kenosha police, however, that activism ramped up. Players from most major professional sports protested by <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2020/08/27/us/nba-mlb-wnba-strike-sports/index.html">refusing to play</a> at all. </p>
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<h2>Brand activism cuts both ways</h2>
<p>It began with local NBA team the Milwaukee Bucks, whose own player Sterling Brown had been <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/2018/6/21/17481748/infinite-sadness-sterling-brown-lawsuit-wisconsin-milwaukee-bucks-nba">brutally beaten by police in 2018</a>. Having refused to take the court for a playoff game, the team’s actions were <a href="https://izea.com/2020/09/02/nba-bucks-trend-brandgraph/">picked up</a> by social media and the no-play protest spread to other sports. </p>
<p>The backlash and praise were immediate, with the Bucks becoming the <a href="https://izea.com/2020/09/02/nba-bucks-trend-brandgraph/">most mentioned</a> brand on social media that week. </p>
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<p>There were <a href="https://theundefeated.com/features/nfl-boycotts-from-both-sides-over-anthem-protests/">asymmetric effects</a> for the team brand: a clear drop in brand sentiment from those who disagreed with their stand, and a surge of brand love driven by the backlash. </p>
<p>Whereas brands might once have avoided controversy, there is now a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0167811620300264">clear case</a> for taking a stand — as the NHL discovered when it continued to play while other sports “went dark”. The <a href="https://www.citynews1130.com/2020/08/27/nhl-black-lives-matter-protests-critics/">backlash</a> from fans and players alike forced the cancellation of two days’ play.</p>
<p>Similarly, the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) took a stand by not playing for one day after player Naomi Osaka <a href="https://www.insider.com/naomi-osaka-wears-black-lives-matter-shirt-opts-into-tournament-2020-8">threatened not to compete</a> in the Western & Southern Open semifinals in Cincinnati. She explained:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Before I am an athlete, I am a black woman. And as a black woman I feel as though there are much more important matters at hand that need immediate attention, rather than watching me play tennis.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Osaka went on to win the US Open, and was <a href="https://www.timeslive.co.za/sport/2020-09-14-naomi-osaka-praised-for-sport-excellence-and-support-for-blm-at-us-open/">praised</a> for donning protective face masks with the names of seven black people killed by police. There was also criticism that a one-day break in play, without further commitment, did little to further the BLM cause. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/brands-may-support-black-lives-matter-but-advertising-still-needs-to-decolonise-133394">Brands may support Black Lives Matter, but advertising still needs to decolonise</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>But accusations of virtue signalling and <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0743915620947359">woke washing</a> put the ATP between a rock and a hard place. If tennis officials hadn’t engaged in some way with the moment, they risked being called out for insensitivity (as were the NHL and <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/blm-michael-holding-condemns-england-and-australias-lame-excuses-for-not-taking-a-knee-12068742">some cricket teams</a>). </p>
<h2>In business we trust</h2>
<p>It may not be surprising that <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0743915620947359">brand activism</a> is increasingly being <a href="https://sproutsocial.com/insights/data/championing-change-in-the-age-of-social-media/#brands-have-found-a-voice-on-social-media">driven by consumers</a> demanding they take a stand (and condemning those who don’t), as some studies now show businesses are <a href="https://www.edelman.com/sites/g/files/aatuss191/files/2019-06/2019_edelman_trust_barometer_special_report_in_brands_we_trust.pdf">more trusted than government</a>. </p>
<p>We may be reaching a point where it is more surprising to consumers when brands don’t take a stand on social issues than when they do.</p>
<p>In 2018, consumers responded <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2018/09/13/colin-kaepernicks-nike-ad-campaign-gets-more-yeahs-than-nays-from-young-people/">extremely positively</a>
to Nike’s now-iconic Black Lives Matter campaign with Colin Kaepernick. Now the brand has an established pro-social reputation, however, the response to recent anti-racism action has been more muted. </p>
<p>Nike’s <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/31/business/nike-video-ad-you-cant-stop-us/index.html">You Can’t Stop Us</a> campaign and its <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/11/business/nike-juneteenth-holiday-trnd/index.html">declaration</a> of Juneteenth as an annual paid company holiday have been met with a positive but noticeably milder reaction from consumers. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/black-lives-matter-lgbtq-rights-trump-the-risks-and-rewards-of-corporate-activism-142540">Black Lives Matter, LGBTQ rights, Trump: The risks and rewards of corporate activism</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Surprise is no longer a strategy</h2>
<p>Nike was just one of <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article243578507.html">many brands</a> to declare Juneteenth a holiday in the US (along with Google, Lyft, The New York Times, JCPenney, the NFL, Tumblr and Postmates). As our <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0743915620947359">research</a> suggests, such acts are simply not as surprising in 2020 as they once were. </p>
<p>As brand activism becomes more widespread, consumers’ appreciation of it also becomes more sophisticated — to the point where it is a <a href="https://hbr.org/2002/09/three-questions-you-need-to-ask-about-your-brand">key component</a> of brand loyalty. </p>
<p>However, while consumers expect brands to take a stand, many also believe social issues are used too often as a <a href="https://www.edelman.com/sites/g/files/aatuss191/files/2019-06/2019_edelman_trust_barometer_special_report_in_brands_we_trust.pdf">marketing ploy</a>.</p>
<p>The challenge for brands is clear: practice what you preach, make a real difference, pay more than lip service to causes. Staying relevant has never been harder.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/146301/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Brands taking a stand on social issues is no longer remarkable — but that only makes it harder to be authentic.Jessica Vredenburg, Senior Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Marketing, Auckland University of TechnologyAmanda Spry, Lecturer of Marketing, RMIT UniversityJoya Kemper, Lecturer in Marketing, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata RauSommer Kapitan, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, Auckland University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1458282020-09-15T11:51:29Z2020-09-15T11:51:29ZThe numbers behind America’s 180 on athlete activism<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/357944/original/file-20200914-20-14zmsqy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=16%2C0%2C5542%2C3700&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">It has always been folly to believe that sports were separate from power and politics.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Browns-Ravens-Football/936b2149d516405ba5afd1962d978d4d/25/0">AP Photo/Terrance Williams</a></span></figcaption></figure><figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/357960/original/file-20200914-18-1m01d7o.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/357960/original/file-20200914-18-1m01d7o.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/357960/original/file-20200914-18-1m01d7o.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/357960/original/file-20200914-18-1m01d7o.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/357960/original/file-20200914-18-1m01d7o.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/357960/original/file-20200914-18-1m01d7o.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/357960/original/file-20200914-18-1m01d7o.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="attribution"><a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
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<p>For 50 dormant years – roughly, the period between Muhammad Ali’s heyday and the Miami Heat <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/truehoop/miamiheat/story/_/id/7728618/miami-heat-don-hoodies-response-death-teen-trayvon-martin">donning hoodies</a> after Trayvon Martin’s murder – athletes, as a general rule, steered clear of politics. </p>
<p>Teams and leagues liked it that way, as did <a href="https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/news/eli-manning-lebron-james-eric-garner-michael-brown-nfl-nba-activist-athletes-new-york-giants-cleveland-cavaliers-georgetown-hoyas/1iu8uywczsuei1l8vyyjgoi3u5">sponsors</a>. Why take a stand if it might cost you a customer?</p>
<p>Fans seemed to like it that way, too. </p>
<p>In a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/poq/nfy018">national survey</a> conducted in 2016, after Colin Kaepernick first took a knee during the national anthem to protest police brutality, my colleague Emily Thorson and I found that half of all American sports fans agreed with the statement that “sports and politics should not mix.” Only 20% supported activism, while the remaining 30% didn’t commit either way. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1527476419879917">The reasons expressed</a> for their reticence included, chiefly, a belief that athletes wield dangerous influence over gullible fans.</p>
<p>Four years later – and in the wake of this summer’s massive Black Lives Matter protests, followed by a cascade of <a href="https://theconversation.com/lets-call-athletes-workers-and-lets-call-these-nba-protests-what-they-were-strikes-145234">canceled NBA playoff games</a> after Jacob Blake’s shooting – those attitudes have dramatically shifted. Last month, Nielsen <a href="https://www.nielsen.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/07/nielsen-sports-blm-Infographic.pdf">found</a> that 70% of American sports fans actually want teams and leagues to support athlete activism. A similar majority expect athletes to be involved with the movement for racial justice, believing that athletes possess “important influence” over social change. </p>
<p>Nielsen <a href="https://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/article/2020/quarterbacking-positive-change-through-sports/">credits Kaepernick</a> for the change in public opinion, even though the knee he took <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/redskins/the-nfl-has-effectively-blackballed-colin-kaepernick/2017/03/23/d0b754d6-0fd1-11e7-ab07-07d9f521f6b5_story.html">likely cost him his career as an NFL quarterback</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/posteverything/wp/2017/10/02/sports-were-already-politicized-and-sports-culture-is-deeply-conservative/">It has always been folly</a> to believe that sports were somehow separate from issues of power and politics, despite the best efforts of owners, sponsors, broadcasters and athletes to maintain that façade. Sports delivers powerful ideological messages on issues ranging from <a href="https://www.bloombergquint.com/opinion/why-sports-should-be-more-political">economic inequality</a> to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/05/24/how-empty-displays-sports-patriotism-allow-americans-forget-troops/">militarism</a> to <a href="https://theconversation.com/i-still-get-tweets-to-go-back-in-the-kitchen-the-enduring-power-of-sexism-in-sports-media-116795">traditional gender roles</a>. But those involved in the business of sports have long assumed that audiences just want entertainment and escapism – a respite from all the controversy and polarization elsewhere in the news.</p>
<p>If Kaepernick created a crack in that façade, then the athlete activism spurred by the wider Black Lives Matter protests over the summer might be causing it to crumble. This weekend, when the NFL kicked off its full slate of Sunday games, players and teams <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/13/sports/football/nfl-protests.html">protested in a variety of ways</a>. Some kneeled during the anthem. Others scrawled messages on their cleats. Six teams stayed in the locker room during the playing of the anthem. </p>
<p>The guardians and guardrails that have misguidedly bracketed politics from sports – and that, even until earlier this year, had martyred Kaepernick as a professional pariah – are being obliterated. Athletes are freer, and perhaps even expected, to be political role models in a way that <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8vh2MwXZ6o">a young Charles Barkley</a> – who, in <a href="https://www.sportscasting.com/how-charles-barkleys-controversial-i-am-not-a-role-model-nike-spot-came-to-be/">a 1993 ad</a>, claimed he “was not a role model” – might have shrugged off.</p>
<p>This would be cause for celebration, were it not for a bracing lament expressed by New England Patriots safety Devin McCourty.</p>
<p>“If we don’t practice one day and go back to practicing the next day, I don’t know what that really accomplishes,” <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/08/27/sports/patriots-go-about-their-business-some-appear-have-lost-hope/">he told The Boston Globe in late August</a>. “I know we could take a whole day off and we could talk about a whole bunch of different things. It just hasn’t mattered.”</p>
<p>But McCourty’s hopelessness suggests a frustrating limit to the potential of symbolism. Can boycotting, kneeling or painting a slogan on a playing field reform policing practice? Professional athletes have long been told, as LeBron James was, to “<a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/story/fox-news-host-laura-ingraham-told-lebron-james-to-shut-up-and-dribble-so-whats-her-take-on-drew-brees-2020-06-04">shut up and dribble</a>.” </p>
<p>With many fans now having their back, those stars – whether it’s through speaking or sitting out – will discover what leverage they actually have.</p>
<p>[<em>Get facts about coronavirus and the latest research.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/the-daily-3?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=coronavirus-facts">Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter.</a>]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/145828/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michael Serazio does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>For decades, athletes, as a general rule, steered clear of politics. Teams and sponsors liked it that way, and fans did, too. No more.Michael Serazio, Associate Professor of Communication, Boston CollegeLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1452342020-08-29T00:37:30Z2020-08-29T00:37:30ZLet’s call athletes ‘workers,’ and let’s call these NBA protests what they were – strikes<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/355374/original/file-20200828-25-p2kq6w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=32%2C32%2C5431%2C3604&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">When NBA players refused to take the court, athlete activism escalated to a new level.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/wide-angle-view-of-the-arena-before-the-game-against-the-news-photo/1228217960?adppopup=true">Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Milwaukee Bucks’ startling refusal to take to the court for their NBA playoff game on Aug. 26 was the most consequential political development in sports over the last 50 years. </p>
<p>In recent years, the prevailing media narrative is that athletes have routinely used their <a href="http://panthernow.com/2018/01/09/leading-way-professional-athletes-use-platform-civil-rights-activism/">platforms</a> to “<a href="https://medium.com/@depau016/athletes-and-their-use-of-social-media-to-raise-awareness-b4d832f619c8">raise awareness</a>” or “<a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/sports-strikes-police-brutality-180975679/">bring attention</a>” to a social issue. </p>
<p>Awareness, though, has its limits. Rarely does it lead to the kind of <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/7/7/21293259/police-racism-violence-ideology-george-floyd">structural changes</a> the shooting by police of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin seems to demand. </p>
<p>In this case, the players met the moment, marking a fundamental shift in the direction of activism generated by Black athletes. The mass player walkouts that followed the Bucks’ initial protest were no exercise in awareness, <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/enough-is-enough-by-walking-out-bucks-show-what-it-looks-like-for-nba-players-to-use-their-platform/">though some commentators framed it as that way</a>. </p>
<p>Instead, these athletes were, in effect, going on strike – and showing the world just how much economic leverage they could wield. </p>
<h2>Pressure builds</h2>
<p>When I began studying Black protest speech in sports around <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt12f5df">10 years ago</a>, athlete activism <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/23/books/review/23goldstein.html">appeared to be in decline</a>. </p>
<p>Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods had become marketing demigods, bringing sports into the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/165581.Michael_Jordan_and_the_New_Global_Capitalism">rarefied circuits of global capitalism</a>. By signing increasingly lucrative endorsement deals with risk-averse corporate partners, Black athletes, <a href="https://books.google.com/books/about/Forty_Million_Dollar_Slaves.html?id=x7i1pIm17RsC">critics argued</a>, were trading their conscience for the promise of wealth.</p>
<p>The narrative, however, began to change around 2012, when the Miami Heat <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/truehoop/miamiheat/story/_/id/7728618/miami-heat-don-hoodies-response-death-teen-trayvon-martin">posed in hoodies</a> for a widely circulated photograph meant to protest the murder of Trayvon Martin in Florida. </p>
<p>Two years later, athlete activism accelerated when the Los Angeles Clippers <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2014/04/27/donald-sterling-clippers-silent-protest-game-4-warriors">demonstrated against</a> their team owner, Donald Sterling, for making racist comments. NBA stars wore T-shirts that said “<a href="https://time.com/3624684/lebron-james-i-cant-breathe-eric-garner/">I Can’t Breathe</a>” to protest the killing of Eric Garner’s by police in New York. And five St. Louis Rams players <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/11963218/the-five-st-louis-rams-players-saluted-slain-teenager-michael-brown-sunday-game-not-fined">raised their hands</a> in “don’t shoot” poses to bring attention to the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. Vice Sports declared 2014 “<a href="https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/wn3adm/2014-the-year-of-the-activist-athlete">the year of the activist athlete</a>.” </p>
<p>Then, in 2016, Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the anthem to protest police brutality, ultimately becoming the avatar for the activist athlete. By the time the NFL’s biggest stars shot a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RReoGr6S2ZM">#BlackLivesMatter video</a> in the summer of 2020 to protest the murder of George Floyd, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/08/24/roger-goodell-wishes-nfl-had-listened-earlier-colin-kaepernick/">was admitting</a> that “we should have listened earlier,” despite having overseen Kaepernick’s effective banishment three years earlier. </p>
<p>Yet professional athletes’ reliance on Twitter, Instagram and T-shirts often falls short. Yes, they have an <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0193723517719665">enormous platform for political speech</a> and can often use social media to bypass traditional outlets. But thanks to their relationship with sponsors, advertisers and TV networks, professional sports leagues have an even bigger one. </p>
<p>This gives sports executives like Goodell the power to lead from behind, making the athletes’ message their own. </p>
<p>Perhaps the most cynical use of this technique came in 2017, after Donald Trump said that NFL players who kneel during the national anthem <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2017/09/22/politics/donald-trump-alabama-nfl/index.html">ought to be fired</a>. When the Dallas Cowboys expressed their desire to kneel in solidarity, they were <a href="https://theundefeated.com/features/nfl-all-22-week-3-did-cowboys-owner-jerry-jones-kneel-with-players-for-the-right-reasons/">joined arm-in-arm</a> by team owner Jerry Jones, a vocal <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/nfl-owners-support-donald-trump-list-donated-president-1510841">Trump supporter</a>, who agreed to participate – provided that it did not occur <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2737631-jerry-jones-says-a-cowboys-player-who-disrespects-the-flag-wont-play">during the anthem</a>.</p>
<h2>The corporate dance</h2>
<p>Of course, it is possible for activist athletes to compete with leagues for attention and influence. But this often requires a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/14791420701472866">perilous relationship with corporate power</a>, such as when Nike announced its brand partnership with Kaepernick. </p>
<p>“Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything,” read Kaepernick’s <a href="https://qz.com/1400583/modern-corporate-social-activism-looks-like-nikes-kaepernick-ad/">Nike ad</a>. This slogan – which could just as easily have been catchphrase for the military or the police – reveals the anesthetizing effects corporate messaging can have on politics. Sure, athletes might appear in ads that mention social justice. But they’re ultimately there to sell products, and often <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/09/19/nike-colin-kaepernick-ads-national-anthem-protest-controversy.html">deliver more value to the corporation</a> than they get in return.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/355376/original/file-20200828-21-ifdlpc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/355376/original/file-20200828-21-ifdlpc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/355376/original/file-20200828-21-ifdlpc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/355376/original/file-20200828-21-ifdlpc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/355376/original/file-20200828-21-ifdlpc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=521&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/355376/original/file-20200828-21-ifdlpc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=521&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/355376/original/file-20200828-21-ifdlpc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=521&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Michael Jordan watches a model showcase apparel from Jordan’s clothing line at New York City’s NikeTown in 1997.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Associated-Press-Finance-amp-Business-New-Yor-/fd63813a3ae5da11af9f0014c2589dfb/15/0">AP Photo/Kathy Willens</a></span>
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<p>Corporate messaging, moreover, depends not on moral imperatives, but on prevailing public sentiment and shareholder interest. The marketplace provides no guarantee that a company changing its Twitter avatar to say “Black Lives Matter” will always be more <a href="https://harvardlawreview.org/2013/06/racial-capitalism/">profitable</a> than staying silent or doing the opposite.</p>
<p>Furthermore, it is impossible, by definition, for corporations to send anti-corporate messages. For these reasons, athlete activism’s relationship to corporate power is inherently fragile. </p>
<p>[<em>Get the best of The Conversation, every weekend.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/weekly-highlights-61?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=weeklybest">Sign up for our weekly newsletter</a>.]</p>
<h2>From talk to action</h2>
<p>This week’s work stoppage in professional sports is the most significant moment of athlete activism in a half century not because it “raised awareness” or “started a conversation,” but because it exercised labor’s most elemental form of political power: the strike. </p>
<p>By walking out, professional athletes leveraged their power to exploit, as sociologist Harry Edwards wrote in 1969, “<a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=ddF5DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT70&lpg=PT70&dq=%22the+power+to+be+gained+from+exploiting+the+white+man%27s+economic+and+almost+religious+involvement+in+athletics.%22&source=bl&ots=B1vS5FHIMt&sig=ACfU3U1sHzkam-TwF4zukao9CY_9sp6NCg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiqp8zapr7rAhVHh-AKHedmCq0Q6AEwAXoECAYQAQ#v=onepage&q=%22the%20power%20to%20be%20gained%20from%20exploiting%20the%20white%20man's%20economic%20and%20almost%20religious%20involvement%20in%20athletics.%22&f=false">the white man’s economic and almost religious involvement in athletics</a>.” </p>
