10 Famous Sporting Protests
This should get the President tweeting...
If you want to see the impact a sporting protest can have, check the Twitter feed of the President of the United States of America.
Rather than the human crisis in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria, or the safety of American citizens at home and overseas, President Donald Trump’s primary focus appears to be on a few NFL players who are taking a stand by taking a knee.
That says more about the man than it does the office, and is of course not representative of the priorities of the entire world, but it does show how protest can capture attention.
Sportspeople are some of the most visible in our society and will sometimes use this platform to highlight objections felt within the wider community. They have a captive audience, both in terms of their fanbase and the media, which makes them difficult to ignore.
Protests by athletes or non-athletes at sporting events have been going on long before the current NFL debate. Some have affected serious change already, and some are still works in progress...
10. Kaepernick Takes A Knee
Colin Kaepernick is the player responsible for getting Donald Trump’s panties up in a bunch by kickstarting the ongoing protests in American football.
Prior to a pre-season game in 2016, the then-San Fransisco 49ers quarterback stayed seated for the playing of the The Star Spangled Banner, as opposed to the tradition of standing.
Kaepernick later explained to reporters: "I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of colour. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."
The 29-year-old soon switched to taking a knee in an attempt to show more respect to former and serving members of the U.S military while maintaining his protest, but his actions were divisive and led to boycotts of the NFL during the 2016 season.
Kaepernick is currently a free agent, which some people attribute to his campaigning, not his ability, but his fellow NFL professionals have taken it upon themselves to continue the protest in his absence, by either staying seated, taking a knee, or raising a fist.