Calling All Athletes

Billie Jean King. Carlos Delgado. Arthur Ashe. Bill Russel. Tommie Smith and John Carlos. Dave Meggyessy. What do all of these people have in common? They believed in something and they brought their beliefs to their respective athletic arenas in attempts to make a difference inside and out of the world of sports. Some would call this admirable, but many of these athletes faced severe consequences by taking a stand on social issues. The problem with athlete activists arises because many spectators, coaches, and even athletes themselves believe that while playing a sport, one should focus on their performance rather than bringing social issues to light.

Eli Wolff of the Center for the Study of Sport in Society and Peter Kaufman of State University of New York at New Paltz explain that “if athletes use their status and recognition to promote social and political causes they often find themselves increasingly pushed to the sidelines.” Because of this, athletes who would otherwise fight for their beliefs are more apt to conform to the desires of their fans, coaches, and teammates or work behind the scenes in isolation. Athletes have such potential to promote social awareness because of their esteemed status. When Carlos Delgado, the Toronto Blue Jays first baseman, “protested the US invasion of Iraq by quietly refusing to appear in chorus with his teammates,” he was jeered at and booed by fans. Dave Meggyessy, an All-Pro linebacker for St. Louis Cardinals in the 1960s “stood up against the war and when told that his views were detrimental to himself, his career, and his team, refused to back down” landing him a seat on the bench and an early retirement during his athletic prime at the age of twenty-eight. Tommie Smith and John Carlos, Olympic track medalists “created international furor with the Black Power salute at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, which hurt their subsequent careers.” Sad stories of athletes whose strong sense of right and wrong proved to be detrimental to their athletic careers? Well, that is only partially true because these athletes did something that most athletes today cannot pride themselves on: They used the resources that they had to advocate causes that they believed in. They used their positions as athletes to promote ideas that were imbedded in their ideologies. These athletes tried to right wrongs that they deemed important. Not many athletes can say that they have done such a thing.

There very well could have been a person in the stands the day Smith and Carlos raised their fists and bowed their heads doing the very same thing, but he or she is not the one who is paid attention to. There may have been people who remained seated during “God Bless America” just as Delgado had, but they are not the ones that the public hears about. The platform on which athletes stand and the pedestal that society puts them on gives them the ability to make waves in terms of progressive action, but ironically, it is society that discourages athletes from taking action.

The paths that these athletes choose to travel may have been harmful to their athletic careers, but we must ask ourselves whose fault that is? For people who have the opportunity and the drive to make a positive difference in the world we are living in, why do we criticize them when they attempt to? They were only fighting for what was right, but it is us that disapprove of them. There are people in this world that try day in and day out to make beneficial change to our society. Why are athletes, people who have countless resources, the ones who are condemned?

What if Jackie Robinson had never broke baseball’s color line? What if Billie Jean King focused solely on her tennis game and not on women’s tennis as a whole? What if Bill Russell did not lead his Celtic teammates on boycotts of segregated facilities? They not only have made progress with the issues that they have addressed, but these athletes have paved the way for others to follow in their path. Lets not set a roadblock up and send the athletes of today and those of tomorrow on a detour back to their playing facilities.

How can athletes make constructive alterations without throwing their careers away? Ban together in a joint effort. Teammates are not only there to give a nice lead pass or to set a pick while you drive to the net, but they are there for support. They will not always agree on everything, but there are bound to be at least a handful who do see eye-to-eye on an issue. Ask coaches, friends or aquaintences from other teams, anyone in the sports world to help with the movement that you envision. It is a common belief because of the attitudes toward athlete activists in the past that one must fight alone and behind closed doors. If all athletes who try to make a difference came to the forefront then more would follow, less would criticize, and most importantly, transformations would be made. Athletes should not and do not need to work in isolation.

Take Ramogi Huma, a former UCLA football player and one of the founders of the National College Players Association (NCPA), for example. He helped to convince his team “to wear black arm bands during its nationally televised game against the University of Miami,” which signified opposition to Proposition 209, “which aimed to end affirmative action in higher education in California.” According to Huma, the experience reminded his team “not everyone has that power to even make a statement.” This statement emphasizes the idea that athletes often have more attention cast towards them than other groups in society, which enhances their potential to spread social awareness.

What is most crucial is that the public does not object to, criticize, or otherwise attack athletes who are trying to amend the wrong in the world. In doing so, we are only hurting ourselves and those around us. If an athlete wants to solve issues, who are we to belittle that person? To dishearten them? To stop them?

If we can accomplish this, we can ask athletes to step up to the activism plate (and that is not meant to be sport specific!) and make all the positive change they possibly can.

Has Little League gone too far?

Every August eight teams from around the world arrive at Little League's Field of Dreams. South Williamsport, Pennsylvania has been the center of Little League baseball for 61 years, with two stadiums (Lamade, Volunteer), a museum and a hill, which can seat 20,000 and it does every year. The Little League World Series has been called the Late Summer Classic, and it has been nationally televised since its beginnings.

When the kids arrive at Williamsport, they receive brand new gear, which seems like a nice gesture, and it is until you realize that each brand's gear gets highlighted at one point in the tournament. During the Massachusetts-Oregon game this year it was raining, so analyst Orel Hershiser pointed out what good shoes the kids had on to give them grip, and he also thanked the company for supplying them to the teams. When Texas battled Minnesota it was a bit chilly out so the kids were wearing long sleeves. The logo of what they were wearing was clearly seen on each player, as his jersey was cut just so you could see it under the neck line. Are we pushing these kids too far? Has corporate America taken advantage of what could be called the "purest form of baseball?"

We have all heard the story about two teams in a qualifying tournament last year, where one was going to be forced to forfeit because they didn't play all of their players. One manager said let them tie the game, so they could get the kid in the bottom half of the sixth, the other manager told his kids to purposely get out and not tie the game, so that they would win by forfeit. Hoping to win by forfeit, thats where Little League has gone? A few days ago at the World Series, the Georgia manager called a pitchers conference in the first inning, after his kid had made a mistake giving up One hit and One run. Announcer Gary Throne was irate, and he had every right to be. Throne said, "Let the kids play." Hall of Famer Bob Lemon said, "Baseball was meant for kids, grown ups only screw it up." Don't get it wrong, Little League has done some amazing things for kids by getting them to get out and play no matter what their skill level. But has Little League gone too far? Is the pressure on these kids too much? Did Little League turn from a great youth organization, to a money making machine?