<p>After a summer of racist police violence and nationwide protest, the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin forced athletes to confront persuasion’s futility and embrace their capacity for leverage. T-shirts and television commercials do not yield phone calls with attorneys general and lieutenant governors, <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1298749552464404480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1298749552464404480%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fclutchpoints.com%2Fbucks-news-milwaukee-holds-call-with-wisconsin-attorney-general-and-lieutenant-governor-following-jacob-blake-shooting%2F">but strikes do</a>. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1298749552464404480"}"></div></p>
<p>The same point was made most forcefully in 2015, when football players at the University of Missouri <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-mizzou-football-sacked-president-over-racism-on-campus">got their university president fired</a> within 36 hours of announcing a strike for racial justice. </p>
<p>As major media organizations framed the walk-off as a “<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/26/sport/milwaukee-bucks-boycott-playoff-game/index.html">boycott</a>” and leagues announced that games had been “<a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/29748076/brewers-reds-mariners-padres-call-games-focus-issues-more-important-baseball">postponed</a>,” these descriptors hid the threat striking athletes pose to sport’s economic health and racial order. In a vivid demonstration of worker agency, Black athletes refused to entertain audiences and make money for the wealthy owners of their teams.</p>
<p>This, they were saying, was not a conflict to be resolved through “listening.” It would require direct economic pressure. </p>
<p>It is tempting to view the walkout’s spread through <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/29756518/walkouts-proof-mlb-men-uniform-learning-listen">baseball</a>, <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/jets-cancel-practice-apparent-response-blake-shooting-72650977">football</a>, <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/compared-to-their-millionaire-nba-and-mlb-brethren-mls-players-boycott-comes-with-added-risks-202056686.html">soccer</a>, and even <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/naomi-osaka-walkout-boycott-western-southern-open-jacob-blake-shooting-semifinal-014908552.html">tennis</a> as an expansion of the activist athlete’s platform. But maybe we should view it as the emergence of interdependent workers’ collectives. After suspending the season in March, the NBA <a href="https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/news/nba-bubble-rules-teams-schedule-orlando/zhap66a9hcwq1khmcex3ggabo">decided in July</a> to resume play in Orlando at a Disney complex where all participants would undergo regular virus testing and live together under quarantine. </p>
<p>The “bubble” in Orlando was designed to protect the league’s assets from COVID-19. But what if, instead, the players’ forced proximity to each other ended up cultivating a radical consciousness and facilitating a spirit of worker resistance?</p>
<p>Where the athlete strike goes next is not entirely clear. The NBA has announced that games will resume, and the NFL and NFL Players Association issued a <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-nflpa-issue-joint-statement-on-social-injustice-in-wake-of-jacob-blake-shooting/">joint statement</a> indicating their intention to “use our collective platform to call out racism and injustice whenever and wherever it occurs.” </p>
<p>The statement is a reminder that when corporate power seeks common cause with labor, the result is almost always “difficult conversations about these issues.” Corporations love conversations. They reduce politics to speech and forestall the pace of meaningful social change. </p>
<p>However, sports organizations tend to move more quickly when their <a href="https://apnews.com/2e74831385bb21f6098b8feda2cb74c4">workers refuse to play</a>. </p>
<p>In a polarized political environment under a president <a href="https://theconversation.com/trump-accepts-the-nomination-from-the-white-house-lawn-portraying-a-nation-in-crisis-and-himself-as-its-hero-144909">keen to stoke racial division</a>, I see attempts at moral persuasion as teardrops in a poisoned well. What began with the Milwaukee Bucks in Orlando signals a new form of athlete activism not because the platform is growing or the arguments are becoming more convincing, but because it eschews the trappings of symbolic spectacle. </p>
<p>The players are leveraging labor power to accomplish real political work.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/145234/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Abraham I. Khan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>When professional athletes refuse to play, they engage in activism that can’t be co-opted by team owners and corporate sponsors.Abraham I. Khan, Assistant Professor of African American Studies and Communication Arts & Sciences, Penn StateLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1452382020-08-28T04:36:48Z2020-08-28T04:36:48ZAthletes won’t stay silent on politics anymore. But will leagues support their protests if it costs them real money?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/355242/original/file-20200828-22-1hi1y1l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Ashley Landis/AP</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>This week, the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks refused to take the court in protest over the police shooting of a Black man in Wisconsin, Jacob Blake, who remains <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2020/08/27/us/jacob-blake-wisconsin-thursday/index.html">paralysed in hospital</a>.</p>
<p>The players’ boycott immediately threatened the viability of the NBA’s playoffs, endangering the <a href="https://www.bostonherald.com/2020/08/27/boycott-comes-at-critical-time-for-nba/">most lucrative part of the season</a> for the league. The players were also risking millions of their own dollars to raise their voices against racism in America.</p>
<p>As the Bucks players later explained in a statement,</p>
<blockquote>
<p>We are calling for justice for Jacob Blake and demand the officers be held accountable. […] We encourage all citizens to educate themselves, take peaceful and responsible action, and remember to vote on November 3.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The protest quickly spread across the NBA, where players are increasingly using their social clout to demand action on labour issues from the league and owners. <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1298722832122142722">Under pressure from other teams</a>, the league postponed several games. Lakers star LeBron James was quick to remind fans, however, the players were actually <a href="https://ftw.usatoday.com/2020/08/lebron-james-nba-bucks-postponed-boycott-reaction-lakers-playoffs">boycotting the games</a> — this wasn’t a mere postponement.</p>
<p>And the action quickly spread across the sporting landscape: the WNBA, Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/08/26/bucks-boycott-nba-playoff-game/">all cancelled games</a> to protest the Blake shooting. Tennis pro Naomi Osaka refused to play her semifinal match at a tournament, tweeting this:</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1298785716487548928"}"></div></p>
<h2>Remember the backlash against Colin Kaepernick?</h2>
<p>The NBA boycott comes four years to the day that US football player Colin Kaepernick <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/06/01/colin-kaepernick-kneeling-history/">started kneeling before NFL games</a>. The NFL blackballed him due to the protest — and he has yet to return to the league. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/355254/original/file-20200828-25-hy1jnf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/355254/original/file-20200828-25-hy1jnf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/355254/original/file-20200828-25-hy1jnf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/355254/original/file-20200828-25-hy1jnf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/355254/original/file-20200828-25-hy1jnf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=532&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/355254/original/file-20200828-25-hy1jnf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=532&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/355254/original/file-20200828-25-hy1jnf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=532&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Colin Kaepernick has not played in the NFL since his protest movement in the 2016 season.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Mike McCarn/AP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Since then, however, other American sporting leagues, particularly the NBA, have supported their players’ right to protest and voice their opinions on political issues. </p>
<p>Last month, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver defended players’ <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/nba-players-kneel-during-national-anthem-on-restarts-opening-night-11596150590">right to kneel</a> during the national anthem. The COVID bubble where the playoffs are being held also features Black Lives Matter jerseys, signs and <a href="https://www.orlandoweekly.com/Blogs/archives/2020/07/22/nba-basketball-court-in-orlando-now-includes-black-lives-matter-decals">floor decals</a>. </p>
<p>Although the players have <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-28/nba-to-restart-after-boycott-after-jacob-blake-shooting/12604602">voted to resume the playoffs</a> after a day, they made a statement that would have been unthinkable in the sports world just a few years ago. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-olympics-have-always-been-a-platform-for-protest-banning-hand-gestures-and-kneeling-ignores-their-history-129694">The Olympics have always been a platform for protest. Banning hand gestures and kneeling ignores their history</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Despite risking millions of dollars in salary, endorsements and bonuses, many players have shown they are willing to pay the price, potentially even jeopardising their careers, because they are simply fed up with unchecked police violence against people of colour. </p>
<p>As Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2020/08/25/sports/25reuters-basketball-nba-tor-boycott.html?searchResultPosition=1">told reporters</a>, </p>
<blockquote>
<p>if we’re gonna sit here and talk about making change, then at some point we’re gonna have to put our [manhood] on the line and actually put something up to lose.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Some players are also becoming political in more direct ways. James, for instance, has <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/25/politics/lebron-james-florida-voting-rights-felons/index.html">raised millions</a> to pay off the fines for convicted felons to allow them to vote. Chris Paul of the Oklahoma City Thunder, meanwhile, <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/oklahoma-city-thunder-chris-paul-game-4-win-houston-rockets-voting-jacob-blake-police-shooting-233112982.html">registered his whole team to vote</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/355252/original/file-20200828-15-iw8cjy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/355252/original/file-20200828-15-iw8cjy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/355252/original/file-20200828-15-iw8cjy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/355252/original/file-20200828-15-iw8cjy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/355252/original/file-20200828-15-iw8cjy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/355252/original/file-20200828-15-iw8cjy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/355252/original/file-20200828-15-iw8cjy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The stoppage in play across sport was in stark contrast to the response to Colin Kaepernick’s kneeling four years ago.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">JOHN G. MABANGLO/EPA</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>What happens if the NBA loses money, though?</h2>
<p>Whether the NBA continues to stand by players in their protests, however, remains to be seen.</p>
<p>The league reportedly stands to lose upwards of <a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/basketball/nba/nbas-bubble-investment-may-not-price-pay-covid-19/">US$1 billion</a> in revenue if the playoffs are cancelled. Not only that, the bubble itself cost the NBA <a href="https://www.marketplace.org/2020/07/15/nba-covid-19-restart-bubble-disney-world-quarantine/">US$170 million</a> just to set up. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-us-sports-stars-are-taking-a-knee-against-trump-84605">Why US sports stars are taking a knee against Trump</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>If the playoffs do end early, the relationship between the league and players could very well be broken, possibly leading to a <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexreimer/2020/08/27/what-jared-kushner-gets-wrong-about-nba-boycott/#6a655969ed7c">lockout</a> next season. This, in turn, would further devastate the finances of both players and the league. </p>
<p>Trapped between the competing demands of its advertisers, TV partners, owners and players, the NBA has until now remained remarkably silent about the boycott. The big question is how the league will respond if fans start to tune out and the protests ultimately start to cost it money.</p>
<p>Crucially, it should be noted the NBA collective bargaining agreement <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/08/nba-teams-strike-for-black-lives.html">bans strikes</a>, so in effect, the players’ actions could be in violation of this (though there is some debate over whether this was a “boycott” or a “strike”).</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1298722302163423232"}"></div></p>
<p>Silver, the NBA commissioner, has been faced by a somewhat similar dilemma before. Last year, Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/business-49956385">tweeted support</a> for the Hong Kong protests, angering the Chinese government to such an extent, the state broadcaster <a href="https://www.scmp.com/sport/basketball/article/3084161/china-nba-row-cctv-continue-shun-games-due-rockets-moreys-support">stopped airing NBA games</a> — and still hasn’t resumed. </p>
<p>Silver <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/16/nba-will-lose-hundreds-of-millions-of-dollars-due-to-rift-with-china-commissioner-says.html">has said the league</a> could lose as much as US$400 million in revenue from China, yet he still stuck by Morey’s <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/08/sports/adam-silver-nba-china-hong-kong.html">right to express himself</a>.</p>
<h2>The future of sport is no doubt political</h2>
<p>For many NBA players and coaches, police violence is personal. Some Bucks players have spoken out about their <a href="https://twitter.com/andyblarsen/status/1298716926768635904">own difficult experiences with the police</a>. Clippers coach Doc Rivers tearfully explained how hard it was loving a country so much that “<a href="https://twitter.com/espn/status/1298476250709635072">does not love us back</a>”. </p>
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<p>The players have also been supported by many inside the sport. <a href="https://twitter.com/taniaganguli/status/1298968681813245952">NBA refs are marching in solidarity with the players</a>, while one commentator <a href="https://www.foxsports.com.au/basketball/nba/sports-world-freezes-over-kenny-smiths-powerful-live-nba-tv-walkout/news-story/229a78ca61c3260cc62e080a68b00cb8">walked off the set</a> during a live broadcast. </p>
<p>But criticisms are also coming in from other parts of society. Author Juanita Broaddrick <a href="https://twitter.com/atensnut/status/1298858152373432320">tweeted a message</a> directly to James, telling him to “Move to China”, which was liked nearly 35,000 times. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/355241/original/file-20200828-20-prksp6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/355241/original/file-20200828-20-prksp6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/355241/original/file-20200828-20-prksp6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/355241/original/file-20200828-20-prksp6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/355241/original/file-20200828-20-prksp6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/355241/original/file-20200828-20-prksp6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/355241/original/file-20200828-20-prksp6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The NBA boycott has angered some fans who want to keep politics out of sport.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Rick Bowmer/AP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, meanwhile, <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2020/08/27/jared-kushner-nba-players-very-fortunate-says-reach-out-lebron/5643764002/">said</a> NBA players were</p>
<blockquote>
<p>very fortunate that they have the financial position where they’re able to take a night off from work.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>But despite the inevitable backlash, the boycott feels like the start of “<a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/has-the-bubble-burst-nba-players-willingness-to-sacrifice-playoffs-could-be-the-start-of-something-big-221848034.html">something big</a>”, to quote one sports columnist.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Taking a knee before a game or raising a fist during a medal ceremony rocked the country, but never before has a league just had to shut it down. Now we have, at least for a day. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>In a sign of just how far such politically motivated protests could go, even the National Hockey League, the whitest pro sport in North America, <a href="https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/29754002/flyers-islanders-golden-knights-canucks-played-thursday">decided to postpone games</a> following Blake’s shooting.</p>
<p>Sports figures won’t stay silent anymore when it comes to politics, nor should they be expected to.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/is-russia-worthy-of-hosting-the-world-cup-96917">Is Russia worthy of hosting the World Cup?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/145238/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Keith Rathbone does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The NBA stands behind the rights of players to protest. But the league finds itself in a delicate position, trapped between the competing demands of its advertisers, TV partners, owners and players.Keith Rathbone, Lecturer, Modern European History and Sports History, Macquarie UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1420972020-07-09T15:13:50Z2020-07-09T15:13:50ZNational anthems in sport: songs of praise or memorials that are past their use-by date?<p>International sport has resumed in the UK with the cricket Test match between England and the West Indies. Before play, in addition to a rendition of Jerusalem (the “<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1NGBMrStnQ9cqfxf1sWLmXJ/five-reasons-why-we-love-parrys-jerusalem">official hymn</a>” of England cricket), both teams and officals “took a knee” in support of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. Nationalistic traditions, such as playing anthems at sport matches, have been a key part of society for many years but now may be <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/04/sports/football/anthem-kneeling-sports.html">time for change</a>.</p>
<p>Symbols of colonialism, such as statues, place names and rituals, are attracting unprecedented criticism in postcolonial, liberal-democratic societies. That is especially so when memorialised individuals and institutions are viewed as unworthy – by 2020 standards – of such honour. </p>
<p>The most immediate concern, driven in part by BLM, is racism. One aspect of that is whitewashed commemoration, in the way that civic observances tend to sanitise uncomfortable truths.</p>
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<p>Nationalistic songs – especially national anthems, which venerate a particular tradition – can both embrace and marginalise. So it’s no surprise that debates around the suitability of anthems – both official and unofficial – are not new. For instance, in 2016 the suitability of the British national anthem was <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/mar/04/mps-debate-scrap-god-save-the-queen-england-games-national-anthem-fa-rfu">debated in the House of Commons</a>. </p>
<p>Intriguingly, the concept of “the nation” – and anthems invented to represent them are – historically, young. The modern nation state is a product of the <a href="http://www.columbia.edu/%7Eaw2951/WimmerFeinstein.pdf">19th and 20th centuries</a>. </p>
<p>So, it is not surprising that many of the ideas and assumptions <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17430437.2020.1733531">associated with national identity</a> are rooted in what historian Eric Hobsbawm has deftly labelled “<a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/invention-of-tradition/B9973971357795DC86BE856F321C34B3">the invention of tradition</a>”. In the context of the British Empire, this process involved both the celebration of conquest and, as is typical of imperialism, the subjugation and control of indigenous cultures.</p>
<p>Given the major <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/178928?seq=1">role sport played</a> in the establishment of empire for Britain, it is no surprise that the first sporting event to feature a national anthem was a <a href="http://sportinglandmarks.co.uk/summer-olympic-sports/rugby/how-the-welsh-introduced-national-anthems-to-international-sporting-fixtures/">rugby match in 1905</a> between Wales and New Zealand. Soon after, in the United States, the playing of the national anthem <a href="https://www.history.com/news/why-the-star-spangled-banner-is-played-at-sporting-events">before baseball matches</a> became a feature during the first world war. The Star Spangled Banner, not officially recognised until 1931, carried patriotic weight as the song was already used to honour the nation’s military. </p>
<h2>Anthemic activism</h2>
<p>Exceptionally, national anthems at sport events have involved athlete activism. More than 50 years ago, the Black Power salute protest of Tommie Smith and John Carlos (supported by Australia’s Peter Norman) during the US anthem at the 1968 Mexico Olympic Games received worldwide attention. Smith and Carlos were <a href="https://eu.usatoday.com/story/sports/columnist/nancy-armour/2019/09/23/olympics-tommie-smith-john-carlos-get-recognition-they-deserve/2423576001/">vilified for highlighting the racism and discrimination</a> present both inside and outside of American sport. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/346620/original/file-20200709-46-kugrsi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/346620/original/file-20200709-46-kugrsi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/346620/original/file-20200709-46-kugrsi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=840&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346620/original/file-20200709-46-kugrsi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=840&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346620/original/file-20200709-46-kugrsi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=840&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346620/original/file-20200709-46-kugrsi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1055&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346620/original/file-20200709-46-kugrsi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1055&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346620/original/file-20200709-46-kugrsi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1055&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">American sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos, along with Australian Peter Norman, during the award ceremony of the 200-metre race at the Mexican Olympic games.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Angelo Cozzi (Mondadori Publishers)</span></span>
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<p>In 2016, Colin Kaepernick refused to stand during the playing of the national anthem ahead of NFL matches. <a href="https://www.nfl.com/news/colin-kaepernick-explains-why-he-sat-during-national-anthem-0ap3000000691077">He stated</a>: “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of colour.” </p>
<p>He and fellow anthem protesters were labelled by loyalist critics as anti-American. They received death threats, and were described as “sons of bitches” <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/sep/22/donald-trump-nfl-national-anthem-protests">by the US president, Donald Trump</a> (whose comments often pander to <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2017/09/23/politics/donald-trump-nfl-nba/index.html">white nationalist sentiments</a>).</p>
