The Long Standing Relationship between American Sports, Black Athletes, & Politics

American sports, politics, and black athletes have been intertwined from day one. There was segregation in sports as well schools, and our everyday lives. It should only be expected that politics would be apart of the conversation when Black athletes started playing in major national sports leagues.

I'll use baseball as my first example of politics and sports being intertwined because of a black athlete. Baseball had a separate league for black men, until Jackie Robinson's first day in MLB. From 1880 to 1947. 67 years of racially segregated baseball. The mere EXISTENCE of Jackie Robinson in Major League Baseball created an issue. April 15, 1947 was the first time a Black man played baseball in the Major Leagues. That was 70 years ago. (Depending on your age) Your father, your grandfather, your great grandfather, one of them, or all of them, were alive at the time. He wasn't welcomed with open arms though. Men he played against, and with, too, still called him a nigger. On April 22, 1947, the Philadelphia Phillies, players and manager, ALL called Jackie Robinson a nigger, and yelled for him to "go back to the cotton fields". Prior to that moment, a lot of the Dodgers players weren't really all that into having a black man on their team. Thankfully, after that, the Dodgers all stood with Jackie. This is also because they recognized how he would help their pockets grow because of his talent and abilities. Twenty years after his first game he went on to say "I cannot stand and sing the anthem. I cannot salute the flag; I know that I am a Black man in a White world. In 1972, in 1947, at my birth in 1919, I know that I never had it made". Even with all of his talent, ability and success, Jackie still understood his positioning in the world. He understood that the flags symbolism isn't one that extends to him and his rights. He knew this because he was discriminated against, even by his teammates. It did not matter to them that he was talented. They simply disliked him because of his skin color. Going against every single "Christian" value they more than likely claim(ed) to have and uphold. America is notorious for claiming to be Christian when it really isn't. You don’t serve the same God as true Christians. You are actively sending the opposite message of the Lord. Your Lord isn’t Jesus Christ. He was a man that believed in love and equality for all human beings more than greed and money. America's Lord is not that same man. Her Lord is the same one that a lot of White supremacists worship though. A Lord who values money more than lives leads America.  As Jackie Robinson so eloquently put it, "Money is America's God". The United States of America loves money more than it loves morale and human decency. Greed is what drives this country. American Slavery was one of the WORST examples of genocide and inhumane treatment in history. Black human beings were used as a means for White human beings to make money and capitalize off of, without having to share the wealth with those who actually did the physical labor. Here's a fun fact: The Civil War wasn’t about humanity. It was about money. The Confederate States didn’t want to give up slavery, because of how lucrative it was for them. The North didn’t want to abolish slavery because they cared about people’s lives. That is a very widespread misconception. They did it because they didn’t want to lose to the South in the next election. If slaves were free men, their votes wouldn't have gone to Southern Slavers. The 3/5's a person rule gave the South an advantage over the North, because, duh, there were obviously more slaves in Southern states. After the Civil War, Blacks were still treated like sub-humans. The emancipation proclamation didn't matter to Southerners. Slaves were freed, but in order to stop them from partaking in the same activities as Whites, the Jim Crow South era began. At every point in time when Black people got a little bit freer, there were then laws and rules put in place, specifically to make Blacks, a little less free.

Now today, athletes are looked at as money machines, still. Keep in mind that sports are now predominately Black, with the exception of a few leagues. Owners of sports teams, bring in BILLIONS of dollars a year. The athletes that play for those teams are paid millions of dollars a year. However it's increasingly clear that people think because those athletes get paid millions of dollars, (in a BILLION dollar industry), they should "shut their pie hole" and stand for the national anthem. Black bodies are still not valued for their humanity. You are perceived to have not an ounce of humanity when you are Black. People are still equating the value of someone's life to the amount of money that they are able to make or bring in for them. Calling a Black athlete, a "no good nigger" because he is trying to draw your attention to the inequity of justice for Black human beings is racist AF (shocker). The same man who said it, at some point is going to claim he isn't racist and knows a Black person. He just feels that this PARTICULAR Black man, is a no good nigger. The Black man I'm speaking about is Mike Tomlin, the head coach of the Pittsburg Steelers. The man, who called him that awful slur, is voicing the disdain for Black humans who feel that they should exercise their God given rights and demand true equality. Meanwhile, this country allows its citizens to protest. It is the FIRST amendment in the constitution. The law of the land, plainly and blatantly states that all men have the right to exercise free speech. 

