Sports Era Essay Assignment

Comparing Racial Issues in Sports through Different Eras Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Comparing Racial Issues in Sports through Different Eras Sports personalities command influence that can sometimes be deployed to steer societal changes. With their popularity, athletes have voices that can influence policies and even behaviors in various settings. In the US, part of that analogy has been marked with the roles that athletes play in driving socio-political and economic changes. In the US, the intersection between sports and race has always been complex. Partly, that is because sports is a platform in which people can easily express their emotions and perceptions. In different eras, Black athletes have been at the forefront of the move to change the social and political trajectory of America. Significant among those athletes are Colin Kaepernick, Tommie Smith, and John Carlos. The above athletes operated in different eras with different socio-political challenges. However, they still had an impact on shaping America’s social order. This analysis compares Colin Kaepernick’s efforts against those made by Tommie Smith and John Carlos. The analysis is important in outlining the influence of an era on the approaches, perceptions, and outcomes that athletes attract in their fight for social justice. The Pre-1975 Incident The period just before 1975 was marked by the intense pursuit of social justice in the US. As such, athletes could partake in the prevalent events. That occurred in 1968 at the Olympic podium in Mexico City. While at the podium, two athletes, Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their fists to salute Black Power as they sang the national anthem. The move was motivated by the Civil Rights movement in the US in which people were protesting against inequality and injustice against Blacks. The action by Smith and Carlos drew attention globally almost instantly (Long, Fletcher, & Watson, 2017). The media and the public were swift to react to this behavior negatively. The media reported that the two athletes were both unprofessional and unpatriotic for engaging in issues that were deemed unrelated to sports. Consequently, Smith and Carlos were expelled from the Olympic Village. Further, the athletes faced a backlash from the public and the media upon their return to the US. The reaction of the public and the media to the actions of Smith and Carlos reflected the prevailing sentiment at the time, which emphasized patriotism over the open display of dissent. Post2000s Case 2the public show of discontent showcased by Smith and Carlos saw a resurgence in 2016. In 2016, the US was at the height of a socially charged fight against systemic police brutality. The unr...