<p>But in the wake of BLM, sport has become a site for widespread anti-racism activism. Athletes are increasingly using their profiles to draw attention to social movements that challenge inequalities and injustices – especially those underpinned by structural racism. </p>
<p>In professional sports leagues from Britain to Australia, matches have been preceded by players taking a knee. Players and officials are keen to show their support of BLM and, belatedly, Kaepernick. </p>
<p>Even the typically conservative NFL is now allowing athletes to advocate openly in respect of BLM. The league has also indicated a plan to play the song Lift Every Voice and Sing, widely known as the Black national anthem, during the <a href="https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2020/07/02/sport/nfl-black-national-anthem-week-1-spt-intl/index.html">first week of the season</a>. </p>
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<p>Moreover, in another sign of changing times, the Washington Redskins has announced it will review their name – which, after all, speaks to conquest and genocide of Indigenous Americans. The power of BLM to invoke change cannot be underestimated. As recently as 2013, the Redskins’ owner said that the team would <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/03/sports/football/washington-redskins-nickname-nfl.html">never change its name</a>, conveniently ignoring repeated appeals and protests by Native Americans.</p>
<h2>Swing low and other stories</h2>
<p>In Britain, BLM has catalysed debate about the appropriateness or otherwise of fans singing the “unofficial anthem” for English rugby, Swing Low, Sweet Chariot. This song has been sung with gusto at [rugby matches since the 1960s]. </p>
<p>Precisely why it <a href="https://www.skysports.com/rugby-union/news/12321/12010944/swing-low-sweet-chariot-an-important-read-for-england-rugby-fans">was embraced by fans is unclear</a>. But some black players now reveal they are uncomfortable with their sport revelling in what was, originally, a <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/what-to-listen-to/swing-low-sweet-chariot-history-origin-meaning/">black Christian hymn</a> that combined “spiritual belief with the hardships of daily life as a slave in antebellum America”. </p>
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<p>Whether or not it knew of the song’s history, the Rugby Football Union has commercialised and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/jul/02/complicated-history-of-swing-low-sweet-chariot-needs-to-be-taught-and-honoured">profited from its appropriation</a> of an African-American slave hymn.</p>
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<p>In Australia, too, there has been debate about whether the national anthem is appropriate in that it fails to recognised Indigenous Australians. This movement saw a protest by Indigenous Australians ahead of key rugby league games in 2019. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/our-national-anthem-is-non-inclusive-indigenous-australians-shouldnt-have-to-sing-it-118177">Our national anthem is non-inclusive: Indigenous Australians shouldn't have to sing it</a>
</strong>
</em>
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<p>Our <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/eprint/QFF32VIMQQZUDBS8ZYPX/full">recently published research</a> found that protests by high-profile Indigenous athletes can move debates on societal inequalities back into the spotlight. </p>
<h2>Making positive change</h2>
<p>Formula One World champion Lewis Hamilton has championed BLM activism in his sport. He remarked recently that <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/53294057">racism is still not understood by many people</a>, especially by whites who have not experienced it. </p>
<p>In societies where whiteness has long been privileged, the voices of black and indigenous athletes are important in raising concerns about inequalities and maltreatment according to race. In sport, part of that discussion involves nationalist rituals and symbols that – by their colonialist nature – reinforce structural inequities. </p>
<p>Is it justifiable to question the nationality or commitment to the nation of anyone that critiques the viability of a national anthem or what it stands for, merely by choosing not to stand or sing when it is performed?</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/142097/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The Black Lives Matter movement reminds us that using national anthems at sporting events is often insensitive and whitewashes the prevalence of racism in sport.Keith Parry, Deputy Head Of Department in Department of Sport & Events Management, Bournemouth UniversityDaryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology SydneyJamie Cleland, Senior Lecturer in Sport and Management, University of South AustraliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1317662020-02-20T17:37:33Z2020-02-20T17:37:33ZHow portrayals of the NFL are shaping criminal justice reform<p>During the Super Bowl, crime and criminal justice reform were front and centre in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xtv_PJE8xns">an ad</a> supporting Donald Trump’s campaign for re-election. Commercials for the NFL’s <a href="https://operations.nfl.com/football-ops/economic-social-impact/inspire-change/">Inspire Change</a> program (the league’s social justice initiative) also highlighted these issues. Inspire Change was created in partnership with the <a href="https://players-coalition.org/">Players Coalition</a>, a group founded in 2017 amid Colin Kaepernick’s iconic protests.</p>
<p>These ads appeared as we were still digesting the unsettling Netflix true crime series about former NFL player Aaron Hernandez, who was <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2015/04/15/jury-in-aaron-hernandez-murder-case-reaches-verdict/">convicted of murder in 2015</a> and <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2017/04/19/aaron-hernandez-found-dead-in-prison-cell/">died by suicide in 2017</a>.</p>
<p>Having <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1741659019879888">conducted research</a> on the media coverage of Hernandez, we are left wondering how the true-crime documentary and Inspire Change ads are connected. </p>
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<h2>Inside the mind of a killer?</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/jan/15/aaron-hernandez-netflix-documentary"><em>Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez</em></a> explores aspects of his life as potential explanations for his demise: the death of his father, his years in the University of Florida football program, his drug use and acquaintances with criminal records and his <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/aaron-hernandez-suffered-from-most-severe-cte-ever-found-in-a-person-his-age/2017/11/09/fa7cd204-c57b-11e7-afe9-4f60b5a6c4a0_story.html">chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) diagnosis</a>. The series also foregrounds revelations that Hernandez had sexual relationships with men. It questions how his actions might have been influenced by life as a closeted gay man in a notoriously homophobic football culture.</p>
<p>The series does not arrive at a clear conclusion for what happened to Hernandez. This has been a <a href="https://www.salon.com/2020/01/24/netflix-aaron-hernandez-killer-inside-cte-sex/">source of frustration</a> for <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/2020/2/2/21116353/aaron-hernandez-life-netflix-documentary-killer-inside-review">critics who</a> have panned <em>Killer Inside</em> for <a href="https://newrepublic.com/article/156295/football-villain-aaron-hernandezs-true-crime-story">needlessly complicating</a> what they consider to be the <a href="https://www.vulture.com/2020/01/killer-inside-netflix-aaron-hernandez-documentary.html">seemingly obvious root causes</a> of Hernandez’s crimes.</p>
<p>These criticisms, however, offer a misguided suggestion that clear answers are possible, even in cases as complicated as Hernandez’s. This aligns with what we found in our research. Our study shows that journalists made causal inferences about how Hernandez’s volatile upbringing or CTE symptoms prompted his violent actions. These inferences tended to rest on rudimentary allusions: either <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1557085116662313">racialized stereotypes</a> about Hernandez falling into “gangsta life” after his father’s death or <a href="https://doi.org/10.1057/s41292-018-0135-y">simplistic assumptions</a> about brain damage causing criminal acts.</p>
<p><em>Killer Inside</em> offers something more complex. It reflects what we and <a href="https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/imagining-crime/book203608">some criminologists</a> have argued: that our knowledge of specific acts of crime is usually partial. The commentators in the film — police officers, attorneys, academics, friends and family members and even recordings of Hernandez himself — provide only fragments of the events, possible motivations and social forces that affected Hernandez. </p>
<p><em>Killer Inside</em> helps viewers see how causes of deviant behaviour are rarely straightforward.</p>
<p>Scholars have argued that in the absence of perfect evidence we often depend on familiar stories about crime to piece together a version of events. In this way, <em>Killer Inside</em> relies heavily on popular narratives of crime and punishment. It attempts to add intrigue by emphasising Hernandez as uniquely committing crimes as an active player — even though the NFL has a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/13/upshot/what-the-numbers-show-about-nfl-player-arrests.html">sordid history</a> of players coming under criminal investigation. The portrayal of Hernandez’s trials brings to mind an episode of <em>Law & Order</em> with dramatic courtroom scenes interspersed with comments from officials and attorneys. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">The Netflix documentary shows the trial of Hernandez as a drama like an episode of ‘Law and Order’ when the truth about the criminal justice system is often more complicated.</span></figcaption>
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<p><em>Killer Inside</em> also taps into the allure of deep dives into intimate details of Hernandez’s life. This format follows true crime conventions and mirrors the storytelling dynamics of popular television shows such as <a href="https://www.cbs.com/shows/criminal_minds/"><em>Criminal Minds</em></a>. In fact, the series subtitle, <em>The Mind of Aaron Hernandez</em>, puts focus squarely on his psyche and sells the series as providing windows into his innermost thoughts.</p>
<p>In doing so, <em>Killer Inside</em> lacks critical reflection on the criminal justice system. Although the series points to problems within college and professional football, it does not consider how the justice system often fails to counteract cycles of violence or support victims. We see this in the portrayal of the family of Odin Lloyd, the man Hernandez was convicted of killing. Their pursuit of justice is shown to be resolved through what is ultimately a punitive reform to the Massachusetts criminal code: the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2019/03/13/aaron-hernandezs-murder-conviction-reinstated-by-massachusettss-highest-court/">repeal of abatement</a>, a law that dissolves convictions under appeal upon a defendant’s death.</p>
<p><em>Killer Inside</em> positions the Hernandez story firmly outside of broader criminal justice debates.</p>
<p>This lack of critique is perhaps not surprising. But it still perpetuates an unquestioned vision of criminal justice narrowly built around identifying and punishing perpetrators. This vision draws attention away from social structures and institutions that contribute to inequitable practices of criminalization.</p>
<p>If the Hernandez documentary is the crime story that everybody’s talking about, then the film’s narratives can influence other conversations about criminal justice reform. This is especially important as we see this issue implicated in election campaign messaging.</p>
<h2>Criminal justice beyond Aaron Hernandez</h2>
<p><em>Killer Inside</em> informs a cultural context in which politicians can co-opt criminal justice reform as an election issue while still reinforcing <a href="https://plsonline.eku.edu/sites/plsonline.eku.edu/files/the-history-of-policing-in-us.pdf">misguided assumptions about violent crime</a>, ignoring <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-racist-roots-of-american-policing-from-slave-patrols-to-traffic-stops-112816">policing’s racist origins</a> and propping up individualized, behaviour-based solutions to systemic problems. </p>
<p>These approaches to criminal justice reform lose sight of the calls for systemic change central to <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-black-lives-matter-means-beyond-policing-reform-62332">Black Lives Matter</a> and Kaepernick’s protest. These movements both highlight how common reformist agendas, such as anti-bias training or diversity initiatives, are not enough to stop police violence.</p>
<p>As we encounter campaign messages built on individual stories of wrongs being righted, we should ask critical questions about how presidential contenders — President Trump chief among them — reaffirm systems and practices that unjustly oppress and criminalize <a href="https://rowman.com/isbn/9780761871286">many persons</a> and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/08/opinion/sunday/criminal-justice-reforms-race-technology.html">communities</a>.</p>
<p>Yet, as the NFL continues to face questions about the <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/netflixs-killer-inside-claims-nfl-and-new-england-patriots-were-complicit-in-aaron-hernandezs-dark-turn">Hernandez case</a> and <a href="https://slate.com/culture/2019/11/colin-kaepernick-bizarre-nfl-tryout.html">Kaepernick’s unsigned status</a>, the coexistence of <em>Killer Inside</em> and the Inspire Change ads is a reminder of football’s power to <a href="https://time.com/4954684/donald-trump-nfl-speech-anthem-protests/">influence politics</a>. We can believe current and former players are doing meaningful work through Inspire Change. That said, we must first acknowledge that the <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2018/05/nfl-anthem-policy-protest-locker-room/561191/">NFL has also undermined</a> calls for police accountability by stifling protest.</p>
<p>In an election year, these connections show how political conversation around criminal justice is shaped by conversations happening far off the campaign trail.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/131766/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Matt Ventresca receives funding from the Integrated Concussion Research Program at the University of Calgary. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kathryn Henne receives funding from the Australian Research Council.</span></em></p>From Super Bowl ads to Netflix documentaries, the complicated issues of criminal justice are portrayed in simplistic and highly political ways.Matt Ventresca, Postdoctoral Associate, Kinesiology, University of CalgaryKathryn Henne, Professor of Regulation and Governance, Australian National UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1219202019-09-25T12:12:31Z2019-09-25T12:12:31ZWhat Amazon, Walmart employees risk when they use the workplace for activism<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/293846/original/file-20190924-51457-1ksz51c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Amazon workers in Seattle walked off the job on Sept. 20 in a climate strike. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Elaine Thompson</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>It has somehow become sort of normal to use the workplace to protest social issues unrelated to the job itself. This was something almost unheard of even five years ago.</p>
<p>The latest example came on Sept. 20 as more than 1,000 Amazon employees <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2019/09/20/tech/amazon-climate-strike-global-tech/index.html">staged a walkout</a> over the retailer’s “inaction” on climate change. In recent months, there has also been <a href="https://www.wlbt.com/2019/08/08/few-walmart-employees-heed-call-walkout-over-gun-sales/">unrest</a> among Walmart employees over gun sales and protests by <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/04/technology/google-letter-ceo-pentagon-project.html">Google</a> and <a href="https://gizmodo.com/employees-protest-microsoft-bid-for-huge-military-contr-1829740921">Microsoft</a> workers over military use of their software. And of course, there’s <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/15/sports/nfl-colin-kaepernick-protests-timeline.html">Colin Kaepernick</a> and other professional athletes who used the field – a football player’s office – to protest racialized police violence.</p>
<p>The workplace used to be the very last place you would want to bring attention to social issues, however important. That’s because the office or factory isn’t a democracy where activism is protected. To a <a href="https://law.uoregon.edu/explore/elizabeth-tippett">workplace scholar</a> like me, what’s really interesting is how employees are increasingly willing to undertake this risky form of protest – and how employers are adapting.</p>
<h2>The risks of workplace activism</h2>
<p>As a legal matter, there is a big difference between marching in the street – for example, as part of a climate protest – and walking off the job as part of that same protest.</p>
<p>Let’s say you have the day off, and you decide to join a march through the streets. The government can’t just arrest you or banish you to another country. Your <a href="https://www.loc.gov/law/help/peaceful-assembly/us.php">activism is protected</a> under the First Amendment.</p>
<p>Those rights fall away the minute you cross the threshold into your job. Unless the government’s your boss, you stop being a citizen and become a worker subject to your employer’s rule. There, you live in something of a “dictatorship, in which bosses govern in ways that are largely unaccountable to those who are governed,” as philosopher Elizabeth Anderson <a href="https://press.princeton.edu/titles/10938.html">puts it</a>. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Philosopher Elizabeth Anderson explains why the workplace is like a dictatorship.</span></figcaption>
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<p>You may think calling the office a dictatorship is an exaggeration, but in reality it’s not. Like a real dictatorship, you can be exiled at any moment for virtually any infraction. The <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/union2.nr0.htm">vast majority</a> of workers in the United States are employed “at-will,” which literally means you can be terminated at any time, without notice, for any reason or no reason at all. </p>
<p>As a lawyer, I have written countless “at-will” provisions into contracts, and it’s not even strictly necessary. Courts will presume that you are “at-will” unless you <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=9927157615128210379&q=employment-at-will&hl=en&as_sdt=2006">present</a> a mountain of evidence showing the employer intended to offer real job security. </p>
<p>If companies can fire you for any reason, that reason might include stirring the pot. And employers tend to respond to social activism the way the “Seinfeld” character George Costanza reacted when his friend Elaine tried to invite his fiance to the opera: by freaking out. </p>
<p>“Everybody knows,” he shouts, “that you gotta keep the worlds apart!” </p>
<p>Work is for work. Save your activism for evenings and weekends.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">In ‘Seinfeld,’ Costanza panics when his social spheres converge, threatening his independence.</span></figcaption>
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<h2>Weak workplace protections</h2>
<p>Lawmakers and courts have long known that employers can abuse their power to fire workers. Over many decades, the law has developed to specify certain circumstances in which employers cannot retaliate against workers. </p>
<p>But the key here is that those exceptions are limited, and the law generally lags several years – or sometimes decades – behind what is happening in the workplace.</p>
<p>The law prohibits employers from firing workers where they are trying to advance or protect other key employment rights – like trying to <a href="https://www.nlrb.gov/rights-we-protect/whats-law/employees/i-am-not-represented-union/your-rights-during-union-organizing">organize a union</a> or filing a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/08/sports/womens-soccer-team-lawsuit-gender-discrimination.html">gender discrimination lawsuit</a>. Courts will also protect workers who really had no choice but to act against their employer’s preferences – like when they are summoned for <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=13046597298312614812">jury duty</a>, or when their boss asks them to engage in <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=6106113470135055631">illegal conduct</a>.</p>
<p>Even whistleblowers who unearth illegal conduct have to walk a tightrope if they want to keep their jobs. For example, the anonymous national security whistleblower who complained about Trump’s alleged call with the Ukrainian president would have lost legal protection – and faced potential <a href="https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2017/05/17/chelsea-manning-prison-release/101783186/">criminal prosecution</a> – if he or she went straight to the press. The whistleblower could <a href="https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1152&context=lawfacpub">maintain protection</a> only by complaining confidentially within authorized government channels.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Law professor Richard Moberly discusses national security whistleblowers.</span></figcaption>
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<h2>Activists out on a limb</h2>
<p>Today’s social activists don’t really qualify as whistleblowers, though. </p>
<p>Whistleblower protections are designed to protect those who disclose important information about misconduct to corporate heads or government authorities. Like a sports referee, true whistleblowers are pointing out a violation that others overlooked. Social activists in the workplace, by contrast, lend their voice to a known cause.</p>
<p>In that sense, social activists are perhaps most closely analogous to employees who object to work assignments on religious grounds – a pharmacist who <a href="https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/ca7/06-2831/06-2831-2007-05-02-nonprecedential-disposition-2011-02-25.html">refuses to fill</a> prescriptions for religious reasons, for example. But those workers are on much firmer legal ground, because Title VII of the Civil Rights Act <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=10710673220333405680&q=eeoc+v+abercrombie+%26+fitch+stores+inc&hl=en&as_sdt=2006">requires</a> employers to provide some accommodation for workers’ religious beliefs. </p>
<p>By contrast, employers can and do punish workers for activism they consider <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=750170895929306990">too disruptive</a> or <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=9748700253424262526">distracting</a>.</p>
<p>That’s why Walmart <a href="https://gizmodo.com/walmart-retaliates-against-worker-who-urged-walk-out-ov-1837012050">apparently shut down</a> network access for the worker who called for the gun-related walkout. It’s why Google issued a new policy, <a href="https://about.google/community-guidelines/">essentially telling</a> workers to focus on their jobs; why <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/us-soccer-bans-kneeling-during-anthem-donald-trump-wants-nfl-671291">U.S. Soccer</a> imposed a ban on kneeling during the national anthem; and why Colin Kaepernick still has <a href="https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/yes-its-strange-that-colin-kaepernick-doesnt-have-a-deal-yet/">no contract</a>. </p>
<p>Perhaps more surprising, though, is the ways in which companies have proved responsive to employee activism. Amazon let workers take <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/amazon-walkout-climate-change/">vacation time</a> to walk off the job and issued a <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2019/09/19/tech/amazon-climate-pledge/index.html">carbon pledge</a>. Google declined to <a href="https://thenextweb.com/artificial-intelligence/2018/06/01/google-announces-it-wont-renew-military-ai-contract/">renew</a> a contract providing artificial intelligence to the military. Even Walmart <a href="https://corporate.walmart.com/newsroom/2019/09/03/mcmillon-to-associates-our-next-steps-in-response-to-the-tragedies-in-el-paso-and-southaven">discontinued</a> some of its ammunition sales and is urging lawmakers to pass gun control legislation.</p>
<p>In a competitive labor market, it’s almost as if allowing employee protest has become a workplace perk of sorts, a special privilege companies selectively dispense for workers – software programmers in particular – who are hard to replace. Tellingly, far fewer store workers at Walmart walked off the job than salaried workers at Amazon’s headquarters. They may have sensed that Walmart would call their bluff.</p>
