Day 13: More Than an Athlete- Conversations with Athletes on Speaking Against Injustice
- RS
- Jun 13, 2020
- 1 min read
2016 proved to be a major watershed moment for professional athletes to step out in using their positions of prominence to speak towards social causes. While there has been a history of athletes lending their voices to social causes and specifically to issues surrounding race, 2016 had multiple high profile and visible moments. One of those major moments was the opening segment of ESPN’s annual awards show, the ESPYs. Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James took the stage to call on other athletes to use their platform to bring about changes. The first video shows that moment as it aired on the original broadcast and the second gives the background and motivation behind the moment.
From ESPN and Showtime (6-minute watch)
Also in 2016, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick started a personal protest during the national anthem at NFL games. Other players joined, and the league became a flashpoint in the conversation surrounding police brutality and respect for the flag. Kneeling wasn’t Kaepernick’s first choice of protest. It wasn’t until a conversation with former green Beret Nate Boyer, who also happened to be an NFL player, that kneeling was chosen. In this video, Boyer joins Rich Eisen to discuss the events of 2016 and his thoughts on where we find ourselves four years later.
From The Rich Eisen Show (22 minute watch/listen)
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