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Modern Sports in Modern Politics

By Brian Uhler, University of Chicago Class of 2021

August 5, 2020

In recent years, many professional athletic associations have become increasingly involved in various political issues and certain players in particular have sparked this trend. From the NFL (National Football League) to the MLB (Major League Baseball), it seems to some that we are now living in an age in which everything can and must be politicized. So, what exactly has created this trend and why is it gaining such rapid popularity? Is it because these organizations genuinely care about the social issues plaguing the United States, is it because they think they can pick up some quick cash by pandering to the masses, or is it some of both?

Most recently, the MLB has jumped on this trend. Baseball has featured “BLM” on the pitcher’s mound, and while one might think that the person in charge of putting the “MLB” logo on the pitcher’s mound might have just made a disastrous spelling error, this was actually intentional – “BLM” stands for “Black Lives Matter”, a movement centered on protesting police violence against African-Americans. This happened almost instantaneously upon the start of the 2020 season; due to the current pandemic, the MLB had to adopt a shortened, 60-game schedule starting in late July. (1) The MLB has publicly stated that they stand firmly in solidarity with the BLM movement and will listen to the African-American community and enhance the voices of the African-American players in the league. (2) Interestingly enough, while baseball was one of the first sports to racially integrate, its past is remarkably checkered with racism. For many years, African-Americans were not allowed in the MLB, and even after integration many team owners colluded to prevent the signing of African-American players to their teams. However, there are numerous African-American players in the league today, and in support of those players and of the African-American community as a whole, both the Washington Nationals and the New York Yankees knelt before the National Anthem in solidarity. However, while this action was widespread among the MLB teams on their respective opening days, Sam Coonrod, a pitcher on the San Francisco Giants, did not kneel. Coonrod says that he is a Christian, and as such, he ”can’t kneel for anything besides God.” (3)

However, while the MLB is the most recent professional sports organization with players that have chosen to adopt performative actions like this, it is far from the first. Of the recent uptick in political issues in sports, none is more recognizable than former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. In a 2016 game against the Chargers, Kaepernick knelt during the National Anthem as a way to protest wrongdoings against minorities. (5) This action sparked great controversy, with many asking if this action constituted a disrespect of the flag and the members of the United States military that have died for the freedoms of citizens across the country. Around the time of this incident, a photo of Kaepernick surfaced in which he wore socks that depicted police officers as literal pigs. Kaepernick said that he wore these socks because rogue cops are allowed to hold positions in the police departments, which puts communities in danger. However, during this time, Kaepernick was also battling for his job as the 49ers starting quarterback. Only months after the beginning of the controversial incident, Kaepernick was benched (removed from the game) during a game by the coaching staff due to a spectacularly poor performance against Chicago Bears. During the game, Kaepernick completed 1 of 5 passes (an absolutely horrible percentage) for a total of 4 (four) yards and was sacked (tackled in the backfield) 5 times, all within 3 quarters of playing. For those that do not know much about football, if your favorite team’s quarterback has thrown for four yards in a game, your team is most definitely getting destroyed. In fact, his performance in this game made Kaepernick the first quarterback in NFL history to be sacked 5 times and throw for fewer than 5 yards in the same game – quite the “accomplishment.” (4)Kaepernick said in a post-game interview that he was surprised that he was benched, and also mentioned that he believed that the cold and wet Chicago weather played a substantial role in his poor performance. After the 2016 season, Kaepernick decided to opt out of his contract with the 49ers and become a free agent, a player able to be signed by any team. However, the 49ers coaching staff made it clear that had Kaepernick not opted out of his contract, he would have been cut from the roster anyway due to his performance and disagreements with the coaching staff over how to run their offense. (6)