<p>But like all privileges dispensed by authoritarian rulers, the freedom to protest can be retracted at will. I would not expect it to survive the next downturn. </p>
<p>[ <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=expertise">Expertise in your inbox. Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter and get a digest of academic takes on today’s news, every day.</a></em> ]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/121920/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Elizabeth C. Tippett previously worked as a employment lawyer at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, where she represented technology companies.</span></em></p>There’s no First Amendment in the workplace, which leaves worker activists at the whim of their employers.Elizabeth C. Tippett, Associate Professor, School of Law, University of OregonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1181772019-06-04T20:08:33Z2019-06-04T20:08:33ZOur national anthem is non-inclusive: Indigenous Australians shouldn’t have to sing it<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/277838/original/file-20190604-69087-19hfiel.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=586%2C0%2C2029%2C1490&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The NSW Blues' Cody Walker is one of several players who will remain silent during the Australian national anthem at Wednesday's State of Origin match. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Dean Lewins/AAP</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>It is traditional at major sports events to begin with a rendition of the national anthem. At the State of Origin rugby league clash between New South Wales and Queensland on Wednesday, however, at least <a href="https://www.nrl.com/news/2019/05/31/chambers-i-wont-be-singing-it/">four Indigenous rugby league players</a> have vowed to remain silent – a protest against an anthem they feel doesn’t represent them. </p>
<p>It’s the second such protest in recent months. Before a rugby league match between the Indigenous All Stars and the Māori All Stars in February, a number of Australian players chose to remain silent when the anthem was played. One of them, team captain Cody Walker, <a href="https://www.nrl.com/news/2019/02/16/walker-call-for-anthem-discussion/">called for a wider discussion</a> into the anthem’s appropriateness – a feeling echoed by many Aboriginal people. </p>
<p>Afterwards, former Queensland Origin coach and player Mal Meninga called for a <a href="https://www.nrl.com/news/2019/02/16/mal-meninga-australia-needs-referendum-on-national-anthem/">referendum on the issue</a>, saying:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>We can have a national debate and let the people of Australia have their say. If we have a national anthem that offends our Indigenous people, let’s see what all of Australia thinks.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>The Colin Kaepernick effect</h2>
<p>A growing number of athletes are using their celebrity status to speak out on social issues. For example, English footballer Raheem Sterling has been <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/4822b158-819c-11e9-9935-ad75bb96c849">praised</a> for tackling racism in the sport, while Australian rugby player David Pocock was a vocal supporter of <a href="https://www.rugby.com.au/news/2017/11/13/pocock-same-sex-marriage-survey">same-sex marriage</a>. </p>
<p>But such protests can sometimes spark a backlash among fans, particularly when it comes to sensitive issues like the national anthem. </p>
<p>The most famous example of this is the response to American football player Colin Kaepernick’s decision to kneel during the US national anthem to protest police violence. The <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-us-sports-stars-are-taking-a-knee-against-trump-84605">protests mushroomed to envelop the entire league</a> and divide the nation – and Kaepernick soon found himself out of a job. </p>
<p>President Donald Trump (among others) <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/01/why-trump-targeted-colin-kaepernick/579628/">called</a> the national anthem protests “unpatriotic” – a powerful charge that made many teams unwilling to sign Kaepernick. To this day, he remains without a playing contract. And fears that player protests are a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/brands-say-theyll-pull-ads-from-nfl-if-nbc-keeps-covering-protests-2017-11?r=US&IR=T">threat to the NFL brand and television ratings</a> remain.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/277843/original/file-20190604-69067-1u7y4q7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/277843/original/file-20190604-69067-1u7y4q7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/277843/original/file-20190604-69067-1u7y4q7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/277843/original/file-20190604-69067-1u7y4q7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/277843/original/file-20190604-69067-1u7y4q7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=568&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/277843/original/file-20190604-69067-1u7y4q7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=568&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/277843/original/file-20190604-69067-1u7y4q7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=568&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Colin Kaepernick’s kneeling anthem protest eventually cost him his NFL career.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">John G. Mabanglo</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>Kaepernick’s boycott inspired <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-37515356">calls for similar action</a> in Australia. One of the leaders of this effort, Paul Gorrie, a Gunai/Kurnai and Yorta Yorta musician, artist and activist, said a similar protest was necessary here because:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>the national anthem is a representation of our colonial history and black deaths in custody are the impacts of our colonial history and the racism that continues to this day. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>He and boxer Anthony Mundine called on players to refuse to sing the anthem during the NRL and AFL Grand Finals in 2016, but their plea was met with a mixed response. Despite support from former players, then-Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said “<a href="https://www.news.com.au/sport/nrl/prime-minister-malcolm-turnbull-responds-to-anthony-mundine-protest/news-story/c310069a0e8a37c9717f3a70d856b52d">everyone should sing and everyone should be proud about our country</a>.” Aboriginal AFL player Lance Franklin even described the protest as “<a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-09-30/lance-franklin-chooses-not-support-mundine-anthem-boycott-call/7893920">pretty stupid</a>”. </p>
<h2>Muted criticism of the protest</h2>
<p>The silent dignity of players refusing to sing the anthem during this week’s State of Origin match may motivate others to join in. Yet, the Australian anthem protest movement, thus far, has not been as controversial as the one in the US led by Kaepernick – or had the uptake that Gorrie hoped. </p>
<p>To be sure, the NSW and Queensland players have been criticised by some <a href="https://www.news.com.au/sport/nrl/anthem-debate-hijacked-indigenous-allstar-match-says-former-rugby-league-star/news-story/11d530bd979da583082d3235c9132c6a">commentators</a> and <a href="https://m.northernstar.com.au/news/fans-tuning-in-to-the-nrl-all-star-game-have-been-/3649222/">fans</a> for their stance on the anthem.</p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/booing-adam-goodes-racism-is-in-the-stitching-of-the-afl-45316">Booing Adam Goodes – racism is in the stitching of the AFL</a>
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<p>But the boycott hasn’t attracted the same level of opposition among league officials or, notably, politicians. Indeed, Queensland captain Daly Cherry-Evans has <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/jun/03/queensland-captain-cherry-evans-backs-state-of-origin-anthem-boycott?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other">backed the protests</a>, and there has been no team pressure on the players to sing the anthem. </p>
<p>Significantly, the NRL is also offering tacit support to the protest, with <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-05-31/nrl-right-not-to-stop-nrl-national-anthem-boycott/11165966">no threat of punishment</a> for those choosing not to sing.</p>
<p>This is in marked contrast to AFL player Adam Goodes’ <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-06-04/adam-goodes-documentary-explores-racism-in-goodes-exit-from-afl/11176028">more vocal stance</a> against racism in sport, which was much more confronting to the country’s dominant racial ideologies. </p>
<p>It is unlikely the State of Origin players will be <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/goodes-feelings-shaped-by-final-afl-seasons-20180801-p4zux0.html">forced out of the game</a> in the same way that Goodes was. But it would also be naïve to assume that racism is not <a href="https://www.nrl.com/news/2018/03/21/greg-inglis-racism-is-appalling.-it-has-to-stop/">present in rugby league</a> or other sports today. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander athletes continue to be viewed as “<a href="https://www.humanrights.gov.au/sites/default/files/content/racial_discrimination/whats_the_score/pdf/whats_the_score_report.pdf">Australians when they’re winning, and Aborigines at other times</a>”. </p>
<h2>Slow progress on changing the anthem</h2>
<p>The lack of a widespread backlash is a good thing. But the lack of dialogue on the anthem issue is not. So far, the hope of a wider discussion of the anthem – and whether it is inclusive of all Australians – has not happened.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1135112938207891457"}"></div></p>
<p>As retired Aboriginal player Jonathan Thurston <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/cody-walker-to-remain-silent-during-advance-australia-fair-20190528-p51s2d.html">said of the initial reaction</a> to the All Stars protest: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>The stand the team took on not singing the national anthem … it was like it was just brushed over.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The National Rugby League, however, has attempted to listen to Indigenous peoples’ concerns about the anthem in the past. For instance, the national anthem has been performed in a number of Aboriginal languages before previous rugby league All Star matches. But the Wurundjeri elders, the traditional inhabitants of the land on which the All Star game was played this year in Melbourne, refused to translate the anthem into the <a href="https://www.nrl.com/news/2019/02/18/winning-starts-monday-anthem-debate-worthy-of-greater-discussion/">Woiwurrung language</a>. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/young-and-free-why-i-declined-to-sing-the-national-anthem-at-the-2015-afl-grand-final-49234">Young and free? Why I declined to sing the national anthem at the 2015 AFL Grand Final</a>
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<p>The NRL has also played an <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-11/nrl-adopt-judith-durham-australian-national-anthem-indigenous/8514868">alternative anthem</a> during the league’s Indigenous rounds with lyrics written by <a href="https://www.theseekers.com.au/about-us/bio-pages/biographies/judith-durham">Judith Durham</a>, the lead singer of The Seekers, and Muti Muti singer songwriter <a href="https://www.kutcha-edwards.com/">Kutcha Edwards</a>. Unlike Advance Australia Fair, this alternative version has received more support from prominent Aboriginal players and officials. </p>
<p>It is time to put Anglo-Celtic sensibilities aside and admit that not all Australians will want to sing an anthem that has <a href="https://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/anthony-mundine-nsw-origin-anthem-protest-cody-walker-josh-addo-carr/16b61541-169c-44bd-b7a4-d8f316f27091">associations with the White Australia policy</a> and the country’s colonial past. </p>
<p>In the <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/why-should-i-sing-it-second-nsw-blues-player-joins-anthem-boycott">words</a> of Josh Addo-Carr, another of the State of Origin boycotters: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>If it’s not going to stand for my people, why should I sing it?</p>
</blockquote><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/118177/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Several Indigenous rugby league players have vowed not to sing the national anthem during this week’s State of Origin match. Will the protest spark a conversation, or fizzle out?Keith Parry, Senior Lecturer in Sport Management, University of WinchesterJamie Cleland, Senior Lecturer in Sport and Management, University of South AustraliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1080352018-12-05T09:14:30Z2018-12-05T09:14:30ZWoke washing: what happens when marketing communications don’t match corporate practice<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/248863/original/file-20181204-34122-3rd39a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=804%2C262%2C4574%2C2787&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A Nike ad campaign billboard features NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA/Alba Vigaray</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Brand activism has become the new marketing tactic of choice, and a brand’s stance on societal and political issues can offer a differentiating factor in a fast-paced corporate marketplace.</p>
<p>Historically brands have not engaged in social and political conversations for fear of potentially alienating customers, but our <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0743915620947359">current research</a> shows savvy brands are recognising that marketing budget spent on good causes can have the greatest reach and impact. </p>
<p>However, while consumers expect big brands to take a stand, they may not believe them when they do.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/iceland-advert-conservation-is-intensely-political-lets-not-pretend-otherwise-106868">Iceland advert: conservation is intensely political, let's not pretend otherwise</a>
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<h2>Courting controversy</h2>
<p>Consider the recent controversial Nike advertisement featuring <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/setheverett/2018/09/05/nike-ad-featuring-colin-kaepernick-sets-off-social-media-firestorm/#6685545e5cac">NFL football player Colin Kaepernick</a>, the first athlete not to stand for the US national anthem. Nike’s message delivered by Kaepernick was “believe in something even if it means risking everything”. The ad triggered a <a href="https://www.vox.com/2018/9/24/17895704/nike-colin-kaepernick-boycott-6-billion">boycott of Nike goods</a>, but also earned <a href="https://www.vox.com/2018/9/4/17818148/nike-boycott-kaepernick">$6 billion for the company</a> and raised brand awareness among Nike’s target demographic. </p>
<p>As brands engage in more corporate social activism, however, the <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/339922?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents">motives driving these actions</a> are increasingly scrutinised. Crossing the line into appropriation may <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/apr/05/from-cokes-flower-power-to-kendall-jenners-pepsi-ad-how-ads-co-opt-protest">get brands into trouble</a>. </p>
<p>Jumping on the bandwagon may be equally controversial for brands. When Chevrolet, Virgin and Ben & Jerry’s all took a stance on marriage equality, for instance, the issue became linked with so many companies that marriage equality was seen as a <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/10750021/How-gay-marriage-became-a-marketing-tool.html">marketing tool</a> instead of authentic brand activism.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/whats-behind-the-current-wave-of-corporate-activism-102695">What's behind the current wave of 'corporate activism'?</a>
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<h2>Expected but not authentic</h2>
<p>When asked about the recent Nike advertisement featuring Kaepernick, 60% of respondents in this research study indicated they felt positively about Nike after viewing the advertisement. Consumers increasingly expect brands to take a stand and see it as a brand’s duty or responsibility. Consumers we talked to said brands have the power to make a difference. </p>
<p>Of those who felt positively about the advertisement, 73% of respondents indicated this was an appropriate topic for Nike to engage in. Yet importantly, only 45% indicated they felt Nike had a genuine commitment to these values. </p>
<p>This is surprising. Brands can be perceived as being appropriate in their messaging around social and political causes, and yet not authentic. True brand equity for activism marketing thus hinges on whether or not the brand engages in practices that match its message. </p>
<h2>Activism vs genuine practice</h2>
<p>This research inspired the creation of a brand activism typology. The purpose of the typology is to examine the alignment between the degree of activism marketing (high vs low) with the degree of authentic practices (high vs low).</p>
<p>These dimensions represent the degree of brand practice that authentically aligns with social causes versus the degree of brand marketing and promotion around social causes. In other words, this approach measures whether brands are practising what they preach. </p>
<p>The resulting typology reveals when brands are more likely to be perceived as “woke washing” - inauthentic in their marketing, as their practices may not clearly align with their messaging. Some brands have neither messaging nor practices that are pro-social. Some have both high authenticity of practices as well as clear messaging around their practices and support for social causes. For these brands, expectations and perceptions match, and they are “honestly not woke” or “honestly woke” brands respectively.</p>
<p>Some brands, however, have authentic social engagement practices yet do not take many steps to market and position themselves as being corporate social activists. These “woke but silent” brands have an opportunity to use marketing to highlight authentic practices. Other brands have unclear or indeterminate records of social cause practices even though they use social activism marketing to position their brands in the marketplace, referred to as “woke washing”. </p>
<h2>No room for neutrality</h2>
<p>In today’s post-modern culture, corporate neutrality has been subject to criticism. <a href="https://books.google.co.nz/books?hl=en&lr=&id=SBzRiXcwLh8C&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=Building+brand+authenticity:+7+habits+of+iconic+brands&ots=wZ5u2RQ5b4&sig=nyZ7Zxlvj51xTPuH7IipnJWLJlM#v=onepage&q=Building%20brand%20authenticity%3A%207%20habits%20of%20iconic%20brands&f=false">Remaining ambivalent on controversial issues</a> is now more of a failure than an asset, especially in the eyes of certain consumer groups. Yet, how can brands walk the line between consumer expectations and perceptions of inauthenticity? </p>
<p>Our initial findings show brands should be genuine, relevant to their core purpose or brand promise, and ensure their practices support their communications. Marketing communications and campaigns that centre on long-term brand engagement make the most sense to consumers. </p>
<p>Companies seeking to embrace corporate social activism must also have patience. Be in it for the long haul, and brands might just find customer support in the connected world.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/108035/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Research shows that the new trend of activism marketing hinges on whether or not the brand engages in practices that match its message.Jessica Vredenburg, Senior Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Marketing, Auckland University of TechnologyAmanda Spry, Lecturer of Marketing, RMIT UniversityJoya Kemper, Lecturer in Marketing, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata RauSommer Kapitan, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, Auckland University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1030812018-09-28T10:35:01Z2018-09-28T10:35:01ZIs it immoral to watch football?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/238179/original/file-20180926-48656-1kbmh7i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">What ethical issues should you consider when watching football?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisbrooks/1408419587/in/photolist-39sw5k-aw9o55-5rEnmC-d69ttj-5rCejv-aw9sbG-5ruiJQ-5ryARg-t4TFG-dmjbEM-cg2HUo-2Z57qp-3dZUCN-dcDbMf-5pHskA-6NRPXZ-34Nmv4-g9GL2W-8Me6Zd-gHUwQn-cg2KBu-6NQgkZ-8Afe1P-ayJapD-gNgxBV-ayMcF5-dmj3xZ-ayJWNM-6NRBVp-giHQcH-bUkcwT-gNgPs3-c2MX9Y-t4U8X-2Z8THA-gHVBHC-djnBAy-b4ALrR-d83anY-ayLN63-LrEJ2-bzbNrj-5mpaSE-dmj7WZ-ayMtry-92rxFQ-7nrs4o-8Katiq-djnAqw-cg2Vo9">Chris Brooks/flickr.com</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>For a large swath of Americans, fall means football. But, as in previous years, this season’s football has been mired in controversy.</p>
<p>Most notable of these has been the Colin Kaepernick case. Kaepernick has <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/04/25/leaked-tapes-nfl-owners-players-october-meeting-kaepernick-collusion-case-donald-trump">accused the NFL</a> of colluding to keep him off the field because of his protests against police brutality and racial inequality during the playing of the national anthem. A recent ruling has <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/30/sports/colin-kaepernick-collusion-case-nfl.html">granted him a full hearing</a> in the dispute. </p>
<p>And this hasn’t been the only controversy. Scientific findings have shown that regular practice of football increases the <a href="https://www.sciencenews.org/article/cte-brain-damage-football-players-top-science-stories-2017-yir">risk of brain diseases</a>. Allegations regarding the <a href="https://www.denverpost.com/2014/10/21/violence-of-football-is-becoming-too-difficult-to-justify/">intrinsic violent nature of the game</a> and an increasing <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2016/11/02/turned-off-nfl-fans-too-angry-too-commercialized-and-too-stupid-expensive/">commercialization of the sport</a> have been the subject of recent headlines as well. </p>
<p>For fans who consider the sport from an ethical perspective, all these issues raise a question: Is watching football morally problematic?</p>
<h2>Football injuries</h2>
<p>At its core, football demands skill and tactical acumen. Indeed, as philosopher <a href="http://www.miqols.org/howb/authors/biographies/alex-michalos/">Alexis C. Michalos</a> <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00948705.1976.10654110">said more than four decades ago</a>, </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“There’s something admirable about the performance of an excellent running back, a scrambling quarterback or a defensive player with the knack of being in the right place at the right time. Anyone who has tried to match such performances must admire them.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>However, in the way it is currently practiced, football is seriously dangerous for players. </p>
<p>Repetitive brain trauma makes football players highly vulnerable to chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a neurogenerative disease. A 2017 study found that <a href="https://www.sciencenews.org/article/most-football-players-who-donated-their-brains-science-had-traumatic-injury">99 percent of deceased NFL players</a> who had donated their brains to scientific research suffered from this disease. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/238371/original/file-20180927-48653-x1kb2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/238371/original/file-20180927-48653-x1kb2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/238371/original/file-20180927-48653-x1kb2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/238371/original/file-20180927-48653-x1kb2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/238371/original/file-20180927-48653-x1kb2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/238371/original/file-20180927-48653-x1kb2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/238371/original/file-20180927-48653-x1kb2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The risk of injuries for football players is comparatively higher.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/merelymel/2835102176/in/photolist-5jwD71-oSXUh2-6YhJjv-dZVg9T-6XZcCv-nYyHWe-nWSvQQ-omnrTR-9zJBbK-at4gWG-bef2zz-axkeWV-axnVLm-6YmKNy-2E8NSZ-nvUs9r-8juoMw-dGgub7-2fdxi-9gMd8k-bLexs8-qdiuYL-7e8tsx-5rtZow-7eftpb-7ecmqb-dgdvZe-9KK9FP-bUPJY7-qhweCK-38h83m-59eKdT-7dXkiz-quNK6Z-ebydtC-nWTBdP-pxZ64Y-7svUjp-7dXk6e-ock6pU-ce7Zoq-9d5tvb-bUPBbo-4btkVW-oecA5S-dR4czn-oeKhQW-97xkBG-97ufrv-5de1Eo">Melissa Doroquez/Flickr.com</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In addition, football players <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3418954/">suffer the most injuries</a> among athletes.
