Athletes and Advocacy

Around this time last year, Blogs With Balls 6 in Chicago hosted a panel featuring Kevin Blackistone (ESPN), Julie DiCaro (then “A League of Her Own”), Aaron Harison (Washington Free Beacon), Greg Howard (then Deadspin), Chris Kluwe (NFL), and Cyd Zeigler (Outsports).

Here’s the run down:

2014 saw an unprecedented intersection between sports and social issues. Social media fueled the conversation – and controversy – as athletes and journalists alike took to platforms like Twitter to both cover and opine on everything from Michael Sam’s journey to “I Can’t Breathe” in the NBA to Ray Rice’s actions. In the eyes of the public, often athletes became polarizing and media became agenda-driven as a result. In an age where everyone has a platform, what roles could and should athletes and sports-oriented influencers take on social issues? What is their responsibility for engaging or leading the conversation of off-field issues? What backlash have they received and is it warranted? Our diverse panel take a look at these topics and more.

To say the least, it was contentious. But that’s what we do at BWB (I am a co-founder).

You can watch the panel below.

Now, in the wake of numerous tragedies in the country, as well as a polarizing presidential election, tension is running high, and athletes aren’t staying quiet. With contracts, endorsements, and public support on the line, speaking out on controversial issues puts a bright spotlight on public figures who need to balance the benefits of speaking out versus the backlash they get by doing so.

This week, Carmelo Anthony was among the most vocal in support of athletes taking a stand:

"Do athletes have a responsibility to stand up? I don’t want to put it all on athletes. I believe all people need to rise up and make their voices heard. But I do think that athletes have the biggest reach, especially now with social media and all the people that follow us. We have one of the biggest platforms to speak out, one where people pay attention to what we have to say, whether it’s everyday civilians or those in positions of power. We have that influence. It’s just a matter of if we want to use it or not. Everybody uses it for different reasons. But at a time like this, you have to put aside the politics of business and whether a sponsor or somebody from a company that you represent is going to call you about it. If you’re a human being, this affects everybody."

WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx players sparked a security walkout at their arena by off-duty officers by donning warmup jerseys “to honor and mourn the loss of precious American citizens and to plead change for all of us.”

Finally, Cleveland Browns running back Isaiah Crowell was forced to apoloigize for an Instagram post featuring a cop having his throat slit. Take two was finally accepted, but not before Crowell offered to donate a game check to the Dallas Fallen Officer Foundation.

"The Cleveland Police Patrolmen’s Association didn’t care much for the initial apology offered by Browns running back Isaiah Crowell for posting an image of violence against a police officer on social media, which prompted a threat to refuse to work at the team’s home games. The police union has accepted Crowell’s second apology, which includes the donation of a game check to the Dallas Fallen Officer Foundation."

In light of these incidents, I caught up with those BWB6 panelists for an updated perspective on he topic.

Kluwe, who contends that his then-controversial support of a Minnesota same-sex marriage referendum landed him on the Vikings and NFL blacklist, stands firm with his beliefs despite his own experience:

"I think that the state of athletes and advocacy is much the same as it was when we discussed it at the panel. There are a few who will speak out, but most don’t, because they know it could cost them their jobs. Until we, as a society, start placing our desire for equality before our desire for wealth, it is unlikely to see much real change."

Cyd Zeigler echoes similar views, specifically on equality and the need for it to be focused on by the masses, not just those affected:

"The problem I have with the advocacy [is] almost all athletes focus on what affects them. Black athletes will get active when race comes up. Female athletes will get active on income equality. But for truly marginalized minority groups in sports, like Muslims or LGBT people, we’re just left out in the cold. So it’s great to see Melo and others want to use their public profiles to fight for justice, but they’re almost always just focused on justice for themselves. None of them were calling for activism after the killing of 49 people in a gay club in Orlando. None of them are upset about anti-LGBT discriminatory laws in North Carolina. Is Melo going to play in the All-Star game in North Carolina next year? LeBron? They won’t even think for a second about it because the discrimination doesn’t target them."

Blackistone, calls directly for action over words (and social media slacktivism):

"First, as I always say, I don’t expect anyone else to do anything that I’m not willing to do myself. I’ll apply that to Melo. I’m not moved by his words. Do something. As Kwame Ture used to ask: what organization are you a part of? Social media has confused people about what social justice action is. Hashtags are too easy. RTs are too easy. I’m impressed by the Lynx and the Liberty taking a stand against extrajudicial killings. They confronted police authority. I’m impressed by what Sensabaugh did, sacrificing his honeymoon for a good cause in the Dominican. But who is marching with BLM? Who is financially supporting that effort?"

DiCaro, recently a participant in a fantastic campaign geared towards addressing online harassment against women, notes:

"I think more athletes than ever are speaking out these days, but those who do are not the high-profile athletes with the biggest platforms. It’s especially disappointing to me to see so many athletes who praised Martin Luther King’s political activism deciding to remain silent on the issues that affect their communities. Unfortunately, endorsement considerations are paramount to many athletes and their advisers, and while I don’t advocate shaming athletes into speaking out when they’re not comfortable, it’s troubling that so few really visible athletes use the platform they are given."

Harison, the lone audible voice on the panel from a right-leaning publication highlights somewhat of the negative (or counter-intuitive) affect the vocal athlete voices have had in advocating social justice or causes dear to them:

• Michael Sam went a little crazy and is out of any kind of football, but got to dance with the stars.
• Curt Schilling had some opinions and got fired.
• Jenner won an ESPY, then endorsed Cruz, and then Trump.
• Hope Solo got arrested for domestic battery and then endorsed Hillary Clinton, because equal pay, but not equal rule of law.
• Johnny Football left football to promote drugs, whores and partying. Whereabouts unknown.
• Incognito is back in the NFL and nobody seems to care.
• Tebow still can’t get a tryout.
• 5 police officers were murdered at a Black Lives Matter rally last Friday, so we’ll see which athlete activists jump on that bandwagon.

He’s blunt, but makes a few points in his own way.

Greg Howard sort of just throws up his hands, and, frankly, probably is the most realistic voice in the bunch.

"I think athlete advocacy is the same it ever was — those who are knowledgeable of and moved by certain issues are speaking, but most athletes aren’t. I’m fine with that, and I’ve spoken on this a few times. No one has an obligation to speak out on social justice, and as we’ve seen, it can be really risky to do so. But absolutely nothing has changed."