In addition to the MLB and NFL, the NBA (National Basketball Association) has also dipped its foot in the huge pond of politics and social issues. For its 2020 season, the NBA has decided to paint “Black Lives Matter” on many of its courts. Additionally, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said that the league has created a foundation to “expand institutional and economic opportunities across the Black Community.” (7) However, this action is far from the first time that the NBA has been a notable part of a political discussion. The NBA has substantial popularity in China, and when Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted support for the pro-democracy protests taking place in Hong Kong, the streaming companies that are responsible for streaming the games in China immediately stopped all NBA streams. This backlash was amplified when Adam Silver voiced his support for Morey’s right to his freedom of expression. However, it is estimated that the business there is worth around $4 billion. (9) Since then, the streaming companies have quietly begun streaming NBA games in China once more. There have not been many public statements regarding why this happened, but it can be inferred that some conversations regarding the issue took place. While the public may never know what happened in those conversations that resulted in the multi-billion-dollar industry being restored in China, it is rather interesting to note that when a person attempts to order a customized jersey from the NBA’s website, that person was at first unable to customize the back of a jersey to say “Free Hong Kong.” (8) After significant backlash, the NBA’s online store claimed that there was an error on the site. So, was this a situation in which the NBA backed down to China’s demands and attempted to censor people that disagreed with China’s stance on the pro-democracy protests of Hong Kong? Maybe.

In light of the recent trend of professional sports teams and organizations to get involved in political and social issues, we as a country can hope that this trend will result in increased justice and awareness in our country and that we continue to move in the right direction. At the same time, we also hope that these billion-dollar corporations truly have the best intentions in mind, and they are not simply pandering to people to make money.

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(1) Anderson, R.J. Jun 24. “MLB Announces 60-Game Season for 2020; Opening Day Will Be July 23 or 24.” CBSSports.com, 24 June 2020, www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/mlb-announces-60-game-season-for-2020-opening-day-will-be-july-23-or-24/#:~:text=60%2Dgame%20schedule-,MLB%20announces%2060%2Dgame%20season%20for%202020%3B%20Opening%20Day%20will,be%20July%2023%20or%2024&text=Major%20League%20Baseball%20is%20set,a%2060%2Dgame%202020%20season.

(2)Murphy, Paul P. “Baseball Is Making Black Lives Matter Center Stage on Opening Day.”CNN, Cable News Network, 24 July 2020, www.cnn.com/2020/07/23/us/opening-day-baseball-mlb-black-lives-matter-trnd/index.html.

(3)Dedaj, Paulina. “Giants' Pitcher Sam Coonrod Refuses to Kneel During Black Lives Matter Moment Because of Faith: 'I'm a Christian'.” Fox News, FOX News Network, 25 July 2020, www.foxnews.com/sports/giants-sam-coonrod-kneel-black-lives-matter-faith-christian.

(4)Wagoner, Nick. “Colin Kaepernick Benched by 49ers After Dismal 3 Quarters vs. Bears.” ESPN, ESPN Internet Ventures, 4 Dec. 2016, www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/18202774/colin-kaepernick-benched-san-francisco-49ers-fourth-quarter-vs-chicago-bears.

(5)Krasovic, Tom. “Colin Kaepernick Takes a Knee During National Anthem in San Diego and Is Booed.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sept. 2016, www.latimes.com/sports/nfl/la-sp-chargers-kaepernick-20160901-snap-story.html.

(6)Brinson May 31, Will. “The 49ers Would've Cut Colin Kaepernick If He Hadn't Opted Out of His Contract.” CBSSports.com, 1 June 2017, www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/the-49ers-wouldve-cut-colin-kaepernick-if-he-hadnt-opted-out-of-his-contract/.

(7)Medina, Mark, and Jeff Zillgitt. “'Black Lives Matter' to Be Painted on Courts at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex for NBA's Resumed 2020 Season.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 30 June 2020, www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2020/06/29/nba-paint-black-lives-matter-courts-season-restart-orlando/3282987001/.

(8)Heck, Jordan, et al. “NBA Store Says 'Free Hong Kong' Was 'Inadvertently Prohibited' from Jerseys.” Sporting News, (NBA Store), 14 July 2020, www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/news/nba-store-free-hong-kong-jerseys/vamfw17sza9f16m8iuo6la7wt.

(9)He, Laura. “China Suspended Ties with the NBA Last Week. Now It's Starting to Restore Them.” CNN, Cable News Network, 14 Oct. 2019, www.cnn.com/2019/10/14/business/china-nba-dispute-tencent-livestream/index.html.

Photo Credit: Keith Allison

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