A study of the injury rates among high school student-athletes estimated that the injury rate for football was twice that of soccer or basketball. </p>
<h2>Culture of violence?</h2>
<p>In his blistering 1991 poem “<a href="http://www.haroldpinter.org/poetry/poetry_football.shtml">American Football</a>,” British writer Harold Pinter, winner of the 2005 Nobel Prize in literature, depicts the sport as “deliberately” violent. Aimed at satirizing the violent character of the Gulf War, Pinter portrays war and football as being intimately connected. </p>
<p>As <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=z3_i9-AAAAAJ&hl=th">scholars</a> who study the <a href="https://www.brockport.edu/academics/kinesiology/faculty/torres.html">ethics of sport</a>, we would argue that while football does require the use of bodily force, it is not that football is inherently violent. Sport philosopher <a href="https://www.leeds.ac.uk/arts/profile/20042/502/jim_parry">Jim Parry</a>, for example, contests this claim by defining violence as involving <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Ethics-and-Sport/McNamee-Parry/p/book/9780419215103">“intentional hurt or injury to others</a>.” </p>
<p>It is not inherent violence but a culture of violence around the sport that is troubling. </p>
<p>Nate Jackson, a former football player, describes in his 2013 memoir, <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062108036/slow-getting-up/">“Slow Getting Up,”</a> that for most of his colleagues, the main rewards of the sport relate to violence. For instance, one of the main lessons players must learn to be successful is “decide what you’re going to do and do it violently.” </p>
<p>Similarly, <a href="http://perival.com/delillo/delillo.html">Don DeLillo</a> compellingly <a href="https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/97/03/16/lifetimes/del-r-endzone.html">captured the rhetoric and ethos of violence</a> surrounding football in his 1972 novel “End Zone.” Gary, the book’s running-back narrator, describes football in militaristic language that resembles warfare. </p>
<p>Furthermore, far from being ideologically neutral, some commentators argue football appeals to conservative values. <a href="http://www.marketresearchworld.net/index2.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1113&pop=1&page=0&Itemid=48">Registered Republicans have been found more likely to be NFL fans</a> than registered Democrats. Perhaps this could explain President Donald Trump’s denunciation of players who decided not to stand for the pregame national anthem. </p>
<h2>More about money?</h2>
<p>As for its commercialization, consider the following: In the last decade, the NFL has raked in billions in lucrative broadcasting rights deals. Verizon paid <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/verizons-2-billion-nfl-streaming-deal-benefit-ad-business-2017-12">over US$2 billion for five years</a> for the right to stream NFL games across its digital platforms.</p>
<p>It is true, as philosopher <a href="https://philosophy.nd.edu/people/emeritus/alasdair-macintyre/">Alasdair MacIntyre</a> contends, social practices <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/after-virtue-9781780936253/">need institutions to flourish</a>. In turn, institutions require financial resources to accomplish that goal. The problem, however, comes when institutions pursue those resources at the expense of the very virtues and values that define those practices. </p>
<p>In the case of football, it could be argued that the form and skills that make it appealing are now a model for revenue generation. In doing so, its inherent virtues and values have been deemphasized, in favor of market values. </p>
<p>As <a href="http://scarc.library.oregonstate.edu/oh150/oriard/biography.html">Michael Oriard</a>, a former football player and historian, <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/review-of-politics/article/commercialized-and-professionalized-oriardmichael-bowled-over-big-time-college-football-from-the-sixties-to-the-bcs-era-chapel-hill-nc-university-of-north-carolina-press-2009-pp-352-3000/1DB5C482DD67E9EF592982D44D2A7EF1">contends</a>, the story of NFL football “is necessarily about money, lots of money. Professional football has always been about money.” The commercial aspect has become even more prominent as a result of its commodification as a television product. </p>
<p>These days the litany of television commercial breaks has not only <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanberr/2018/08/28/the-nfls-ratings-probably-will-continue-to-decline/">negatively impacted</a> the length and pace of games but also driven fans’ attention away from football. Indeed, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell admitted that the <a href="http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000794543/article/roger-goodell-outlines-plans-to-improve-pace-of-game">league worried</a> about the impact of commercials in the flow and pace of the game. </p>
<h2>What are the ethics?</h2>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/238192/original/file-20180926-48659-1vm5hbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/238192/original/file-20180926-48659-1vm5hbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/238192/original/file-20180926-48659-1vm5hbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/238192/original/file-20180926-48659-1vm5hbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/238192/original/file-20180926-48659-1vm5hbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/238192/original/file-20180926-48659-1vm5hbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/238192/original/file-20180926-48659-1vm5hbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Football is an important part of America’s shared culture.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/robandsunshine/97222696/in/photolist-9AhVo-pbHr21-pbJfzN-4q93xQ-pVzvEr-q8nrec-qH5nW7-dRFRyV-HuFGnu-5W6Gvs-245HZ5Z-dS3vVE-4q5uCH-qXmW5h-9g9BM8-9xWPKN-NcnsNy-qJDdiX-4P9mx-qzUiXi-pVzvEB-qHEeAR-s9jx2h-d7xzjC-dQKq9M-dNx7Np-7BuUGw-RMaCtX-qJDd8B-dNCHmd-52BC5x-5Zgog7-r5Xp8e-5WTE2U-qWqZjJ-Tmqt2R-Dj1UGe-fQnfE6-26vzoxg-oC8Cp3-jJCuZS-j8tGKR-EzdFHt-ksexL-pRae4g-9v22f-pRaUqc-a6nyK-9gkFNw-rcMksP">sunshine.patchoulli/Flickr.com</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Historians point out that the Super Bowl is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/09523367.2017.1348756">America’s largest shared cultural experience</a>. It could be argued that <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/00948705.1997.9714536">football fans learn to speak and shape their national identity</a> by, among other things, engaging in the sport. Football, in other words, embodies and reveals the main values of the culture, playing a key role in shaping the way in which Americans imagine their common national identity. </p>
<p>Considering all the morally problematic aspects surrounding football, it is worth asking: Is this the kind of social practice around which Americans should imagine and build their national identity? </p>
<p><em>Editor’s note: This piece is part of our series on ethical questions arising from everyday life. We would welcome your suggestions. Please email us at <a href="mailto:ethical.questions@theconversation.com">ethical.questions@theconversation.com</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/103081/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Football plays an important role in American culture. Experts point out some ethical questions you might consider asking this season.Francisco Javier López Frías, Assistant Professor of Kinesiology, Penn StateCesar R. Torres, Professor, Department of Kinesiology, Sport Studies and Physical Education, The College at Brockport, State University of New YorkLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1029222018-09-14T12:53:52Z2018-09-14T12:53:52ZNike, Colin Kaepernick and the pitfalls of ‘woke’ corporate branding<p>Nike reignited a culture war recently by revealing Colin Kaepernick as their spokesperson for the 30th anniversary “Just Do It” campaign. The sportswear brand’s announcement came via a new advert in which young African Americans, Muslim women, physically impaired athletes and white skateboarders all encourage the viewer to follow their dreams, no matter how crazy. </p>
<p>Nike is clearly taking advantage of hot-button social issues to promote their brand, but commercialising human rights is tricky territory. Can a global brand like Nike really support a cause without coopting it? And is the company prepared to face scrutiny over its own ethical record?</p>
<p><div data-react-class="InstagramEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/BnWiivZBPtJ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link","accessToken":"127105130696839|b4b75090c9688d81dfd245afe6052f20"}"></div></p>
<p>Colin Kaepernick, a former National Football League (NFL) star, <a href="http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000691077/article/colin-kaepernick-explains-protest-of-national-anthem">knelt during the pre-game national anthem</a> in August 2016, in silent protest at police brutality and in the wake of several high-profile police shootings of unarmed African American men. </p>
<p>Dozens of fellow NFL players, of all backgrounds and heritages, followed suit and the protest soon <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/2017/9/29/16380080/donald-trump-nfl-colin-kaepernick-protests-national-anthem">included players from every team</a> in the league. The backlash was swift and severe, with conservative pundits, veterans and president Donald Trump decrying the protests as <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/disrespecting-the-flag-is-a-disgraceful-way-to-protest-trump/2017/09/25/506a1d4c-a228-11e7-b14f-f41773cd5a14_story.html?utm_term=.1070d5c82b6c">disrespectful to the American flag</a> and military. </p>
<p>The latest salvo in the debate was launched by Kaepernick’s narration of the advert, prompting a social media hashtag urging people to “#BurnYourNikes”. <a href="https://gulfnews.com/business/analysis/a-step-too-far-even-by-nike-s-standards-1.2276636">Some observers in the US</a> seemed to think that Nike had gone too far, while the company’s share price and brand approval ratings fell, at least, <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-45472399">in the short-term</a>.</p>
<h2>Nike’s skeletons in the closet</h2>
<p>Kaepernick’s role as a Nike brand ambassador may seem like political theatre, intended to antagonise Donald Trump and his supporters. However, the reality is much more vapid.</p>
<p>This is smart business. The ad is clearly targeted at <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/nike-knows-what-the-future-looks-like-and-its-something-like-colin-kaepernick/2018/09/04/50dbe1be-b06b-11e8-a20b-5f4f84429666_story.html">Nike’s most important customers</a>: young, urban consumers whose views are supposed to resonate with the advert’s apparent homage to diversity and social justice. </p>
<p>The brand made a strategic commitment to equality several years ago, which has seen it become a visible advocate for <a href="https://www.thedrum.com/news/2017/02/12/nike-uses-the-power-sport-take-stand-equality-new-campaign">equality and civil rights</a>. Nike has been trying to reposition itself since then as a socially conscious sportswear brand, to escape its ties with <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/mar/09/lance-armstrong-cycling-doping-scandal">Lance Armstrong</a>, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/10/end-of-the-road-oscar-pistorius-loses-appeal-over-jail-term-in-final-legal-defeat">Oscar Pistorius</a> and <a href="https://aldf.org/case/case-study-animal-fighting-michael-vick/">Michael Vick</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/236205/original/file-20180913-177935-118zfk3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/236205/original/file-20180913-177935-118zfk3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/236205/original/file-20180913-177935-118zfk3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/236205/original/file-20180913-177935-118zfk3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/236205/original/file-20180913-177935-118zfk3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/236205/original/file-20180913-177935-118zfk3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/236205/original/file-20180913-177935-118zfk3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Nike’s new campaign ad in Times Square, New York.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.epa.eu/economy-business-and-finance-photos/company-information-photos/nike-campaign-featuring-colin-kaepernick-ad-in-new-york-photos-54609041">Alba Vigaray/EPA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But the company suffered an own-goal this spring, when a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/28/business/nike-women.html">New York Times investigation</a> revealed complaints from 50 current and former employees about Nike’s “boys’ club” culture of sexual harassment and gender pay disparities. The allegations led to several high profile departures from Nike headquarters in Oregon, but it didn’t end there. </p>
<p>In August, four female executives filed <a href="https://www.vox.com/2018/8/15/17683484/nike-women-gender-pay-discrimination-lawsuit">a class-action lawsuit against the company</a> for gender discrimination. In the #Metoo era, Nike has, once again, found itself on the wrong side of the debate. </p>
<p>It’s no wonder then that some commentators have become uncomfortable with Nike’s foray into politics, arguing that it’s a cynical ploy to hijack social movements in order to sell shoes. Causes and campaigns can be big business for sportswear companies and may even do some good – just look at Adidas’ training <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/14/adidas-sold-1-million-shoes-made-out-of-ocean-plastic-in-2017.html">shoes made from ocean waste</a>. </p>
<p>Yet Nike’s support for Kaepernick’s protest, given its origins in opposing racial profiling and violence by the police, raises questions which detract from the lustre of the brand’s apparently noble stance.</p>
<h2>Coopting or cooperating?</h2>
<p>Part of the problem lies in Nike’s use of imagery, words and stories that lie well beyond the reach of sport. The tag-line of the campaign, “Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything”, sounds like a call to political action. </p>
<p>It’s the kind of soaring rhetoric you might expect to hear at a Black Lives Matter rally or the Women’s March on Washington. It’s certainly a far cry from the banter between <a href="https://youtu.be/8nl0w2Eyj_k">Michael Jordan and Spike Lee </a> from the original Just Do It adverts three decades ago. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8nl0w2Eyj_k?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">1989 - a simpler time. Beta MAX/YouTube.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>By exploiting injustice for commercial purposes, Nike may be undermining or demeaning the causes it declares to support. All of this begs the question of what relation social justice and equality bears to training shoes anyway.</p>
<p>Nike’s choice of Kaepernick to front the latest ad campaign commercialises issues such as racism, Islamophobia and human rights violations. Their framing of these problems beneath one catchy slogan seems to imply that there is equivalence between the experiences of kneeling NFL players, Muslim women wearing hijabs in a boxing gym, people overcoming cancer and urban white male skateboarders. </p>
<p>It’s all further complicated by Nike’s own internal ethical struggles. Nevertheless, despite the knee-jerk reaction among shoe burning ex-customers, sentiment already seems to be <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/nikes-controversial-bet-on-kaepernick-has-millennial-investors-piling-into-the-stock/articleshow/65711140.cms">bouncing back in Nike’s favour</a>. The company should expect positive medium and long-term results. </p>
<p>In the meantime, every training shoe that Nike antagonists burn <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/09/06/nikes-colin-kaepernick-ad-created-163point5-million-in-media-exposure.html">generates more attention</a> and therefore revenue for the company. Critics discount the current advertising campaign at their peril. </p>
<p>We should expect more of this kind of corporate support for social issues in Trump’s divided America. Capitalism and activism have always been uneasy bedfellows, but companies should be wary of appropriating social justice movements and equating buying products to fighting for human rights. Nike, and other companies, risk exposing their own skeletons in the closet by taking these high and mighty stances.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/102922/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Nike has reaped a whirlwind in their latest ad campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick, but it’s the inevitable windfall they’re likely interested in.Simon Chadwick, Professor of Sports Enterprise, University of SalfordSarah Zipp, Lecturer in Sport Management, University of StirlingLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/899092018-01-31T23:29:48Z2018-01-31T23:29:48ZWhat Colin Kaepernick can teach us about citizenship<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/204311/original/file-20180131-157470-1y4896n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Colin Kaepernick, centre, and his San Francisco teammates kneel during the national anthem before an NFL football game in 2016. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Colin Kaepernick played in only one NFL game in 2017, yet he made Time magazine’s short list for “<a href="http://time.com/time-person-of-the-year-2017-colin-kaepernick-runner-up/">Person of the Year</a>” and GQ named him “<a href="https://www.gq.com/story/colin-kaepernick-will-not-be-silenced">Citizen of the Year</a>.” </p>
<p>Kaepernick started a movement of players <a href="https://www.gq.com/story/colin-kaepernick-will-not-be-silenced">kneeling during the U.S. national anthem</a> to call attention to systemic racism and the de-humanization of Black lives. His protest reflects a broader statement that many Americans, in particular Black Americans and people of colour, do not have equal protections or safe access to even basic services. In short, they are not treated as citizens.</p>
<p>But, along the way, some football fans argued the protest he inspired did not belong within <a href="https://theconversation.com/protests-not-welcome-in-the-spectacle-of-sports-84817">the NFL</a>. Others corrupted his message as <a href="http://time.com/4477383/colin-kaepernick-says-he-is-not-ant-american-and-respects-the-military/">anti-American</a>. Some restricted Kaepernick’s argument to one that spoke out solely against <a href="http://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/chicago-bears/49ers-qb-colin-kaepernick-anthem-protest-about-change-not-just-police-violence">police brutality</a> in the African-American community.</p>
<p>We believe the fundamental tenet of Kaepernick’s message — racial injustice and social exclusion — is also critical when it comes to understanding and addressing recent environmental hazards and disasters in the United States.</p>
<p>The unequal outcomes of environmental harm - for example, why some areas seem so hard hit by storms or droughts, while others bounce back quickly - can be better understood when framed within a broader conception of “citizenship.” The many meanings of “citizen” have been a key focus for social scientists throughout history, including Aristotle, Cicero, Rousseau and Arendt; it has also been a primary focus of our research group at the University of British Columbia where we work on water governance and access.</p>
<h2>Many ways to think about citizenship</h2>
<p>According to <a href="https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship/learners/citizenship-rights-and-responsibilities">U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services</a>, citizenship is not bound by race, religion or status — but by the shared values of freedom, liberty and equality. </p>
<p>In this sense, being an equal “citizen” means you feel welcomed and safe, that you have a voice in changing the status quo and that you’re governed by the same set of laws and principles as all other citizens. Any person, from a <a href="https://www.dar.org/">Daughter of the American Revolution</a> to a newly arrived <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/08/30/us/syrian-refugees-in-the-united-states.html">Syrian refugee</a>, is part of this notion of citizenship. </p>
<p>But this is an idealized vision of citizenship — it is not reality.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/203609/original/file-20180126-100929-1098b4m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/203609/original/file-20180126-100929-1098b4m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203609/original/file-20180126-100929-1098b4m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203609/original/file-20180126-100929-1098b4m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203609/original/file-20180126-100929-1098b4m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203609/original/file-20180126-100929-1098b4m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203609/original/file-20180126-100929-1098b4m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Colin Kaepernick was named GQ magazine’s <em>Citizen of the Year</em> in 2017 for his activism.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Kaepernick’s protest is about what and who makes a team and a nation. The debate over Kaepernick’s action can be extended to look at the important ways environmental justice is connected to notions of citizenship. </p>
<p>Preliminary results from our recent fieldwork in South Africa and Ghana — places where the relatively well off have no trouble accessing a full range of services while the poor have limited access to drinking water and sanitation — suggest that one’s sense of belonging and inclusion are strongly tied to the ability to access basic environmental services. </p>
<p>Kaepernick’s message can (and should) be extended to recent environmental crises, including in Flint, Mich., and Puerto Rico. This is a broader interpretation of Kaepernick’s message that demands our attention.</p>
<h2>Differentiated citizenship in Flint</h2>
<p>In making dinner, filling a glass with water or taking a shower, we rarely consider how a faucet is connected to being a citizen. But many people do not enjoy easy access to drinking water — as the case of Flint has so powerfully shown. </p>
<p>In 2014, <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2016/01/20/health/flint-water-crisis-timeline/index.html">the town’s water source</a> was changed to the Flint River from the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department. This cost-saving mechanism, combined with <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/study-confirms-lead-got-flints-water">inadequate water treatment</a> procedures, exposed Flint’s mostly Black residents to lead contamination from their aging pipes.</p>
<p>Residents noticed the difference. Yet their repeated requests to local and state officials were rebuffed until evidence showed the water was dangerous and imperilled the health of thousands, particularly children. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/203606/original/file-20180126-100919-nl57xf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/203606/original/file-20180126-100919-nl57xf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=378&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203606/original/file-20180126-100919-nl57xf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=378&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203606/original/file-20180126-100919-nl57xf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=378&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203606/original/file-20180126-100919-nl57xf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=475&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203606/original/file-20180126-100919-nl57xf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=475&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203606/original/file-20180126-100919-nl57xf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=475&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Signs warned students at the Flint Northwestern High School in Flint, Mich. about dangerous drinking water in May 2016.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster File)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It costs <a href="http://nbc25news.com/news/local/51-days-left-of-funding-for-bottled-water-in-flint">$117,400 a day</a> to provide bottled water and filters to Flint’s residents, yet they still live with serious lead contamination. As do <a href="https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-lead-testing/">many other U.S. communities</a>.</p>
<p>There is a jarring contrast between Flint and nearby towns that are <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2016/02/08/heres-the-political-history-that-led-to-flints-shocking-water-crisis/">affluent with a majority white population</a>. While residents of Flint are citizens, they are being excluded from equal benefits and protections. </p>
<p>Our research highlights the often underlying issues of citizenship — protection and belonging — behind environmental problems. If we want to address these crises we must better understand the root causes.</p>
<h2>Citizenship divides our political opinions</h2>
<p>Just as mutual strength and support unite a team, “citizenship” is a common thread that unites Americans — as it does people in all countries. Unfortunately, in the U.S., notions of citizenship have resulted in polarized political debates. Too often, citizenship is treated as a clear-cut issue of who belongs and has the legal status to stay or travel. </p>
<p>President Donald Trump’s <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-border-wall-gets-18-billion-price-tag-in-new-request-to-lawmakers/2018/01/05/34e3c47e-f264-11e7-b3bf-ab90a706e175_story.html">border wall</a> and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/15/us/politics/visa-waiver-program-restrictions-homeland-security.html">unconstitutional visa bans</a> to keep Muslims out of the U.S. are two clear cases of citizenship as status. </p>
<p>But the in-custody deaths of <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-32400497">Freddie Gray</a> and many others, the <a href="http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/michigan/flint-water-crisis/2017/03/07/flint-water-conference/98862674/">drinking water crisis in Flint</a> and, most recently, <a href="http://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/365901-puerto-rico-needs-congress-to-be-bolder-on-disaster-relief">Puerto Rico’s miserly</a> <a href="http://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/365901-puerto-rico-needs-congress-to-be-bolder-on-disaster-relief">disaster aid</a> after <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/10/what-happened-in-puerto-rico-a-timeline-of-hurricane-maria/541956/">Hurricane Maria</a> serve as examples of a different type of citizenship, one where “citizens” do not have equal access to protection and justice in their daily lives.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/203608/original/file-20180126-100915-3v5dly.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/203608/original/file-20180126-100915-3v5dly.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=409&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203608/original/file-20180126-100915-3v5dly.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=409&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203608/original/file-20180126-100915-3v5dly.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=409&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203608/original/file-20180126-100915-3v5dly.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=513&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203608/original/file-20180126-100915-3v5dly.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=513&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203608/original/file-20180126-100915-3v5dly.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=513&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A boy stands in front of a police cordon following the funeral of Freddie Gray in Baltimore on Apr. 27, 2015.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Matt Rourke)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Kaepernick has challenged us to rethink whether these values and rights are held equally across our differences. He has highlighted another way of thinking about citizenship: One that moves away from a strictly legal definition to involve inclusion, belonging, equity and protection — facets of everyday life.</p>
<h2>Rethinking our public policy</h2>
<p>Over 3.4 million U.S. citizens live in Puerto Rico. While the damage from Hurricane Maria may exceed US$30 billion, Trump made sure to <a href="http://deadline.com/2017/09/donald-trump-tweet-puerto-rico-broken-infrastructure-massive-debt-1202176860/">blame</a> Puerto Rico’s “broken infrastructure” and “old electrical grid” for the scale of the island’s suffering and damage. </p>
<p>Trump’s <a href="http://www.newsweek.com/puerto-rico-recovery-100-days-hurricane-maria-760965">own reasoning</a> suggests that broader forces of social exclusion are at play. Kaepernick’s kneeling can serve to raise awareness for environmental discrimination in Puerto Rico. Even as officials admit that as much as one third of the island’s citizens do not have access to the power grid, FEMA has announced it is cutting off <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/01/29/581511023/fema-to-end-food-and-water-aid-for-puerto-rico">emergency electricity and water supplies</a>. </p>
<p>The island’s short- and long-term vulnerability highlight the need to ensure that our public policy strives to provide equal access to services and protections for everyone.</p>
<p>Kaepernick and those participating in <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23takeaknee&src=typd">#TakeaKnee</a> say they love America, but wholeheartedly believe the country can do better in upholding the principles of equality and justice ostensibly woven into the U.S. flag.</p>
<p>We hope that as Kaepernick’s message continues, it will extend into everyday facets of inclusion, equal protection and belonging — from getting a glass of clean water to receiving federal aid following a disaster.</p>
<p>Where Trump’s State of the Union speech touted “merit-based immigration,” the border wall and the visa lottery system as somehow unrelated to the fear-mongering over immigrants, Kaepernick is pushing us to interrogate what it means to be a citizen. </p>
<p>A team supports, welcomes and respects its members, and society must also strive for this. Something to think about during the Super Bowl, especially if during the national anthem, NFL players take a knee.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/89909/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Scott McKenzie receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the University of British Columbia. He is affiliated with the EDGES research group at the University of British Columbia and the International Water Resources Association.
</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sameer H. Shah receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. He is affiliated with the EDGES research group at the University of British Columbia.
