Activist Athletes and Social Change. Social justice in various aspects of life.

Activist Athletes and Social Change
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Activist Athletes and Social Change
Athletes use their platforms to advocate for social justice in various aspects of life. The individuals foster social activism in their field careers to enhance continuous changes in society (Sanderson, 2016). Such activities promote progressive social reforms resulting in the fair treatment of all citizens in general. Implemented modifications lead to peace in society. The activist brushes off all the social injustices among the citizens and also between the latter and leaders. This fact ensures a conscious social setting in which all individuals know their rights and responsibilities. The playing field has continued to trigger social changes with the fostering of activism by athletes.
In 2016, Colin Kaepernick made a bold move of not standing for the national anthem as a protest against racism. The athlete decided to fight against oppression due to skin color in a public manner. Although the issue resulted in political wrath on the sports industry and society, the activist took the right action against the ant-moral behavior. It's evident that Colin disobeyed a federal regulation, but he created a bridge to equality. Looking down upon individuals due to skin color is unethical, and fighting against the issue can compromise some rules. The action of kneeling and then sitting during the national anthem drew different opinions from the public (McNeal, 2017). Some individuals praised the athlete while others scorned the move. As far as the issue goes, it had two opposing parties and Kaepernick could anticipate the revealed reaction. The individuals suffering under the captivity of oppression must have shown their happiness while the racists felt mocked through the revelation of their ill-act.
Colin gave a speech at the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research held at Harvard, claiming that it's the responsibility of everyone in power to protect blacks from intimidation based on skin color. According to the athlete, activists should rise against all issues like the brutality used by police against blacks in the American justice system (Lazzeretti, 2018). The athlete reveals that the race goes through severe oppression, and people in power can't take the mandate of protecting such vulnerable individuals. Kaepernick says that everyone in society should take responsibility for fighting for weak individuals. The realization will empower and motivate them to become as bold as the other humans. Living under the oppression of racism affects the victims entirely, resulting in an inferiority complex among the affected parties. Colin advised for immediate actions on racism to avoid escalated levels that can't go through moderation processes.
Although many individuals went a further step to compare Colin with Muhammad Ali, the two activists have a significant distinction in their actions. The considerable difference between Ali and Colin is the substantial sacrifices made by both individuals. Protesting in the context of civil disobedience would cause the athlete a lot of trouble with the government. Colin decided to go against all the odds and do what's necessary for the benefit of marginalized individuals in society (Lazzeretti, 2018). Colin took a high risk of going against the law for the sake of achieving a just society, and that action alone is enough to show the amount of sacrifice the athlete could offer. Besides, the activist incited his team members to join him. This event could have resulted in severe repercussions, including banning from sports activities. Civil arms behold strict powers, and going against the rule can receive severe consequences.
However, most people feel that Ali Muhammad made more sacrifices in opposition to the Vietnam War than Colin. Contradicting the efforts made by Colin is unfair because both activists tried to intervene in different situations. Ali lost focus on personal goals when he gave up his boxing classes for three years. The man could not get a boxing license even after finishing the boxing classes due to the protest action. Many people think that Ali gave a lot because the man sacrificed his personal life goal for the sake of protecting the community from the effects of war (Macramalla, 2016). The activist went to prison for five years, with an additional fine of $10,000 as well. Fortunately, Ali got released upon a reverse of his conviction at the final verges in the US Supreme Court. The significant population of Americans created grudges against Ali for his bold action of standing against the war. The same era came with Ali's fight against the integration of racial beliefs and steps, leading to a slip from civil activism. Therefore, Ali received better recognition than Kaepernick.
LeBron James became the most followed sportsperson for reviewing the awareness of social injustice. Individuals may get oppressed because they don't know their rights and responsibilities as citizens of a particular nation. The knowledge revealed put people in a better position to understand themselves and acquire liberty from the captivity of oppression. James faced opposition from TV news pundit that criticized his review by telling him to ''shut up and dribble'' (Sullivan, 2018). Also, another athlete, Kevin Durant, faced the same challenge in his attempt to oppose specific social issues. The athlete used their media platforms to speak about the social problems thus raising their concerns. Besides, Durant and LeBron responded positively to the negative comments made on their reviews (Bonesteel & Bieler, 2018). This action set an excellent example to the public that ignoring some issues for the sake of the greater good can help in the maintenance of peace in society. The victims of social problems like racism learned that overreacting to every tension is not the solution to all questions. The activists portrayed excellent behavior by deciding not to utter a word to their critics.
The significant role of the league involving James included dealing with the prevailing tension of racism and social injustice. Although some individuals didn’t see the impact of the speech given, the review could overturn issues and lead to stability in the administering of social justice (Galily, 2019). Also, the victims of race discrimination could get a hope of rescue from captivity. The players had a concern in their communities and the prevailing circumstances in the country. Apart from their independent careers, the players sacrificed their time to speak about the issue affecting the dominant communities and the entire nation as well. Speaking about the problems raising alarms revealed their concern for the whole population of the United States (Maloney, 2018). This action proves the selfless nature of the players because some of the injustices don’t happen to them at personal levels. In this case, the activists spoke on behalf of all citizens, and not for personal reasons. Despite the opposition faced, many people believed that Durant and LeBron would still appear again to speak on social issues.
Most of the disabled athletes have revealed their activist's contributions to social injustices in sporting activities. The rise of the campaigns originated from the thoughts of the physically disabled players that the industry is flooded with social injustices. For instance, these athletes don’t have an equal opportunity of acquiring trained and well-attained coaches like the non-disabled players. Consequently, the players miss many chances of winning medals in the Paralympics competition. The players should receive fair treatment by having the same level of coaches to train them ...