Pushing false narratives by saying that people are disrespecting the soldiers and the flag is flat out nonsensical. Our soldiers and veterans fight for their right to kneel and stand up against police brutality. There are ways that we disrespect the flag and our veterans EVERYDAY that don’t get addressed, or met with the same energy that this protest has been. Veterans come home, to not have health care, to not be able to afford housing, and end up homeless. The flag is used to sell products, whether it be beer, clothing, bandanas, anything of the sort. All of which, is a direct and flagrant disrespect to the Flag Code. However, that’s not a relevant problem to you because Black athletes kneeling against injustices of Black human beings in America is WAY worse? And you can't possibly be upset about more than one thing at the same time, right? Since Black people speaking out about racism, makes white people uncomfortable the narrative becomes, “no, no, you can protest, I just don’t think THAT’S the way to do it”. But here's the thing, you never think it's the right time, or the right way. Why? Because at every point, it makes White people uncomfortable. White discomfort leads them to say that these athletes, who are peacefully protesting during their time on television is the wrong time. People say it doesn't help to create an open and honest conversation about race. While that could make sense on the surface, it's actually flat out wrong and untrue. If it is understood that a protest is a means of disruption, then truly, any time is the right time. Seeing as now that the conversation is being forced into your homes by way of kneeling during NFL games' national anthem performance, I'd say they're starting the conversation - or at least opening the door to start it. White America has conveniently decided to ignore Black people when they have tried to have the conversation, but now they can't. Now it's on their television, every Sunday, Monday, and Thursday night. 

Michael Bennett of the Seattle Seahawks, Thabo Sefolosha when he played for the Atlanta Hawks and was out in NYC, and former Tennis Pro, James Blake, are three relevant and recent examples of Black athletes who have firsthand experience of being mistreated at the hands of law enforcement because of racial profiling and discrimination. Police brutality and White supremacy do not care if you are a Black person with money. You’re still Black. So therefore, you are still looked at as less than. Stop telling Black athletes to stop speaking up and taking a stand for what they believe in because you don’t ever want to deal with a reality that doesn’t affect you the same way. It’s rude. It’s callous. But most of all, it’s inhumane and lacks compassion. How would you feel if this was happening to your family members of human beings that largely looked like you?  You have to stop expecting athletes, who are human beings, just like you, to not speak up against something that is wrong, and happening to people who look like them. It's unrealistic. These athletes HAVE to protest before and during games, because White America, which is the ruling majority, refuses to deal with systemic injustice and racism. There is always a dance around this conversation. Or flat out outrage that someone would dare say that there's still an imbalance in this country's distribution of equality and fairness. Even when it's right in plain sight. The mere thought of sharing equality, scares White America to death.

The sad reality is that racism is a condition that is taught, and people are conditioned to be racist. History is taught from a racist viewpoint and it's so subtle it goes widely unnoticed. It's so pervasive and dangerous, people have no idea how to stop, but only because they're too afraid of being uncomfortable for the amount of time it would take to correct it. So, in order to avoid having to deal with these uncomfortable feelings, it's taught to children of all races, but particularly White ones, that there is no more racism. That the person bringing attention to racial inequality is always using the race card. That is how black cries for help are silenced and pushed aside. Anytime it's addressed or brought up that someone is being racist, people get defensive and then deflect and say that the person is just "using the race card".

If Colin Kaepernick had said that he was kneeling because that's how he showed his respect for the flag and our country's military, then no one would have an issue with it. However, since he said he is not standing for the national anthem because there is so much inequality and injustice towards black human beings in his country, people are up in arms. All the while completely disregarding the fact that the national anthem a.k.a. the Star Spangled Banner, is racist. It's commonly misunderstood how it's racist because we no longer sing the last 3 stanzas. Although, that doesn't change that the basis that the country and the song were founded on. Which, leads me to believe that the timing of this protest is absolutely right. He and his teammate, who started kneeling, chose that stance specifically to honor and respect the military and those who have lost their lives fighting for our constitutional rights, while still protesting the inequity of Black lives and police brutality. 