</span></em></p>Much of the discussion about “Take a Knee” has overlooked the issues of justice and social exclusion, and especially environmental matters. That’s something to think about during the Super Bowl.Scott McKenzie, PhD Candidate, Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability (IRES), University of British ColumbiaSameer H. Shah, Assistant Professor of Climate Adaptation, University of WashingtonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/848172017-10-10T22:44:04Z2017-10-10T22:44:04ZProtests not welcome in the spectacle of sports<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/188420/original/file-20171002-12126-z900uw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">In this Dec. 18, 2016, file photo, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) and two of his teammates kneel during the playing of the national anthem before an NFL game.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP/John Bazemore)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>It’s become a regular feature of National Football League games this season: Players staging protests by “taking a knee” during the playing of the U.S. national anthem before their games.</p>
<p>The protest escalated after President Donald Trump gave an <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/09/trump-urges-nfl-owners-to-fire-players-who-protest/540897/">inflammatory speech in Alabama</a> in which he said NFL owners should “fire” any players who did not stand for the national anthem. Trump even instructed Vice-President Mike Pence <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/08/politics/vice-president-mike-pence-nfl-protest/index.html">to walk out of a game</a> on Oct. 8 after players once again knelt during the anthem.</p>
<p>The kneeling protest was started <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/07/sports/colin-kaepernick-nfl-protests.html">last year by Colin Kaepernick</a>. When asked why he did not stand, Kaepernick <a href="http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000691077/article/colin-kaepernick-explains-why-he-sat-during-national-anthem">said</a>: “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses Black people and people of colour…There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”</p>
<p>Though several athletes have made gestures in support of Kaepernick, no team signed him for the 2017 season, effectively banning him from the NFL. “It baffles me that our protest is still being misconstrued as disrespectful to the country, flag and military personnel,” said Eric Reid, a safety for the San Francisco 49ers. “We chose it because it’s exactly the opposite.” </p>
<p>Kaepernick and the subsequent protests <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/25/us/anthem-protests-burning-nfl-jerseys-trnd/index.html">have caused an uproar</a>. Normally pro athletes are expected to happily play and not comment on matters off the field. The scope of allowable topics for professional athletes include game strategy, training and clichés about wanting to win and do well. </p>
<h2>Selling the ‘product’</h2>
<p>The main reason owners, athletes and generally the media stay away from mixing politics and sport is that it allows them to sell their product more easily, which in turn brings in more revenue from endorsements, ticket sales and ratings. </p>
<p>In this way, professional high-performance sport conforms to capitalist ideology. Ideologies, of course, are designed to control us. One way capitalist ideology wins in professional sports is by creating spectacles — highly orchestrated representations for fans to watch. </p>
<p>This phenomenon of revenue over authentic substance has been described by several scholars. In the 1960s, influential French philosopher Guy Debord wrote the <a href="http://library.nothingness.org/articles/SI/en/pub_contents/4">Society of the Spectacle</a>, in which he noted: people go to “the spectacle” — or in this case, the game — to “fall asleep.” </p>
<p>As Debord explains it, “the spectacle” has a kind of numbing effect. Yes, there is some excitement, some highs and lows, but generally we don’t go to the game to find out more about each other or to discuss social inequalities. We go to the game to get lulled.</p>
<p>While fans are sometimes called upon to donate to charities, they are charities the owners or league has chosen — <a href="http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000837416/article/nfl-teams-players-donate-to-hurricane-harvey-relief">worthy causes</a> like the recent hurricanes that hit the United States. </p>
<p>But fans are never officially called upon to do anything that would disturb the social status quo, such as donating to a racial justice fund. This despite the fact that more than two-thirds of NFL players are Black. There are <a href="https://football.realgm.com/wiretap/37130/Blacks-Represent-70-Percent-Of-NFL-Players-Fan-Base-83-Percent-White">no majority Black owners in the NFL</a> and Michael Jordan is the only Black owner in the National Basketball Association.</p>
<p>This is what Debord meant by numbing through the spectacle. The effect of the numbing on NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB fans — and here I am talking about the large majority of fans who are middle class and white — don’t want to be called upon to change, or even to question, our inequalities.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/189626/original/file-20171010-17667-1id3i5a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/189626/original/file-20171010-17667-1id3i5a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/189626/original/file-20171010-17667-1id3i5a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/189626/original/file-20171010-17667-1id3i5a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/189626/original/file-20171010-17667-1id3i5a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=522&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/189626/original/file-20171010-17667-1id3i5a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=522&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/189626/original/file-20171010-17667-1id3i5a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=522&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Members of the San Francisco 49ers kneel during the national anthem before the game against the Indianapolis Colts on Oct. 8, 2017. Vice-President Mike Pence left the game after the national anthem.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Michael Conroy)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Many pro athletes who are not Black also feel no need to question or counter social injustice. For example, at the same time as the NBA Champion Golden State Warriors declined an invitation to go the White House, and with more than 200 NFL players choosing to kneel during the national anthem, the NHL Champion Pittsburgh Penguins <a href="https://theconversation.com/history-shows-sidney-crosby-could-have-stood-up-to-racial-injustice-85065">accepted the White House invitation</a> the following day without any apparent consideration to their fellow athletes in the NFL.</p>
<h2>Professional athletes entertain, they don’t protest</h2>
<p>This is how it’s been as long as these sporting entertainment events, these spectacles, have been around since the early 20th century. There have been exceptions: Interestingly, most athletes who have gone off script have been Black. They include Jim Brown, Althea Gibson, Muhammad Ali, John Carlos and now Colin Kaepernick. </p>
<p>These courageous athletes figured out ways to resist the narrow path laid out for them and instead found spaces to articulate their authentic selves. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/189632/original/file-20171010-17667-19l6s0j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/189632/original/file-20171010-17667-19l6s0j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=753&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/189632/original/file-20171010-17667-19l6s0j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=753&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/189632/original/file-20171010-17667-19l6s0j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=753&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/189632/original/file-20171010-17667-19l6s0j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=946&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/189632/original/file-20171010-17667-19l6s0j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=946&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/189632/original/file-20171010-17667-19l6s0j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=946&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Trailblazing tennis star Althea Gibson, shown here competing at Wimbledon in 1956, was one athlete who spoke up against racial inequities in sport.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Yet the notions of the spectacle — and capitalist ideology — have kept both fans and athletes numb, and our resistance within this is hard to find. </p>
<p>For example, in the run-up to last year’s Super Bowl, reporters asked New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady what he thought about Trump and he said: “I don’t always agree with my friends.” Brady <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/25/sports/football/tom-brady-national-anthem-new-england-patriots.html">appears to have changed his position somewhat</a> and recently said he disagreed with what Trump said about the national anthem protests, calling it divisive.</p>
<p>For Brady, this is a small act of resistance, though he’s unlikely to say more: He probably doesn’t want to risk going off-script and possibly losing revenue or advertising contracts.</p>
<h2>Sportsmen banding together or splintering apart?</h2>
<p>In the game, the unity between pro athletes and fans is superficial and exists only for the sake of the game, or the team. This superficial unity is belied by everyday social contradictions and disparities. In the U.S. and Canada, there are profound disparities in the way people are treated based on race in terms of access to services, jobs, health care and opportunities. </p>
<p>From the point of view of the spectacle, or the game, the average sports fans don’t see these contradictions. They are concealed by the distractions of the game itself: The score, the narrative and the subplots. One of the main places this concealment happens is through the playing of the national anthem before games. The anthem is almost like a prayer, and everyone standing for it demonstrates we are aligned for the same purpose — the highest purpose here is the game. </p>
<p>Here is where the main irony lies at the heart of most U.S. professional sports. </p>
<p>Despite the success in this arena, most Black athletes live in worlds where socio-economic contradictions — such as gun violence, police repression and brutality and economic insecurity are the daily realities they must navigate in order to survive. Many Black lives are cut short by stray bullets, police brutality and lack of basic health care.</p>
<p>Almost all Black athletes in North American professional sports are connected to or related to people whose lives are being lost in such a manner on a regular basis. It sometimes seems as though no Black athlete is able to free him or herself from these social contradictions in spite of their financial wealth or fame. </p>
<p>For example, recently NBA superstar LeBron James had his Los Angeles mansion <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/31/sport/lebron-james-racist-graffiti-incident/index.html">sprayed with racist graffiti</a> on the eve of the 2017 NBA Finals. “Hate in America,” LeBron said, “especially for African-Americans, is living every day. Even though it’s concealed most of the time.”</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"870028570562777089"}"></div></p>
<p>As a result of these racist contradictions, some athletes, like Kaepernick, feel forced to expose racial inequalities. Within the confines of the spectacle, the main place to do that is the national anthem. Kneeling is an attempt to bring their reality to the game and to disturb the superficial unity. </p>
<p>The “Take a Knee” protesters are calling on fellow athletes, fans, owners and journalists — the majority of whom are white and devoted to the spectacle — to question their desire to be numbed. </p>
<p>Such was the sentiment expressed by white San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich when he said: “People have to be made to feel uncomfortable, and especially white people, because we’re comfortable. Most of us really have no clue what being born white means. You have advantages that are systemically, culturally, psychologically there. And they have been built up and cemented for hundreds of years.”</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"912389774140375042"}"></div></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/84817/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gamal Abdel-Shehid does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The main reason owners and athletes stay away from mixing politics and sport is that it allows them to sell their product more easily. In doing so, pro sports conforms to classic capitalist ideology.Gamal Abdel-Shehid, Associate Professor School of Kinesiology and Health Science, York University, CanadaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/850652017-10-05T21:56:51Z2017-10-05T21:56:51ZHistory shows Sidney Crosby could have stood up to racial injustice<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/189676/original/file-20171010-17691-kxfpdp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">blank</span> </figcaption></figure><p>A champion athlete, who is both white and not American, has the chance, at some personal cost, to protest racial injustice in the United States. Should he avoid taking a stand or lend support to a protest that doesn’t directly affect him?</p>
<p>The question has been asked of Sidney Crosby. Crosby and the Stanley Cup-winning Pittsburgh Penguins visited the White House, and his <a href="http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/sidney-crosby-supports-penguins-decision-go-white-house/">statement in advance of the visit that it was “a great honour”</a> came amid a <a href="http://www.dw.com/en/nba-star-curry-and-golden-state-warriors-nix-white-house-visit/a-40655345">boycott of the White House by the NBA champion Golden State Warriors</a>, and Trump’s <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/25/opinion/columnists/trump-race-nfl-nba.html">racist criticisms of NFL players’ taking a knee to protest police brutality against black Americans</a>.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"912019957243883520"}"></div></p>
<p>Almost 50 years ago, the question was asked of another white non-American: Australian sprinter <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/2006/oct/05/guardianobituaries.australia">Peter Norman</a>. The two athletes’ starkly different responses to similar situations of racial tension highlight the extent to which Crosby, the Penguins and the NHL — in the face of profound injustice — failed to rise to the occasion.</p>
<h2>A lasting image of protest</h2>
<p>The photo of African-American sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos on the podium at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, heads bowed, each raising a black-gloved fist in a Black Power salute, taking a stand for racial equality and human rights, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2017/09/24/they-didnt-takeaknee-the-black-power-protest-salute-that-shook-the-world-in-1968/">remains an iconic image</a>.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/188416/original/file-20171002-12107-hzxobq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/188416/original/file-20171002-12107-hzxobq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=863&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/188416/original/file-20171002-12107-hzxobq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=863&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/188416/original/file-20171002-12107-hzxobq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=863&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/188416/original/file-20171002-12107-hzxobq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1084&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/188416/original/file-20171002-12107-hzxobq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1084&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/188416/original/file-20171002-12107-hzxobq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1084&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Australian Peter Norman, left, supported the Black Power protests of U.S. athletes Tommie Smith, centre, and John Carlos during the medal ceremonies for the 200 metre sprint at the 1968 Olympics.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Norman, the silver medallist, is the guy standing next to them on the podium. He’s wearing an Olympic Project for Human Rights patch, borrowed from an American rower to show solidarity with Carlos and Smith. (Incidentally, Norman was also responsible for suggesting that Smith and Carlos share a single pair of gloves after Carlos forgot his, back at the Olympic Village.)</p>
<p>Norman, like Crosby, was in a privileged position to do something. Or he could have used his non-Americanness, or his whiteness, as an excuse to stay out of a domestic U.S. racial struggle, as Crosby did.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/189665/original/file-20171010-17667-1fv85y9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/189665/original/file-20171010-17667-1fv85y9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=411&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/189665/original/file-20171010-17667-1fv85y9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=411&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/189665/original/file-20171010-17667-1fv85y9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=411&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/189665/original/file-20171010-17667-1fv85y9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=517&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/189665/original/file-20171010-17667-1fv85y9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=517&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/189665/original/file-20171010-17667-1fv85y9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=517&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">President Donald Trump speaks during a ceremony to honour the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins on Oct. 10, 2017, at the White House.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Susan Walsh)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Instead, Norman played a crucial supporting role in what has become a legendary stand for human rights.</p>
<p>When Smith and Carlos told Norman what they were going to do, they asked him if he believed in human rights. Norman, driven by his strong Salvation Army faith, <a href="https://empirerunnersblog.org/2016/05/01/who-was-peter-norman-part-2-by-brad-zanetti/">said he did</a>. His ultimate response, which should be taught in schools worldwide, was the opposite of Crosby’s: “I will stand with you.”</p>
<h2>The price of taking a stand</h2>
<p>Norman did so despite the palpable threat of assassination in the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/observer/gallery/2008/jan/17/1">violent summer of 1968</a>. He faced the threat of repercussions from a controversy-averse International Olympic Committee and a home country still operating under an <a href="https://theconversation.com/australian-politics-explainer-the-white-australia-policy-74084">overtly racist White Australia immigration policy</a>.</p>
<p>He did so because he believed deeply in human equality. As Carlos remarks in the excellent Norman-focused documentary, <a href="http://salutethemovie.com/"><em>Salute</em></a>: “Peter didn’t have to take that button. Peter wasn’t from the United States. Peter was not a Black man. Peter didn’t have to feel what I felt. But he was a man.” That was enough.</p>
<p>Norman, like Smith and Carlos, paid an enormous price for his stand. For wearing that patch, Australia blacklisted him from the 1972 Olympics despite being the fifth-fastest sprinter in the world at the time (he continues to hold the Australian 200 metre record). He was not even invited to take part in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, attending instead as the guest of an appreciative U.S. Track and Field Federation. </p>
<p>Long after the U.S. recognized Carlos and Smith as heroes (as their <a href="http://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/17664885/olympic-sprinters-tommie-smith-john-carlos-support-colin-kaepernick-anthem-protests">spiritual successor, former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick</a> will be, in time), Norman remained a pariah: <a href="https://theconversation.com/i-will-stand-with-you-finally-an-apology-to-peter-norman-10107">the Australian government only apologized for Australia’s treatment of him in 2012, six years after his death</a>.</p>
<h2>No regrets</h2>
<p>Despite the hardship, Norman did not regret his actions. For him, doing the right thing took precedence over doing the easy thing.</p>
<p>Crosby’s and the Penguins’ actions fall short of Norman’s example. What’s more, in trying not to choose sides — between African-Americans who fear for their lives around police and a president who finds it hard to condemn neo-Nazis — they’ve implicitly revealed what they’re prepared to tolerate. As Lt.-General David Morrison, the former Australian Chief of Army, <a href="https://youtu.be/QaqpoeVgr8U">noted in a similar context</a>, “The standard you walk past, is the standard you accept.”</p>
<p>And yet, while it is profoundly disappointing that Crosby, the Penguins and the NHL have missed their Peter Norman moment, Norman himself probably would not have judged them too harshly. As he remarked in <em>Salute</em>: “In a victory ceremony for the Olympics, there’s three guys that stand up there. Each one’s been given about a square metre of God’s earth to stand on. And what any one of the three choose to do with his little square metre of earth at that stage is entirely up to them.”</p>
<p>Ultimately, what Crosby and his fellow Penguins choose to do with their square metre is a matter for their own consciences. For others, graced with the opportunity to stand with the victims of injustice, Peter Norman offers a shining example of what moral courage looks like.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/188868/original/file-20171004-31295-juvszj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/188868/original/file-20171004-31295-juvszj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=458&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/188868/original/file-20171004-31295-juvszj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=458&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/188868/original/file-20171004-31295-juvszj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=458&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/188868/original/file-20171004-31295-juvszj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=575&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/188868/original/file-20171004-31295-juvszj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=575&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/188868/original/file-20171004-31295-juvszj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=575&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Tommie Smith, left, and John Carlos, right, who gave the historic Black Power salutes at the 1968 Olympics, reunite for the final time with the third man on the podium that year as they as they act as pallbearers for Peter Norman at his funeral in Melbourne, Australia in 2006.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/85065/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Blayne Haggart does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Almost 50 years ago, a white, non-American athlete supported Black athletes protesting racial injustice. Peter Norman paid a price for taking a stand. Canada’s Sidney Crosby is no Peter Norman.Blayne Haggart, Associate Professor of Political Science, Brock UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/848102017-09-29T18:58:53Z2017-09-29T18:58:53ZThe difference between black football fans and white football fans<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/188080/original/file-20170928-1449-1qygp07.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">New Orleans Saints fans cheer from the stands during a game against the Denver Broncos in 2016.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Broncos-Saints-Football/6587d340e6dd439a8a8f5bcf1f3483cb/155/0">Jeff Haynes/AP Photo</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>A significant portion of the NFL’s fan base <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/poll-majority-of-americans-disagree-with-colin-kaepernicks-protest/">has reacted negatively</a> to the national anthem protests of the past year. The responses tend to follow a pattern:</p>
<p><em>The stadium is no place for political protest. The game is a color-blind meritocracy. To protest football is to protest America.</em></p>
<p>But according to <a href="http://plaza.ufl.edu/tsorek/articles/Americanfootball.pdf">a study we published last year</a>, white football fans and black football fans hold very different views about the relationship between football and national pride. And it might explain why there have been such divergent, emotional responses to the protests.</p>
<h2>Black Americans love football, but…</h2>
<p>Social scientists who study sports have <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=9icbi39vm8AC&dq=george+sage+sport&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiqwKin1MjWAhXFPiYKHb5jAGkQ6AEINDAC">long argued</a> that sports are a powerful political stage. Popular wisdom, on the other hand, <a href="https://www.theodysseyonline.com/sports-politics-should-never-mix">tends to maintain</a> that sports are inherently apolitical, and should remain that way. </p>
<p>It’s true that until recently, visible black protests in American sports were rare. Yes, Muhammad Ali <a href="http://www.edgeofsports.com/product/Whats-My-Name-Fool/">was outspoken about politics</a> and became a symbol of black protest in the 1960s. And there’s <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=zpYxyEMDJjsC&printsec=frontcover&dq=dave+zirin+john+carls&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwivm5_JzMrWAhVF-lQKHQeLBjEQ6AEIJjAA#v=onepage&q&f=false">the famous instance</a> of Tommie Smith and John Carlos raising their fists in the 1968 Olympic Games. But generally, athletes have not waded into politics, no doubt in part because of the influence of corporate interests and sponsors. (Michael Jordan, when asked why he wouldn’t endorse a black Democratic candidate for Senate in 1990, <a href="https://books.google.com/books/about/Second_Coming.html?id=BA5mPwAACAAJ">famously said</a>, “Republicans buy shoes too.”) </p>
<p>So for many white fans, the racial issues addressed by the protests upend what they see as the innocent, colorless patriotism of football. </p>
<p>But for black fans, feelings of alienation toward the imposed patriotism in NFL games have been stewing for a while. And it may be that black athletes finally decided to respond to the attitudes of their black fans.</p>
<p>In our study, we aggregated 75 opinion polls between 1981 and 2014, and compared the relationship between national pride and football fandom among white and black Americans. </p>
<p>We found that since the early 1980s, national pride has been in decline among American men and women of all races. But among black men, this decline has been especially sharp. At the same time, it’s also been accompanied by a marked increase in their interest in the NFL. </p>
<p>We suspect that this inverse relationship isn’t coincidental. </p>
<h2>Which Americans do patriotic displays speak to?</h2>
<p>For decades, the league and broadcasting networks <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0193723508319715">have conflated football with patriotism</a>. Massive American flags get spread across the field before the game, celebrities sing highly produced renditions of the national anthem, military jets streak across the skies and teams routinely honor veterans and active service members. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/188079/original/file-20170928-22252-1v3sknm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/188079/original/file-20170928-22252-1v3sknm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/188079/original/file-20170928-22252-1v3sknm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/188079/original/file-20170928-22252-1v3sknm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/188079/original/file-20170928-22252-1v3sknm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/188079/original/file-20170928-22252-1v3sknm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=522&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/188079/original/file-20170928-22252-1v3sknm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=522&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/188079/original/file-20170928-22252-1v3sknm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=522&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Fighter jets do a flyover and military personnel hold a giant American flag before an NFL game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Baltimore Ravens.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Ravens-Eagles-Football/105f92a2cbc04ff4bc685419399f0b51/7/0">Mel Evans/AP Photo</a></span>
