Political Activism Of Athletes Makes Sports Richer, Sportswriter Says (Watch)

Billie Jean King, John Carlos, and Jackie Robinson are all well known for their athletic achievements. But according to one sportswriter, it’s the narratives they were willing to challenge and their off-court activism that make them such important figures in the history of American sports.

Dave Zirin, co-writer and narrator of the new film Not Just a Game, screened his movie and spoke about the complicated historical relationship between sports and politics in front of a crowd of 300 people at the AT&T Center Sunday.

“Sports is not just about sports, it sends a message about how the world works,” said Zirin, who believes sports are an alternative lens through which political struggle in the United States can be viewed.

Zirin said the 62-minute documentary shows that sports have long-glamorized militarism, racism, sexism, and homophobia, only to have individual athletes stand up and challenge the status quo. And yet, these days there appears to be a belief that athletes should remain politically neutral, all to "preserve the purity of the game."

“We say sports can’t mix with politics because it’s pure, but commercialism runs rampant in sports,” said Zirin. He argued that many of today’s athletes are afraid to speak out for fear of losing endorsements.

“[Modern athletes] would do well to remember how today’s play-it-safe commercial mindset conceals a longstanding countercurrent that has been there throughout the history of sports,” said Zirin, who referenced Billie Jean King’s fight against sexism and Muhammad Ali’s struggle against racism.

Zirin argued that Lebron James, who has said he strives to be both the richest athlete ever and model himself on Muhammad Ali, could learn a lot from the boxer who once said, “If one man of popularity can let the world know the problem, he might lose a few dollars and cents telling the truth, he might lose his life, but he’s helping millions.” 

Sports really are more than just a game, said Zirin, and, “We do an injustice to [athletes] and to what’s best about sports when we sanitize the past and rip athletics out of the political and cultural context it has always been a part of.”

Zirin’s screening was an unofficial part of the annual North American Society for Sports History conference that was held at UT May 27-30.

A low quality version of the movie can be found on the Media Education Foundation’s website, here. Watch the trailer below: