Tenth International Conference on Sport & Society

Abstract

Since 2013, the Black Lives Matter movement, an uprising of a diverse group of socially conscious individuals, has increasingly become a controversial topic around the decision-making table. Colin Kaepernick’s 2016 decision not to stand during the US National Anthem in protest of racial injustices and police brutality has gained global attention. Blacks are often perceived to be the victims of law enforcement in situations that appear to be clear violations of their human and civil rights. People who are not a part of a marginalized group may not have thought about or realized the influence their race and ethnicity or the privilege they experience without being prompting to do so. Woke individuals are willing to speak up about these inequalities. The National Football League has determined players can speak up, but not in the manner that Kaepernick proposed. In this paper, we argue that in light of the disintegration of our national and international civility, the political and social environment, and ongoing issues of racial and economic inequalities and inequities, academics have an important role to play in: developing ethical and socially conscious leaders, educating students about the social consequences of their professional decisions, and confronting assumptions and stereotypes of others from different cultures, particular those assumptions that lead to unfair treatment of members of marginalized groups. We present a 5 question reflective model to help student athletes decide when to speak up. This model was presented at an Advocacy in Sports workshop held at Morehouse College in February 2018.