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</figure>
<p>Networks air segments about the players’ lives and team histories that emphasize racial integration and national unity. They also promote the narrative that hard work and following the rules lead to success on the field – the crux of the American Dream. </p>
<p>Many football fans might embrace these displays, which reinforce their beliefs and reflect their view of the country as a <a href="https://www.mediaite.com/online/poll-majority-of-whites-see-america-as-colorblind-nearly-80-of-african-americans-do-not/">colorblind</a> <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/howard-steven-friedman/americas-incomplete-thoug_b_1696282.html">meritocracy</a>.</p>
<p>Indeed, our study did show that enthusiasm for football and national pride are interrelated. </p>
<p>But the nature of this relationship depends on your race. </p>
<p>Only among white Americans did we find a positive association between football fandom and national pride: Football fans were much more likely to express high levels of national pride than white Americans who weren’t football fans. Among African-Americans, on the other hand, there was a negative association. This suggests that when black fans watch their favorite team play, it’s a very different type of experience. </p>
<p>And this was happening long before Colin Kaepernick decided to take a knee. </p>
<h2>Black identity and American identity</h2>
<p>W.E.B Du Bois once observed that for black Americans, <a href="https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Souls_of_Black_Folk.html?id=lTXYAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=kp_read_button#v=onepage&q&f=false">a fundamental tension exists</a> between their American identities and their black identities. We now know <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=A2SXphY-DvIC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false">from other studies</a> that African-Americans tend to see themselves as less “typically American” than other races. Meanwhile, among white Americans there’s a common tendency <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Thierry_Devos/publication/7994359_America_White/links/0912f4fa17cfc9118e000000/America-White.pdf(3):447.">to link American national identity with whiteness</a>.</p>
<p>It could be that the symbols of American national pride – so visible during football games – give white fans the chance to unite their national pride with their fandom. To them, the fact that African-Americans make up between <a href="http://www.celticcreek.org/images/nflreport.pdf">65 and 69 percent</a> of all NFL players is simply part of the country’s ethos of “inclusion.” </p>
<p>But for black fans, the overrepresentation of African-American athletes might mean something else. Football broadcasts can create highly visible opportunities to express black prowess, pride and resistance. At the same time, watching wildly successful black players on the football field might sharpen the contrast of <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=QQglDwAAQBAJ&lpg=PP1&dq=racial%20discrimination%20in%20America&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false">racial injustice off the field</a>. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, <a href="http://www.jstor.org/stable/2749514?seq=1#p5age_scan_tab_contents">studies have shown</a> that the more black Americans emphasize their blackness, the less likely they are to have patriotic feelings.</p>
<p>Together, this could create a situation where black fans are prone to reject the popular national narrative that links football to a wider, ethnically blind meritocratic order. To many of them, football isn’t connected to any sort of national identity in a positive way, so it’s easier for black fans to press successful black athletes to protest the status quo and use their platforms to address issues of discrimination and inequality. </p>
<p>In other words, even before black athletes started taking an explicit stand, their presence and success on the field created the conditions to question the dominant ideology of a meritocratic, colorblind society. National debates about inequality, police brutality and incarceration clearly resonate with many players, and they’ve been pushed to respond. </p>
<p>Looking at it this way, these protests were only a matter a time.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/84810/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A recent study might explain why there’s been such divergent, emotional responses to the NFL protests.Tamir Sorek, Professor of Sociology, University of FloridaRobert G. White, Assistant Professor of Sociology, University of FloridaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/846052017-09-26T04:09:37Z2017-09-26T04:09:37ZWhy US sports stars are taking a knee against Trump<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/187484/original/file-20170926-10935-14p6v2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">NFL players from many teams have knelt or linked arms in protest during the playing of the national anthem.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Reuters/Paul Childs</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>US President Donald Trump is continuing his public attacks on prominent black athletes. Late last week, he urged National Football League (NFL) team owners to fire players who knelt in protest during the playing of the national anthem before the game. “Get that son of a bitch off the field,” Trump <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2017/09/22/politics/donald-trump-alabama-nfl/index.html">told a partisan crowd</a> in the conservative state of Alabama. </p>
<p>The next day, he disinvited National Basketball Association (NBA) champion Steph Curry from the White House.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"911572182060453893"}"></div></p>
<p>Trump’s remarks rankled black athletes in the NBA and NFL. His disinvitation of Curry, who is black, sounded a racial dog-whistle to those who believe African-Americans do not belong in the White House.</p>
<p>Trump’s subsequent Twitter statements about the NFL suggest deeply troubling assumptions about the proper place of black athletes in public spaces.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"912280282224525312"}"></div></p>
<h2>The history of White House visits</h2>
<p>The invitation of athletes to the White House appears apolitical. Presidents have customarily extended invitations to everyone from Little League World Series to Super Bowl winners. However, tradition has also always been intertwined with America’s racial politics.</p>
<p>Major League Baseball (MLB) World Series winners have regularly visited the White House since the 1920s, before black athletes <a href="https://www.loc.gov/collections/jackie-robinson-baseball/articles-and-essays/baseball-the-color-line-and-jackie-robinson/1940-to-1946/">broke the colour line</a> (they were excluded from playing in the league at the time).</p>
<p>The first NBA team to visit the White House was the Boston Celtics in 1963, invited by then-president John F. Kennedy. The 1960s Celtics represented white America in the face of an increasingly African-American league.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tZ0xeBftQus?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">The Boston Celtics visit the White House in 1963.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>White House visits seem innocuous, but they are political spectacles, with handshakes, photos and memorabilia exchanges. When athletes meet the president, they are used as vehicles to promote specific policies. </p>
<p>In the waning years of the Cold War, Ronald Reagan used these visits to symbolise American power, vigour and confidence through athletic achievement. In 1988, for example, Reagan tossed a tight spiral to visiting NFL wide receiver Ricky Sanders. Cameras caught this moment and transformed the president into a game-winning quarterback.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/J6g8E2Mmn8w?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Ronald Reagan toasts the Washington Redskins.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Not all athletes appreciate being used as a tool for policy. Increasingly, they have rejected invitations to the White House to express their discontent. The boycotts by whole teams like Curry’s Golden State Warriors, however, is a new kind of demonstration made even more powerful by the fame of their top players.</p>
<p>A few days after the NBA finals concluded, Curry <a href="http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/06/14/stephen-curry-says-he-wouldnt-visit-white-house-if-invited/">promised to avoid the White House</a>. His teammates have been effusive in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGrgOcH-cKM">their support</a> of his stance. Coach Steve Kerr <a href="https://www.thescore.com/news/1380850">said</a> “he [Trump] was going to break up with us before we could break up with him”. </p>
<p>The team also released <a href="http://www.nba.com/warriors/news/statement-20170923/">a statement</a>: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>In lieu of a visit to the White House, we have decided that we’ll constructively use our trip to the nation’s capital in February to celebrate equality, diversity, and inclusion – the values that we embrace as an organisation.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Trump’s comments have had the unintended effect of galvanising support of the whole league behind the Warriors. NBA players have taken to Twitter to openly mock him. The NBA’s biggest star, LeBron James, tweeted:</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"911610455877021697"}"></div></p>
<p>Alluding to the investigation of the Trump campaign’s ties with Russia, Robin Lopez tweeted:</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"911702252993122304"}"></div></p>
<h2>Teeming player protests</h2>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/187489/original/file-20170926-31238-1d839a1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/187489/original/file-20170926-31238-1d839a1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/187489/original/file-20170926-31238-1d839a1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=849&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187489/original/file-20170926-31238-1d839a1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=849&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187489/original/file-20170926-31238-1d839a1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=849&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187489/original/file-20170926-31238-1d839a1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1067&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187489/original/file-20170926-31238-1d839a1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1067&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187489/original/file-20170926-31238-1d839a1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1067&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Colin Kaepernick (number seven) kneels during the national anthem.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Reuters</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In the NFL, then-San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/25/opinion/colin-kaepernick-football-protests.html?mcubz=3">decision</a> to kneel during the national anthem was a protest originally directed against police violence, not Trump (who was not president at the time).</p>
<p>But Trump’s words have now shifted the debate onto him, added legitimacy to the demonstrations, and perhaps roused a force powerful enough to battle his own celebrity brand. Trump has taken on the NFL before <a href="http://fortune.com/2017/09/24/donald-trump-nfl-usfl/">and lost</a>.</p>
<p>The NFL players’ union and the NFL commissioner – two sides usually at loggerheads – expressed joint anger over Trump’s intervention in the league’s affairs. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell lamented Trump’s <a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/352031-nfl-commissioner-trumps-divisive-comments-show-a-lack-of">“lack of respect”</a> for the league. And the head of the union, DeMaurice Smith, <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/nflpa-apos-never-back-down-145606076.html">defiantly thundered</a> that the NFL Players Association would:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>… never back down when it comes to protecting the constitutional rights of our players as citizens.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The national anthem protests, which initially divided the league and the public, have become ubiquitous. On Sunday afternoon, whole teams, including the Pittsburgh Steelers, <a href="http://www.espn.com.au/nfl/story/_/id/20801902/pittsburgh-steelers-remain-locker-room-national-anthem">remained in their locker rooms</a> in a forceful rejection of Trump’s remarks. The Ravens and the Jaguars, playing in London, knelt for the American national anthem but <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/24/in-rebuke-to-trump-ravens-and-jaguars-take-a-knee-in-london-during-us-national-anthem.html">stood respectfully</a> for “God Save the Queen”.</p>
<p>The kneeling players have been joined by <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/jaguars-owner-shad-khan-unites-players-defiance-trump-143949834.html">team owners</a>, <a href="http://variety.com/2017/digital/news/rico-lavelle-national-anthem-nfl-video-1202569454/">performers</a> and <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/cheerleader-kneeled-national-anthem-protest-goes-viral-195354161.html">cheerleaders</a>. The protest even spread to the more conservative and white MLB, when the Oakland A’s Bruce Maxwell became the first player to <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/a%E2%80%99s-bruce-maxwell-first-mlb-player-to-kneel-for-anthem/ar-AAsoEz1">kneel during the national anthem</a>.</p>
<p>Trump’s ill-timed comments have given legitimacy to claims of his racial animus. Until he disavows them, we can expect to see more players signalling their disapproval of his presidency.</p>
<p>The growing protests are a healthy new development for American sports. For too long, athletes have been the tools of statesmen. Today, however, they have begun to realise their power to be activists and undermine the political plans of the US president.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/84605/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Keith Rathbone does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Donald Trump’s ill-timed comments on protests by America’s elite athletes have given legitimacy to claims of his racial animus.Keith Rathbone, Lecturer, Modern European History and Sports History, Macquarie UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/703972017-01-16T19:06:11Z2017-01-16T19:06:11ZSit on hands or take a stand: why athletes have always been political players<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/152585/original/image-20170112-18325-plpjgm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">NFL star Colin Kaepernick has declined to stand for the US national anthem.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Robert Hanashiro/Reuters</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>It is sometimes said that sport ought to be separate from politics, or that politics should be removed from sport. These sentiments are well meaning – if idealistic. </p>
<p>Sport is variously part of government policy, international relations, commercial interests, integrity issues, gender dynamics, and so on. Sport has never been, and never will be, a cocoon within which wider societal issues are unrelated. </p>
<p>All that said, there is <a href="https://www.worldcat.org/title/routledge-handbook-of-sport-and-politics/oclc/960040406&referer=brief_results">robust debate</a> about the nature and extent of political influence in sport, and the contributions of sport to social and political issues.</p>
<h2>Athlete voices</h2>
<p>The role of athletes is intriguing: as representatives of a sport or even a nation, they have substantial public profiles.</p>
<p>Athletes are well-known for on-field exploits, though much less so in terms of their off-field persona, about which the public rarely hears – unless media draws attention to an <a href="https://theconversation.com/athletes-of-influence-the-role-model-refrain-in-sport-52569">indiscretion</a>.</p>
<p>The off-field contributions of many athletes, such as by contributing to charities or virtuous social causes, are rarely the subject of media discussion. There is, nonetheless, much more public interest should an athlete present a dissenting perspective in respect of a sociopolitical issue via sport. </p>
<p>Negative refrains typically include: athletes should “stick to sport”; that they are “using sport” to advance a political agenda; and (like other celebrities) they are not credible advocates because they live in an elitist “bubble”.</p>
<h2>Perspectives past and present</h2>
<p>Timing and context are crucial. In 1968, the <a href="http://time.com/3880999/black-power-salute-tommie-smith-and-john-carlos-at-the-1968-olympics/">Black Power salute</a> at the Mexico City Olympics was widely <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/40675-iconic-olympic-moments-the-black-power-salute">reviled</a> in the US. During the 21st century that protest has, for the most part, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/29/us/29bcintel.html">been acclaimed as courageous</a>. </p>
<p>In 1964, Cassius Clay converted to Islam and changed his name to Muhammad Ali. In 1966, when drafted to serve in Vietnam, Ali was a conscientious objector – speaking openly against the war. Taken together, these decisions <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/news/archive/2016/06/muhammad-ali-vietnam/485717/">made Ali</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>… a national pariah — perhaps the most hated man in the country. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Today, by contrast, Ali is very fondly remembered and widely admired for sticking to his <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/elan-divon/muhammad-ali-death_b_10319050.html">principles</a> and demonstrating <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/kevincashman/2016/06/06/the-four-greatest-leadership-lessons-from-the-greatest-muhammad-ali/#512323433943">leadership</a> for minority causes.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/152586/original/image-20170112-18349-wcg4gn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/152586/original/image-20170112-18349-wcg4gn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/152586/original/image-20170112-18349-wcg4gn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=609&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/152586/original/image-20170112-18349-wcg4gn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=609&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/152586/original/image-20170112-18349-wcg4gn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=609&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/152586/original/image-20170112-18349-wcg4gn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=766&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/152586/original/image-20170112-18349-wcg4gn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=766&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/152586/original/image-20170112-18349-wcg4gn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=766&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Muhammad Ali is today fondly remembered and widely admired for sticking to his principles.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In Australia, sport has also been a forum for robust debate about sociopolitical issues. In 1994, Cathy Freeman – both Australian and Aboriginal – carried the <a href="http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/blogs/on-this-day/2016/07/on-this-day-aboriginal-flag-first-flown">flags of those groups</a> during a <a href="https://www.sen.com.au/news/2016/10/09/gainsford-taylor-on-flag-criticism-it-was-ridiculous/">victory lap at the Commonwealth Games</a>. To some non-Indigenous critics, this suggested that Freeman was less than patriotic – to them there was only one flag, not two.</p>
<p>Fast forward to the Sydney 2000 Olympics: Freeman was anointed to <a href="http://australianpolitics.com/2000/09/15/cathy-freeman-lights-olympic-flame.html">light the cauldron</a> at an opening ceremony, where the symbolism of <a href="http://library.la84.org/OlympicInformationCenter/OlympicReview/2000/OREXXVI35/OREXXVI35e.pdf">reconciliation for all Australians</a> was manifest. </p>
<p>Freeman handled the pressure of the spotlight, going on to win gold in the 400m track event. She again carried the <a href="http://en.espn.co.uk/olympic-sports/sport/story/152105.html">two ensigns entwined during a victory lap</a>, despite the Aboriginal flag not being recognised by either the Australian or International Olympic committees. This time the officials looked the other way and there was no public hullabaloo.</p>
<h2>Geopolitics</h2>
<p>The Beijing 2008 Olympics played out amid a backdrop of international debate about the sovereign status of Tibet, which China was now claiming as its own territory. </p>
<p>In the lead-up to the Olympics, several athletes took a vocal public position against the colonisation of Tibet. Among them was Australian cyclist Cadel Evans. His personal website sold “Free Tibet” t-shirts, and he promoted the cause during the famous Tour de France. </p>
<p>At Beijing, Evans complied with the International Olympic Committee expectation that athletes <a href="http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/evans-arrives-in-beijing-but-gets-warning-over-tibet-protests-93792">do not engage in political matters</a>, but once his commitment was over Evans flew to Switzerland to meet with the <a href="http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=22476">exiled Tibetan Olympic team</a>. </p>
<p>The annexation of Tibet by China is now complete. Its spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, remains in exile, and is derided as a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/oct/19/dalai-lama-prayers-tibetans-terrorism">“terrorist”</a>. From a sport perspective, <a href="https://www.freetibet.org/news-media/na/olympic-story">athletes from Tibet</a> no longer represent that country. Tibetans are now Chinese.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/152587/original/image-20170112-3967-5m0stp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/152587/original/image-20170112-3967-5m0stp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=392&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/152587/original/image-20170112-3967-5m0stp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=392&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/152587/original/image-20170112-3967-5m0stp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=392&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/152587/original/image-20170112-3967-5m0stp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=493&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/152587/original/image-20170112-3967-5m0stp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=493&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/152587/original/image-20170112-3967-5m0stp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=493&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Australian cyclist Cadel Evans took a vocal public position against the colonisation of Tibet.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Tracey Nearmy/AAP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Change agents</h2>
<p>How sports respond to an athlete’s sociopolitical sensibility is key. </p>
<p>In 2012, when amateur AFL player <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-21/pride-game-can-be-life-changing-event-for-many-in-afl-community/7647390">Jason Ball</a> became the first footballer to come out as gay, he was roundly supported by teammates – and, after a concerted effort, won the support of leading professional players in a campaign to welcome LGBTI athletes to sport. </p>
<p>The AFL endorses an annual <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/afl/sydney-swans/afl-takes-huge-step-in-first-pride-game-between-sydney-and-st-kilda-20160812-gqrb9s.html">“Pride Game”</a> between Sydney and St Kilda, replete with goal umpires <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-09/afl-launches-first-pride-game-between-sydney-swans-and-st-kilda/7703642">waving rainbow flags</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/152588/original/image-20170112-18318-h2ec25.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/152588/original/image-20170112-18318-h2ec25.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/152588/original/image-20170112-18318-h2ec25.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/152588/original/image-20170112-18318-h2ec25.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/152588/original/image-20170112-18318-h2ec25.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/152588/original/image-20170112-18318-h2ec25.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/152588/original/image-20170112-18318-h2ec25.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/152588/original/image-20170112-18318-h2ec25.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Australian rugby union player David Pocock.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Dan Himbrechts/AAP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Ball was given vocal support by Australian rugby player David Pocock, who said he and his female partner <a href="http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/pocock-palandri-to-seal-the-deal-when-same-sex-marriage-allowed-around-australia-20131025-2w5rw.html">would not marry</a> until their gay friends could do so. He was alluding to same-sex marriage not being legal in Australia. </p>
<p>One year later the marriage legislation had not changed, but the ARU was persuaded – in part because of Pocock’s advocacy – to produce an <a href="http://www.foxsports.com.au/rugby/wallabies-star-david-pocock-lauds-arus-inclusion-policy-which-will-aim-to-stamp-out-homophobia/news-story/27e8d7dcb575f8ee05743873bddc330b">“inclusion” policy for rugby</a> that focused on education against homophobia.</p>
<h2>Athlete protest: risk-reward</h2>
<p>How, why and when athletes take a stand on sociopolitical issues is a question of timing, context, purpose and strategy. </p>
<p>Sometimes, as with NFL star Colin Kaepernick, who has declined to stand for the national anthem because of what he sees as systemic racism in American society, there is substantial <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/news/archive/2016/08/colin-kaepernick-protest-nfl/498065/">public backlash</a> – even if his 49ers teammates are <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/colin-kaepernicks-teammates-give-him-an-award-for-courage/">not affronted</a> by his actions. </p>
<p>When NFL ratings fell this season, some suggested that Kaepernick’s politicising of the game had <a href="http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/209760366/colin-kaepernick-reason-nfl-ratings-down">prompted disaffection</a>. Only time will tell whether a kneeling protest will eventually be viewed more sympathetically: <a href="http://www.espn.com.au/olympics/story/_/id/17664885/olympic-sprinters-tommie-smith-john-carlos-support-colin-kaepernick-anthem-protests">John Carlos and Tommie Smith</a>, the villains-turned-heroes of the Black Power salute, hope so.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>This is the first piece in a short series of articles on equality in, and access to, sport. Catch up on the others <a href="https://theconversation.com/topics/sport-access-and-equality-34779">here</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/70397/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Daryl Adair does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>When athletes take a stand on sociopolitical issues, they have a public profile by which to showcase their views. But they face criticism that it is not their ‘place’ to comment on sensitive matters.Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/694672016-12-12T03:40:59Z2016-12-12T03:40:59ZCelebrity voices are powerful, but does the First Amendment let them say anything they want?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/149477/original/image-20161209-31391-6kl964.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Taking a knee during the national anthem isn't risk-free in the NFL.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Protesting-Dolphins-Football/4a2a88bed8f449cfab9062479a24dab6/1/0">AP Photo/Stephen Brashear, File</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>When NFL player <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-oppressive-seeds-of-the-colin-kaepernick-backlash-66358">Colin Kaepernick</a> refuses to stand for the national anthem, or the cast of the Broadway musical “Hamilton” confronts the vice president-elect, or the Dixie Chicks <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/3/11/1193171/-Ten-Years-Ago-This-Week-the-Dixie-Chicks-Found-Free-Speech-Comes-at-a-High-Price">speak out against war</a>, talk quickly turns to freedom of speech. Most Americans assume they have a constitutional guarantee to express themselves as they wish, on whatever topics they wish. But how protected by the First Amendment are public figures when they engage in political protest?</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/orXogk3euMA?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Recently, celebrities have become increasingly vocal regarding the collective Movement for Black Lives, for instance.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Coming out publicly, whether for or against some disputed position, can have real consequences for the movement and the celebrity. However helpful a high-profile endorsement may be at shifting the public conversation, taking these public positions – particularly unpopular ones – may not be as protected as we assume. As a professor who studies the intersection of law and culture, I believe Americans may need to revisit their understanding of U.S. history and the First Amendment. </p>
