On Aug. 14, a man sat on a bench during the national anthem, his actions unnoticed. He did not flail, he did not threaten, he just sat. Two weeks later, that same man sat once again. This time he was in uniform and many, many people noticed. Twitter was ablaze and little has slowed down since.
Colin Kaepernick’s peaceful protest on behalf of oppressed Americans has saturated the media market and called the role of an athlete into question once again. This is not the first time and certainly will not be the last time for such questioning.
Last week, Martina Navratilova spoke out in support of Kaepernick’s stance, following her long history of trail-blazing advocacy. One of the first openly gay athletes, Navratilova lost millions in endorsements following her announcement and therefore knew firsthand the value of a platform.
In a New York Times article, Navratilova vehemently supported outspoken advocacy, saying, “So many athletes are afraid to use their platform to do the right thing and speak what they feel, and that’s very depressing.” She said it isn’t in her DNA to lose money to sacrifice a part of oneself.
Athletes should use the power inherent in their celebrity status, and do not do so enough. Navratilova and Kaepernick join the ranks of many athletes who use their status for good, like LeBron James recently endorsing Hillary Clinton.
Certainly, their advocacy comes from a place of privilege, but the reach is incomparable. The average NBA player salary hovers around $4.58 million, but Game 1 of this year’s NBA finals also garnered over 19.2 million viewers. It is inevitable that more people would know of certain issues if players vocally advocated on their behalf.
Sports is one of the major institutions in our society, and athletes wage an enormous influence whether they are aware of it or not. They are not granted the privilege of being able to simply throw a football and then go away. Society will not let them.
Many prominent athletes are minorities, James included. According to the most recent Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES) report, the National Football League scored a 91.1 percent for racial diversity. Kaepernick has capitalized on this fact, advocating for black Americans in a place where others would not dare. This is not only brave but necessary. Lending a global voice to major issues that plague our society instigates change, and Kaepernick is doing so peacefully and legitimately.
Furthermore, the name Kaepernick wears on the back of his jersey does not negate his constitutional right to protest, just as Navratilova’s sexual identification does not discount her advocacy. Athletes have the right to select what they protest, be it racial injustice or government policy. To exist as mere entertainment would disrespectfully neglect the power of their fame and their power to bring hushed issues to the national stage.
A brief examination at the kinds of issues being represented by athletes is also quite shocking. October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and the NFL tirelessly campaigns on behalf of this devastating disease by donning all forms of pink garb to spread awareness. This is interesting because while the NFL is perceived to be dominated by the most masculine of men, breast cancer is typically affiliated with females. It would be courageous of the NFL to dip its toe into other issues directly affecting females, like domestic violence or feminism itself. Domestic violence, in particular, has hit the NFL close to home, with images of Ray Rice still haunting the general public.
It is easy for one to forget that at its core, the NFL, NBA and all professional sports are businesses. Business decisions must be made and executives need to decide whether it’s worth agitating certain fan bases for the greater good. While Navratilova controversially chose protest over a paycheck, it is unrealistic to expect all players of the game to do so.
As a nation, we have a bizarre relationship with these people whom we think of as gods. We expect great things and nothing less, and failure to deliver is met with swift criticism. In perspective, great expectations often yield great results, but we also have to remember that athletes are first and foremost humans. It’s not fair to ask them to think one way or another just because they are good enough at their jobs to become household names. It is fair and necessary, however, to expect humanity, compassion and understanding of our role models. This is not too great of an expectation.
