Activism and the Modern Athlete

I’m back…

I am a big fan of the HBO series “Real Sports”. I have always believed that sports do not exist in a vacuum. Sports are a microcosm of society. Sports are so much more than just games that are played. They mirror the most profound social phenomena in our society, as issues such as racism, sexism, commercialism, greed and exploitation play out along with the exhibitions. And the well paid athletes who perform in professional sports find themselves facing these issues both on the field and off.

That leads me to the recent interview done by Bryant Gumbel on Real Sports (who does not get his proper respect as a great journalist) with Jim Brown and Bill Russell. It looked at these two amazing men, now in the twilight of their lives, and exhibited their great accomplishments. Both of these men on the field of play are regarded by many as the greatest ever in their respective sports. Yet it is what they have both done off of the field/court, using their position and notoriety to act as agents for social change, that has created a lasting legacy. These gentlemen experienced horrible racism at the beginning of their careers. Yet they did not stand by quietly. They stood up and rallied against it. They organized other athletes behind common causes. When Muhammad Ali was stripped of his title for refusing to comply with the draft, it was Russell and Brown by his side. When Tommy Smith and John Carlos were vilified for their black power salute, these two men led the push to support them. Jim Brown has done amazing work with gangs in south central L.A., his programs taking kids from bullet riddled streets and sending them to college. They were vocal and outspoken throughout the civil rights movement. I have the utmost respect for both of these men, who resisted the push to silence them and took a stand against racism and injustice.

The interview eventually turned to today’s athlete and the lack of activism. Now as much as I love these men, I have to disagree with some of their criticism. Jim Brown went very hard at Tiger Woods. Not let me preface that I am not a Tiger Woods fan, nor do I have any dislike for him. I respect him for his greatness as a golfer and as a trailblazer in the world of golf, but I just kind of just take him as he is. Brown stated this about Tiger: “As an individual for social change? Terrible. Terrible. Because he can’t get away with teaching kids to play golf, and that's his contribution. In the real world, I can't teach kids to play golf and that's my contribution, if I've got that kind of power." Here is where I disagree. Would it be great if Tiger Woods stood up and railed against injustice in his press conferences? Of course. Would it be great if he and other athletes vocally challenged the status quo? Sure. But not everyone is built for that sort of role. Brown, Russell, Ali they were born activists who happened to excel in sports. They had the charisma, the strength to be out in the forefront as leaders. But every great movement for justice needs people taking different roles. You don’t have to be that fist pumping leader to make a difference. And I don’t think you can dismiss a man’s contribution because he doesn’t make a difference in that way. My feeling is this: I just want to see people with the resources that many athletes have do SOMETHING. Do something to help the community and those who are less fortunate. Make some sort of genuine effort. The civil rights movement has amazing leaders who spoke out and galvanized the masses but they also had worker bees that did things behind the scenes to keep the machine going. Not every person who can catch, throw, shoot or hit a ball is going to have it in them to stand up and speak out on all sorts of issues, but if they devote their time, energy and resources to bettering the lives of those in need, then they deserve to be commended and not chastised. As Bob Frantz of the As San Francisco Examiner pointed out, Tiger does a little more than teach kids to golf: “The Tiger Woods Foundation does much more than conduct golf clinics for kids. It funds university scholarships, allows students to study at Tiger Woods Learning Centers, provides millions of dollars in grants to more than 100 charities annually, and “Tiger’s Action Plan” is a program that helps teachers, youth groups and other leaders to help kids reach their fullest potential." Tigers learning centers are currently in the Los Angeles area and he plans to expand them to the DC area.

Some may dismiss that, but I will say this: When an athlete does positive things and does not go out of his way to gain media attention for it, it actually causes me to give them MORE credit. Too often, good works are sensationalized and pushed in the media and that makes me question their sincerity. When these works are done quietly it leads me to think that they are done more for pure purposes rather than photo opportunities and image embellishment. You never know for sure without knowing the person of course, but I can say that Tiger at least does something. And even if he isn’t speaking out about Iran or universal health care or disproportionate minority contact in the criminal justice system, if there are inner city youth who get to college, or who find a safe haven that keeps them from getting in trouble due to his gifts then he has contributed to bettering the world.

I love what Ali, Brown and Russell, among others, did in raising their voice against injustice and discrimination. I do wish there were more athletes who did the same. But I cannot and will not dismiss the acts done by modern athletes like Warrick Dunn (Program that helps single mothers in the inner city buy their first home), Derrick Brooks, David Robinson (Started charter schools for inner city youth) and others just because they are not advocating in ways that others think they should. There is a place for words and a place for actions. As long as someone is contributing one or the other, then we all benefit.