<h2>Harnessing the power of celebrity</h2>
<p>Far from being just product endorsers, celebrities <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10551-009-0090-4">can and do use their voices</a> to influence policy and politics. For example, <a href="http://www.stat.columbia.edu/%7Egelman/stuff_for_blog/celebrityendorsements_garthwaitemoore.pdf">some researchers believe</a> Oprah Winfrey’s early endorsement of Barack Obama helped him obtain the votes he needed to become the 2008 Democratic nominee for president.</p>
<p>This phenomenon, however, is not new. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/149474/original/image-20161209-31352-1uldoe0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/149474/original/image-20161209-31352-1uldoe0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/149474/original/image-20161209-31352-1uldoe0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=846&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149474/original/image-20161209-31352-1uldoe0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=846&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149474/original/image-20161209-31352-1uldoe0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=846&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149474/original/image-20161209-31352-1uldoe0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1063&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149474/original/image-20161209-31352-1uldoe0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1063&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149474/original/image-20161209-31352-1uldoe0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1063&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Gilbert du Motier Marquis de Lafayette, early celeb.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gilbert_du_Motier_Marquis_de_Lafayette.PNG">Joseph-Désiré Court</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Since the birth of the nation, celebrities have used their voices – and had their voices used – to advance important causes. In 1780, George Washington enlisted the help of Marquis de Lafayette, a French aristocrat dubbed by some “<a href="https://newrepublic.com/article/123170/marquis-de-lafayette-americas-first-celebrity">America’s first celebrity</a>,” to ask French officials for more support for the Continental Army. Lafayette was so popular that when he traveled to America some years later, the press <a href="http://www.jstor.org/stable/4233634">reported on each day and detail</a> of his yearlong visit.</p>
<p>Social movements also have harnessed the power of celebrity influence throughout American history. In the early 1900s, after the National Woman Suffrage Association was founded to pursue the right of women to vote, <a href="http://www.historynet.com/womens-suffrage-movement">the group used celebrities</a> to raise awareness of the cause. Popular actresses like Mary Shaw, Lillian Russell and Fola La Follette, for example, <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=QO79UClRsDMC&pg=PA7&lpg=PA7&dq=national+woman+suffrage+movement+actress&source=bl&ots=EKlau1ccmV&sig=bERJBYmVA4vtMwKoZZhoQ5RorZU&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi-3rvW6OXQAhULjlQKHZOjAZoQ6AEINTAE#v=onepage&q=national%20woman%20suffrage%20movement%20actress&f=false">brought attention</a> to the movement, combining their work with political activism to push the women’s suffrage message.</p>
<h2>Celeb actions can move the needle</h2>
<p>The civil rights movement of the 1960s benefited from celebrities’ actions. For instance, after Sammy Davis Jr., a black comedian, refused to perform in segregated venues, many clubs in Las Vegas and Miami became integrated. Others – including Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee, Dick Gregory, Harry Belafonte, Jackie Robinson and Muhammad Ali – were <a href="https://news.vcu.edu/article/Hollywood_celebrities_unsung_role_in_the_civil_rights_movement">instrumental in the success</a> of the movement and passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. These actors planned and attended rallies, performed in and organized fundraising efforts and worked to open opportunities for other black people in the entertainment industry.</p>
<p>By the 1980s, you could watch Charlton Heston and Paul Newman <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=7Q3QE-n8q4UC&pg=PA154&lpg=PA154&dq=Charlton+Heston+and+Paul+Newman+nuclear&source=bl&ots=-eRL7vFhFg&sig=rb4q3wEvuYDCpF9ztOnT3mSkfgs&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjTx9SN9OXQAhVKw1QKHaa9BDkQ6AEIRjAL#v=onepage&q=Charlton%20Heston%20and%20Paul%20Newman%20nuclear&f=false">debate</a> national defense policy and a potential nuclear weapons freeze on television. Meryl Streep <a href="http://www.pbs.org/tradesecrets/docs/alarscarenegin.html">spoke before Congress</a> against the use of pesticides in foods. Ed Asner and Charlton Heston <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=-OHQCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA299&lpg=PA299&dq=Nicaraguan+contras+ed+asner+heston&source=bl&ots=dwjrso1QRO&sig=yj8m0oS3JrWqTKiL7_4PyqZ4-hY&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjAmYfD9eXQAhUhrFQKHfbcD94Q6AEIIzAB#v=onepage&q=Nicaraguan%20contras%20ed%20asner%20heston&f=false">publicly feuded about</a> their differing opinions of the Reagan administration’s support of right-wing Nicaraguan militant groups.</p>
<p>Whatever you think of how well thought out their opinions are (or aren’t), celebrities have the ability to draw attention to social issues in a way others do not. Their large platforms through film, music, sports and other media provide significant amplification for the initiatives they support.</p>
<p>There is, in particular, a measurable connection between <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021849904040206">celebrity opinions and young people</a>. Most marketing research shows that celebrity endorsements <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/209029">can improve the likelihood</a> that young consumers will choose the endorsed product.</p>
<h2>Antagonism toward celebrity activism</h2>
<p>Celebrities have been important partners, strategists, fundraisers and spokespeople for social movements and politicians since the earliest days of modern America. Recently, however, celebrities speaking out about policy and politics have received some harsh responses. </p>
<p>Kaepernick, in particular, has received <a href="http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/news/a48246/tomi-lahren-kaepernick-facebook/">scathing criticism</a>. Fans of his team <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3762239/You-never-play-NFL-Canada-49ers-fans-burn-Kaepernick-jerseys-national-anthem-114million-sport-star-refused-stand-protest-black-oppression.html">have burned his jersey in effigy</a>. Mike Evans, another NFL player, drew so much criticism for sitting in protest of Donald Trump’s election to the presidency that he was <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2016/11/15/nfl-player-who-knelt-in-protest-of-donald-trumps-election-pledges-to-stand-for-anthem-again/?utm_term=.7c6cdf41259a">forced to apologize</a> and say he would never do it again. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/19/us/mike-pence-hamilton.html?_r=0">#BoycottHamilton trended on Twitter</a> after the cast of the Broadway show Hamilton addressed Mike Pence. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"799828567941120000"}"></div></p>
<p>President-elect Donald Trump jumped into the fray, tweeting that he does not support the public expression of sentiments like those of the “Hamilton” cast. </p>
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<h2>Unprotected speech</h2>
<p>All of this raises significant questions about speech, protests and the law. Often celebrities, commentators and pundits talk about being able to say whatever they want thanks to their right to freedom of speech. But this idea is based on common misconceptions about what the U.S. Constitution actually says.</p>
<p>What is allowed under the law starts with the text of the <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/first_amendment">First Amendment</a>, which provides that:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The language essentially allows for freedom of expression without government interference. The right to free speech includes protests and distasteful speech that one might find offensive or racist.</p>
<p>But, the First Amendment as written applies only to actions by Congress, and by extension the federal government. Over time, it’s <a href="http://faculty.smu.edu/jkobylka/supremecourt/Nationalization_BoRs.pdf">also come to apply to</a> state and local governments. It’s basically a <a href="https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/95-815.pdf">restriction</a> on how the government can limit citizens’ speech. </p>
<p>The First Amendment does not, however, apply to nongovernment entities. So private companies – professional sports organizations or theater companies, for instance – <a href="http://scholarlycommons.law.hofstra.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1135&context=hlr">can actually restrict speech</a> without violating the First Amendment, because in most cases, it doesn’t apply to them (unless the restriction is illegal for other reasons). This is why the NFL <a href="http://www.michiganreview.com/the-nfl-vs-freedom-of-expression/">could ban</a> DeAngelo Williams from wearing pink during a game in honor of his mother, who had died from breast cancer, and fine him thousands of dollars when he later defied the rules and did it anyway.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/149476/original/image-20161209-31370-1jq2fx9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/149476/original/image-20161209-31370-1jq2fx9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/149476/original/image-20161209-31370-1jq2fx9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=384&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149476/original/image-20161209-31370-1jq2fx9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=384&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149476/original/image-20161209-31370-1jq2fx9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=384&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149476/original/image-20161209-31370-1jq2fx9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=483&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149476/original/image-20161209-31370-1jq2fx9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=483&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149476/original/image-20161209-31370-1jq2fx9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=483&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">DeAngelo Williams is outspoken in supporting breast cancer research. The NFL can limit when he can display his position.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Seahawks-Panthers-Football/2777653831ae429aa42a301b9d7b3b01/16/0">AP Photo/Nell Redmond</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>How does all of this affect celebrities? In a nutshell, if a celebrity is an employee of, or has some kind of contract with, a nongovernment entity, his speech actually can be restricted in many ways. Remember, it’s not against the law for a nongovernment employer to limit what employees can say in many cases. While there are other more limited protections <a href="http://www.americanbar.org/publications/insights_on_law_andsociety/15/winter-2015/chill-around-the-water-cooler.html">based on state and federal law</a> that protect employee speech, they are incomplete and probably wouldn’t apply to most celebrity speech. Any questions about what a public figure can or cannot express, therefore, will start with the language of any contracts she has signed – not the First Amendment. </p>
<p>For better or worse, celebrities can make significant impacts on policy, politics and culture, and have been doing so for centuries. But speaking out can put them at risk. Celebrities can be fined by their employers, like DeAngelo Williams, have their careers derailed, like the <a href="http://www.savingcountrymusic.com/destroying-the-dixie-chicks-ten-years-after/">Dixie Chicks</a>, or <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2016/09/21/sport/colin-kaepernick-death-threats/">receive death threats</a>, like Colin Kaepernick. Even so, their involvement can provide an influential platform in promoting and creating societal change.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/69467/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Shontavia Johnson provides consulting services for Johnson International Group LLC, an organization that provides business assistance to entrepreneurs and entertainers. </span></em></p>Americans enjoy a right to free speech, and some public figures really exercise that right. The Constitution might not protect them the way they think it does, though.Shontavia Johnson, Professor of Intellectual Property Law, Drake UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/663582016-10-07T17:39:07Z2016-10-07T17:39:07ZThe oppressive seeds of the Colin Kaepernick backlash<p>Ever since San Francisco 49ers quarterback <a href="http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000691077/article/colin-kaepernick-explains-why-he-sat-during-national-anthem">Colin Kaepernick said</a>, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” he’s been in the media spotlight. Before every game, the TV cameras fixate on him as he kneels in protest. And with each passing week, more and more <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/2016/9/11/12869726/colin-kaepernick-national-anthem-protest-seahawks-brandon-marshall-nfl">players around the league have joined him in an act of solidarity</a>.</p>
<p>In addition to troves of internet trolls and media commentators, the fierce opposition has included a handful of <a href="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/an-anonymous-nfl-exec-reportedly-calls-colin-kaepernick-a-traitor/">NFL owners</a> and a <a href="http://time.com/4478542/colin-kaepernick-police-union-boycott-games/">California police union</a> that threatened to stop working at the home games. Even Donald Trump said his bit, <a href="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/donald-trump-fires-back-at-colin-kaepernick-after-qb-calls-him-a-racist/">suggesting that Kaepernick leave the country</a>. </p>
<p>Some might think that Kaepernick’s words and actions, together with the subsequent backlash, represent a watershed moment. They don’t. Spanning back to America’s founding, there’s an entire history of blacks stepping outside of the social order – or protesting it – only to be told they can’t. </p>
<p>As a psychiatrist, I’ve long been interested in how racial identity affects mental health, and the chronic stress that racial minorities experience when they’re exposed to racist messages, particularly in the media. In the controversy swirling around Kaepernick, I see racially encoded messages about power, place and punishment of black people. Obviously, there’s a difference between antebellum lynching and social media outrage. But though the overt responses may have changed, the underlying hatred, disgust and impulses to punish prominent, “poorly behaved” black figures still remains.</p>
<h2>Taming the black male?</h2>
<p>During Reconstruction, blacks who stepped outside the social order risked their lives. </p>
<p>To enforce the racial hierarchy and police the boundaries of what blacks could say and do, whites often resorted to lynching. Although no one is exactly sure, <a href="http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/shipp/lynchingsstate.html">it’s estimated that over 3,400 blacks</a> were lynched or publicly murdered from 1882 to 1968. One of most famous examples was Emmett Till, who was murdered in Mississippi in 1955 for allegedly flirting with a white woman. </p>
<p>Economist Dwight Murphey has written that <a href="http://www.dwightmurphey-collectedwritings.info/mono/mono1.htm">lynching was different from other forms of violence</a>. Unlike, say, a domestic dispute or an act of revenge, it functioned to maintain the social order. It was, Murphey wrote, “motivated by a desire to vindicate the moral sense of community, and has as its target a specific person or persons.” In other words, it was used to enforce a racial hierarchy, foster a sense of community among whites, and ensure that black men knew their place.</p>
<p>Although the methods of lynching varied, it was common practice for white mobs, seeking to reaffirm the racial order, to hang or castrate the victim. (A number of psychoanalytic theories have sought to account for the phenomenon of castrations, but many <a href="http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/3704016">scholars agree</a> that castration served as the ultimate act of “taming” the black male, assuaging the fears and anxieties about uncontrolled black masculinity.) </p>
<p>As the number of lynchings decreased in the early 20th century, the mechanisms of enforcing the boundaries of black identity were reshaped. White majorities enforced social and civic confinement for most of the African-American community through <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/05/28/evidence-that-banks-still-deny-black-borrowers-just-as-they-did-50-years-ago/">redlining</a>, voting restrictions and Jim Crow laws.</p>
<h2>Jack Johnson put in his place</h2>
<p>For the few black athletes who had become famous by the early 20th century, the boundaries of acceptable black behavior continued to be publicly policed through racist media portrayals, searing criticism and public outrage. </p>
<p>Boxer Jack Johnson, after defeating Tommy Burns in 1908 to become the first black heavyweight champion, was publicly shamed. One boxing magazine called him “<a href="https://sports.vice.com/en_uk/article/the-war-on-jack-johnson-boxing39s-first-black-heavyweight-champion-versus-the-world-uk-translation">the vilest, most despicable creature that lives</a>.” </p>
<p>With his dominant beatings of his white opponents, brash personality and lavish lifestyle, Johnson was one of the first black celebrity athletes to defy the social mandate that a black man must be subject to the white man’s power. He was also often seen in public with white women, which was an appalling display for the time. After his defeat of Jim Jeffries (nicknamed the “Great White Hope”) in 1910, race riots broke out <a href="http://www.jstor.org/stable/43609313">across the country</a>. Some white men even <a href="http://fightland.vice.com/blog/the-war-on-jack-johnson-boxings-first-black-heavyweight-champion-versus-the-world">committed suicide</a>, resulting in the film of the fight being banned in many cities and states. </p>
<p>Johnson was eventually sentenced to one year in jail under <a href="http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Mann+Act">the Mann Act</a>, which had made it illegal to transport a woman “for the purposes of prostitution or debauchery, or for any other immoral purpose.” In truth, he had saved a young girl from a life of prostitution. Using trumped up charges, police had leveraged the woman into testifying against Johnson, and an an all-white jury convicted him on basis of train tickets he bought for her. </p>
<p>But in truth, this case was about punishing Johnson for disobeying the racial order inside and outside the boxing ring; even the <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/04/22/jack.johnson.pardon/index.html?eref=time_us">Justice Department lawyers decried his relationship with a white woman</a>. </p>
<p>After Johnson skipped bail and fled the country, civil rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=1AXZsjjRujAC&pg=PA81&lpg=PA81&dq=Why+then+this+thrill+of+national+disgust?+Because+Johnson+is+black.&source=bl&ots=vUSkiO1aqv&sig=XtsaQO3dOeV8SM6rLnqpV4wTAUs&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiEqM_k0sHPAhUJ9WMKHQivB-AQ6AEIJzAD#v=onepage&q=Why%20then%20this%20thrill%20of%20national%20disgust%3F%20Because%20Johnson%20is%20black.&f=false">prophetically wrote</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“Why then this thrill of national disgust? Because Johnson is black. Of course, some pretend to object to Mr. Johnson’s character. But we have yet to hear, in the case of white America, that marital troubles have disqualified prizefighters or ball players or even statesmen. It comes down, then, after all to this unforgivable blackness.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The Los Angeles Times essentially demonstrated Du Bois’ point when it wrote to the black community, following Johnson’s win over Jeffries, “Remember you have done nothing at all… Your place in the world is just what it was.”</p>
<p>Throughout the 20th century, the media continued to relegate black athletes to a place of inferiority. Examples include <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/after-forty-four-years-its-time-brent-musburger-apologized-john-carlos-and-tommie-smith/">sportscaster Brent Musburger calling</a> the 1968 Olympic protesters Tommie Smith and John Carlos “a pair of dark skinned storm troopers” and Time magazine featuring a cover that <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/1994/06/25/us/time-responds-to-criticism-over-simpson-cover.html">darkened O.J. Simpson’s face</a> to make him appear more menacing during his murder trial. Then there were the countless media portrayals of Muhammad Ali as unpatriotic for <a href="http://www.jstor.org/stable/43610014">refusing to be drafted</a>.</p>
<h2>Michael Jordan, submissive superstar</h2>
<p>On the opposite pole are the black athletes who are widely embraced by the American public and media. Not surprisingly, they are deemed “acceptable” because they are docile and uncontroversial (at least, off the court or field). </p>
<p>Perhaps the best illustration of this phenomenon is Michael Jordan, the NBA star who is arguably responsible for the basketball league’s global popularity. He’s the perfectly packaged ambassador for the sport. </p>
<p>The media portrayed him as apolitical, tame and well-mannered – an acceptable black athlete who was “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EihcRDRAy90">black but not really black</a>.” Image-conscious corporate advisers had effectively divorced him from inner city, hip-hop culture, placing him opposite from other more “street” players like Philadelphia 76ers star Allen Iverson, who was <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17430437.2010.491267?scroll=top&needAccess=true&journalCode=fcss20">once described</a> as the “living embodiment of hip hop in a basketball uniform,” a player who “refused to bend over backwards to accommodate the tastes of the mainstream.” </p>
<p>In 2011, long after Jordan’s playing career ended, a Nielsen and E-Poll Market Research study that measured appeal, public likability and awareness found that his personality attributes were off the charts: <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2011/09/22/the-business-of-michael-jordan-is-booming/#5be003143955">93 percent of those surveyed said they liked him</a>. </p>
<p>Yes, Jordan’s otherworldly talent explained a huge portion of his popularity. But it was arguably also due to his ability to be uncontroversial and seemingly disconnected from his race. </p>
<p>In 1990, when asked why he wouldn’t endorse Harvey Gantt, a black Democratic candidate for Senate in North Carolina, <a href="https://books.google.com/books/about/Second_Coming.html?id=BA5mPwAACAAJ">Jordan simply said</a>, “Republicans buy shoes, too.” (In 2001, the Washington Post <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/06/AR2008070602321.html">described</a> Gantt’s opponent, Jesse Helms, as “the last prominent unabashed white racist politician in this country.”) When given the opportunity to use his power and influence, he reduced himself to a shoe salesman. </p>
<p>Prior to his murder trial, O.J. Simpson was another superstar that exhibited appropriate, acceptable forms of black behavior. He was <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/television/new-espn-series-shows-how-oj-simpson-changed-advertising-and-it-changed-him-171919">lauded as</a> “the first [black athlete] to demonstrate that white folks would buy stuff based on a black endorsement,” while the CEO of Hertz rent-a-car, which featured Simpson <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7W1hnR3kLwo">in a famous TV ad</a>, said he thought of the star running back as “colorless.” </p>
<p>Then there was Tiger Woods, who, before his marital infidelities, was worshiped as <a href="http://www.si.com/vault/1996/12/23/220709/the-chosen-tiger-woods-was-raised-to-believe-that-his-destiny-is-not-only-to-be-the-greatest-golfer-ever-but-also-to-change-the-world-will-the-pressures-of-celebrity-grind-him-down-first">“The Chosen One” in Sports Illustrated</a> and “A Universal Child” due to his multiracial identity. </p>
<p>Like Jordan, they had stuck to the same script: be humble, grateful and – most importantly – nonthreatening to the racial order. </p>
<h2>Where are we today?</h2>
<p>Just months before the Kaepernick saga started to unfold, Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton found himself, like Kaepernick, weathering criticism for not behaving appropriately. First he was <a href="http://www.si.com/nfl/2016/01/29/cam-newton-controversy-dab-dance-celebrations">celebrating too much in the end zone</a>. Then, after he lost the Super Bowl, <a href="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/watch-cam-newton-abruptly-leaves-super-bowl-50-postgame-interview/">he didn’t act like a good enough sport</a>.</p>
<p>Critics of black athletes often claim they have “character” concerns – <a href="https://theconversation.com/when-it-comes-to-baseballs-ethnic-tensions-the-problems-run-deeper-than-bat-flips-49089">that they’re bothered by arrogance or poor sportsmanship</a>. But I wonder if the same social and psychological processes that fueled the phenomenon of lynching are the undercurrent of so much public disgust with Newton and Kaepernick. </p>
<p>As Newton <a href="http://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/nfl/carolina-panthers/nfl-blog/article56857428.html#storylink=cpy">told the Charolotte Observer earlier this year</a>, “I’m an African-American quarterback that may scare a lot of people because they haven’t seen nothing that they can compare me to.” </p>
<p>It’s almost like there’s a reflexive visceral reaction toward successful black males who step outside their socially prescribed boundaries. There is evidence that supports the pervasiveness of racial attitudes in the American psyche. In the 1990s researchers at Washington University and Harvard College <a href="https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/demo/background/posttestinfo.html">developed a test</a> to measure implicit, or unconscious, bias for a number of characteristics, including race. When a large nationally representative sample of people took the test for racial bias, investigators found the majority of people had preference for whites over minorities.</p>
<p>Today no one can lynch a professional athlete, so the pressure to conform must be exerted more subtly. In this way, old expressions of racism are simply being recrafted and reshaped in modern, more socially acceptable forms.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/66358/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>J. Corey Williams does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The controversy over Kaepernick’s refusal to stand for the National Anthem isn’t a watershed moment. It’s only the latest chapter in a long history of people trying to control how black people behave.J. Corey Williams, Resident Physician in Psychiatry, Yale UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.