Should Pro Athletes be Involved in Politics?
There have been different arguments arising of whether pro athletes should be given the chance to take part in politics or not. Some people feel that athletes should completely stay away from politics whereas others feel that athletes should take part in politics since most people view them as role models and hence can easily listen to them and heed to their advice on political issues. Athletes have a public voice and hence the supporters of them being participants in politics feel that given the chance these athletes can be perfect crusaders for justice. However, those who oppose feel that athletes should not be allowed to take part in politics since this will have a direct effect on their career. They feel that most of the athletes will be carried away by politics and hence neglect athletics. However, athletes should be given the chance to take part in politics since they play a huge role in fighting for justice and the rights of the people especially the blacks in the country.
Athletes as Agents for Change
During the 1968 Olympic Games, both John Carlos and Tommy Smith who were African American medalist by then decided to dress against the Olympics code, and this they did with an aim of protesting against the harassment of the black people in the United States. They felt that the black people were being treated in a very cruel manner and for this reason, they decided to protest. Currently, there is a political debate in the United States talking of what roles the athletes should be playing in the national conversations on race, politics and the society. There are some popular athlete activists like Colin Kaepernick who knelt down while the national anthem was being sung with the aim of protesting against the increased police brutality in the country in the year 2016. These acts indicate some of the positive roles the athletes played in the country, proving that they should take part in politics.
The Opposition against Mixing Politics and Athletics
Besides these, there are some of the people who still believe that politics and athletics should never be mixed. Some of those going against athletics and politics together are President Donald Trump and some of the owners of the NFL teams, for instance, Jerry Jones. Sports have a very long history of political statement making and protesting in the United States. Some of the political athletes have had so much control of quite a number of political issues and hence this leads them to be opposed by some of the politicians and other people in the position of power. With this, therefore, the main reason arising in America is whether athletes should remain as outspoken social critics in the country. When people who are hardly listened to for instance the poor and those discriminated against maybe due to race, religion or gender see a chance where their grievances can be heard, they take advantage of this chance for their own benefit. For instance, some of the public figures like the athletes can play a major role in helping these poor discriminated people by bringing their grievances to the public domain. Athletes often take up this role to advocate for some of this crisis.
Athletes as Brave Advocates
The athlete's fame is not the only factor that makes them fit for this very difficult task. Besides, it is by the fact that athletes are required to make so many personal sacrifices in their call of duty and besides they face so much opposition. Some of these challenges that the athletes have to face is what makes them be nobler and hence enabling them to have the courage to fight for the rights of the people and also fight for justice. Most of the athletes who attempted to use their platforms in making political statements succeeded in their demands but also had to deal with very severe consequences. For instance, in the year 1967, Muhammad Ali did not agree to be inducted based on religious ground and this caused him to be arrested and also his championship title was withdrawn. Besides this, he was also banned for three years from boxing in the country. Apart from him, Carlos and Smith were also banned from taking part in the Olympic Games due to their 1968 protests.
The Sacrifices of Athlete Activists
Different athletes have suffered so much as an attempt to protest against the negative events taking place in the country. Even though most of them were not directly fired or suspended, they had to face challenges in one form or the other. Craig Hodges helped the Chicago Bulls in winning an NBA title in 1992, and it is after this that he was expected to attend the white house for a congratulatory visit. He went there wearing a dashiki and on one hand carrying a letter that was meant to address the president concerning the issues the African America community was facing. After doing this, Craig was withdrawn from the bulls and was never allowed to take part in the NBA again. This often happened to the athletes besides them attempting to fight for the rights of the people. Most of them lost their careers simply because of fighting for justice in the country.
Giving Athletes a Voice in Politics
Athletes and especially the professional ones should be given the chance to take part in politics. With this, therefore, their rights will be protected and hence they will be listened to without them having to suffer. Most of the people in the society usually view them as role models in the society. This is for instance due to their attempts to fight for justice and the rights of the people especially the blacks and the poor. They suffer so much while trying to do this and hence they should be legally given this chance in order to ensure that they can fight for whatever they wish for provided it is good. By the fact that most of them go through many hardships in their work, they carefully understand what the common man goes through unlike most of the politicians and hence they should be given a chance in politics in order to fight for justice which they have already proven that they are capable of.
Work cited
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The book looks at some of the key features that determine a professional athlete. It looks at their strengths and weaknesses and besides their capacity outside the sports world.
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Banet’s textbook looks into some of the challenges that professional basketball players face especially due to their differences in gender and race. It also looks at some of the political interferences that affect the players.
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This book looks into some of the major problems that athletes face for instance political interference and also lack of proper appreciation by the government.
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The book focuses on the effects of politics on sports. It looks at some of the government policies that affect athletes and also the involvement of athletes in politics
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The book focuses mainly on black athletes. It attempts to find out if really the accusation of them being
So aggressive is true. It also discusses the present discrimination against black athletes.
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This book looks into some of the main challenges in the sports industry and the manner in which decisions to decrease or increase commitments among the players are made.
