Wisconsin to wear patches on uniforms for unity, inclusion
Collegiate sports are in a massive state of turmoil, nonetheless Wisconsin has committed to having its athletes wear a patch for inclusion.
College athletics that are, for now, slated to occur in the fall have been in a whirlpool of uncertainty for the past few weeks. Various athletic conferences have even cancelled fall sports all together, including the Ivy League, Patriot League, and the NESCAC.
Now, as it seemingly becomes less likely college athletics will be able to function in a safe environment, it looks very possibl all Power Five conferences will be forced to cancel fall sports, including college football.
Despite all the uncertainty, the University of Wisconsin has announced that all of its athletes will wear a special crest on their jersey in support of inclusion and diversity.
The special patch will be the official crest of the University, which contains a white “W,” but the “W” will be black instead.
Former and current Badger athletes have expressed support for wearing the custom University crest on their uniform rather than the usual logo.
It will also be different than the logo used specifically for athletics, which is a large block “W.”
The Badgers are not the only sports program to do something of this nature for the sake of supporting racial diversity and inclusion. Across college football, many teams have attended rallies for justice and unity, including Lane Kiffin and his Ole Miss squad, and multiple conferences have created anti-racism coalitions.
Also, in the NFL there have been discussions with its players on wearing social justice patches on uniforms. And in the NBA, there is already an agreement in place to allow players to wear social justice patches on their uniforms.
It is certainly admirable of Wisconsin’s administration to make this change and listen to the thoughts of its current and former players, but this special patch may very likely not even make an appearance with all of the turbulence surrounding college athletics.