It wasn't until Black athletes, who are on televisions in damn near every household in the country, started protesting, that we even gave it a second look. The last few years, social media has done a great deal to help shine light on the injustices and inequities that black human beings face in this country. Even then, people still found excuses and reasons to overlook bloody Black pain because it was too hard for them to be that uncomfortable, knowing that it is directly correlated to Whiteness. If people dealt with the problem and didn't avoid the problem so adamantly, then this issue wouldn't be as severe as it is now. Instead though, they'd rather hear about the Kardashians, or anything else that's hands down lighter in nature. Stop running away from the conversation. Start to have it in your households. With your friends, with your family members, your neighbors, any, and everyone. 

People have been saying that these athletes should feel lucky because of the opportunities they have been GIVEN, by virtue of being an American and if they don't like it, they should leave. A phrase that insinuates they didn't work their asses off to be where they are. That they didn't fight against all odds to be where they are. That they are not STILL fighting against all odds.  (Also, just a question that I've been wondering, where exactly are Black Americans supposed to flee to when they leave? Please don't tell me Africa. They're not from Africa, so that doesn't make sense). Why do they have to flee? Do they not have the same right to exercise free speech that their white counterparts do? They were born and raised in America, and so were their parents, and their grandparents, and their great grandparents were probably slaves, who guess what? You guessed it, DING DING DING! Probably were born here too. So doesn't that by default grant them those rights? It is racist to insinuate that they go back to where they came from, assuming that they are not true Americans because of the color of their skin. Newsflash: if you're White, you're not a true American either. (True Americans are Native Americans, and that's another story, for another day). Sorry, not sorry.

Nationalism is dangerous. Blind nationalism, is even more dangerous. The lack of understanding about basic differences is scary. There is a serious and severe imbalance in the way that Black human beings are treated in this country, versus White ones. That is just a simple fact. It's not an opinion. It's a fact. There's tons of data and stats to prove it too. Recognize that this problem still exists so that we can begin to have a real discussion about real solutions. It's time to take the conversation from social media, and move it to a grassroots congressional level. If you want so desperately to stop seeing politics in every aspect of your life, especially the parts that are supposed to be your escape from reality (cough, cough, sports & entertainment), then stop denying the existence of racism. Start listening and trying to find out ways you can end these unfair and unjust practices against Black human beings. Go to your congressman. Call your senator; write a letter, demand for some new legislation that begins to address the problem. Stop using the excuse that you don't care enough about human beings to give a damn about injustices, while your favorite game is on. You and I both know that you're not going to give a damn about it when the game is off. You don't give a damn about it now. You walk away from any conversation about race for fear that you might be called a racist (which, hey, you just might be) for some of the antiquated thoughts you have. While that's understandable, it's still not excusable. It's okay to learn and try to change bad habits and behavior. The first step to changing bad behavior and habits though, is acknowledging their existence. If you want so desperately for this conversation to end, perhaps write a letter to all sports leagues; tell them that you no longer want the National Anthem to be a part of the game, as it is causing too much political discourse, during the game you know and love so much. Leave it for the Olympics, when we win an event. 

Tommie Smith & John Carlos. American medalists who raised their fists in salute to Black Power & Human Rights, during the 1968 Olympics.

(PS. The Olympics were politicized in 1968 too. Wanna know why? Because, racism, duh! The two Black American athletes who stood at the podium at the end of the 200-meter track event, Gold medalist, Tommie Smith, and bronze medalist, John Carlos wore Olympic Project for Human Rights badges, with raised firsts in the air, during the American national anthem). 

Changing a mindset and narrative is an incredibly arduous task and an even longer process. There have been pervasive thoughts passed down from generation to generation. With each new generation racism shows just how multifaceted it is as well. It takes form in so many different ways.

Black athletes' positions are so crucial and important, that it's necessary they use their voice and platform to speak out against racial inequality. There are millions of people, who look like them, who came from similar backgrounds as them that look up to them, and want to know that they didn't just abandon them when they became successful. Powerful black people, impactful Black people, are athletes, senators, doctors, and so much more, but at the end of the day, they are Black human beings first. So they have a duty and an obligation to speak up, because they're the only ones viewed as semi valuable enough to maybe listen to or acknowledge.

So long as there are Black human beings in sports, and social and racial injustice in America, politics and sports will always be intertwined,.