Athletes' Activism: Raising Awareness and Fighting Injustice - Essay Sample

Introduction

Activism refers to taking action that surpasses what is perceived as conventional standards or routine for a specific social cause. In sports, there is a long history of an athlete's involvement in raising awareness and effecting social change by stimulating dialogues on various social and cultural issues of injustice and inequality. Over the past few months, athlete's activism has been on the rise with athletes coming up and engaging in movements against racial discrimination and injustices in the United States (Kamberidou, 2011). Even though activism in sports, as imposed by athletes, is a common occurrence, athletes' peaceful demonstrations, public statements, and collective action have started public talks and discussion over the relevance of using sports as a tool for social change.

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Sports activism has received different reactions and criticism from the sports fan, team management, sponsors, and national sports administrations. These varied reactions have had impacts not only on the athletes but also on sports in general. The most significant effect is that activism has promoted athlete unity and togetherness across different teams and sports (Kamberidou, 2011). Additionally, it has brought about the formation of sports sponsored initiatives meant to address and oppose social injustices. An example includes the establishment of a Social Justice Committee of Players and Owners by the NFL in 2017 intended to contribute to the athlete's or club's social activities.

Furthermore, sports activism has had several political, social, and cultural impacts on society. The most distinct political influence is that it has increased focus and protests on governing systems, leaders, and policymakers. For instance, in the states of Pennsylvania and Louisiana, athletes advocated for reforms in voting rights and criminal justice. Socially, it has promoted acceptance and support for the LGBTQI community in society. Also, sports activism has forged new collective cultural identities and cultural meanings (Kamberidou, 2011). This was evident in how the #TakeAKnee protest by black American athletes in the NFL in support of the #BlackLivesMatter initiative, promoted and reinvented the black culture.

Sports activism is a topic that is subjected to individual scrutiny and criticism. However, we have become more aware of our human rights and our duty to defend them. Sports serve as a platform to highlight and address critical social, political, and cultural issues affecting the minority communities, help stir up a national dialogue by creating awareness, and offer solutions to these social issues.

References

Kamberidou, I. (2011). Athlete activism and peace education: Bridging the social inequality gap through sports. Nebula, 8(1), 168-180. Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Irene_Kamberidou/publication/258259778_Athlete_Activism_and_Peace_Education_Bridging_the_Social_Inequality_Gap_through_Sports_NEBULA_81_a_Journal_of_Multidisciplinary_Scholarship_ISSN-1449_7751_122011_Volume_8_Issue_1_Australia_December_20/links/0deec529c9cfc81f4d000000/Athlete-Activism-and-Peace-Education-Bridging-the-Social-Inequality-Gap-through-Sports-NEBULA-81-a-Journal-of-Multidisciplinary-Scholarship-ISSN-1449-7751-12-2011-Volume-8-Issue-1-Australia-Dec.pdf