Exceptional Athletes And Its Impact On Society

Athletes all over the U.S have made their decision and have taken a stance on what they believe is right. Colin Kaepernick, a football player who used to play for the San Francisco Forty-Niners back in 2016, has made headlines for kneeling during the national anthem. For him, kneeling during the anthem was a gesture of protesting police brutality and social injustice. Although many people claimed that Kaepernick was being anti-american, he was just practicing his first amendment rights. The New York Times has quoted Kaepernick during a post-game conference where he said,- “Once again, I’m not

Racial inequality will always be a huge topic in the United States of America, and continues today to still be a huge topic. With the NFL players raising awareness by kneeling and locking arms together during the national anthem, the topic of racial inequality has gained more interest. After Kaepernick in 2016 first kneeled many other athletes and stars joined the movement to talk about the problems of racial inequality. People like Ellen DeGeneres, Zendaya, George Lopez, and many others voice their support for the players (JustJared). This new NFL season has caused more controversy with a new president that is invoking many people, Trump took a shot at the players protesting stating “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners,

Athletes have been protesting in ways which are frowned upon by the government. Athletes should use their fame to promote a political agenda because everybody has an opinion.In the article, “The athlete as agent of change,” by Lonnie Bunch and David Skorton, athletes use their fame to promote a political agenda. In this article, Bunch and Skorton list the ways that athletes silently protest in sports. Ways that listed include athletes turning their back on the flag, kneeling during the national anthem, and refusing to salute the flag. These actions show that the athlete may be opposing America and by doing this, their opinion is shown. Athletes’ opinions are very powerful because athletes are often mentors or inspirations to their fans which

An organization like the NFL needs to support their athletes when they decide to exercise their 1st amendment rights. For example, a current event that has ravished the mainstream media would be over the controversy with Colin Kaepernick. There are 64 quarterbacks total in the NFL at the time, Kaepernick not being one of them. At the end of the season Kaepernick had a passer rating of 90.7 “(ESPN, 2016)”. That was better than ten starting quarterbacks in the league at that time. Also, to add to his resume he only threw four interceptions during the season. His stats prove that he’s a proven NFL starter and his trip to the Superbowl in 2013 are examples of why he should be added to any NFL roster. Why isn’t he on a roster? It’s primarily

Without a doubt, we look at athletes today and from the past as if they are larger than life individuals. They show their personality through talent no matter what they play; some are better than others, for example some can kick or throw. However, at the end of the day they all have a different voice and a different story. People expect them to turn a blind eye to everyday events because of their status. People think of athletes as celebrities, they say they do not go through the same struggles as everyday people. That statement is far from the truth when it pertains to the issue of racism. Racism has been an unresolved problem for years whether it is in sports or athletes speaking for what they believe. Racism has had a big impact on sports such as Germany hosting the olympics and cheating, N.B.A. owners thinking they rule over their players, and the hidden discrimination that happens in locker rooms. Many times athletes have stood up for what they believed just to be shot down. Nowhere in their contracts does it state that because they are professionals that they must compromise their freedom of speech. Whether it be refusing to meet with the president, speaking out on racial injustices, or not standing for the national anthem, athletes have a strong voice in the fight against discrimination and other traumatic events. The fight for equality in sports and throughout America is a process that includes multiple organizations, the reaction of authority figures, and

Sports, particularly football, has became a political debate in September. The author of the article, CNN Sophie Tatum, called “Athletes, activists spar on kneeling National Anthem protests”. She explained that President Donald Trump began to criticize players on his twitter account who would kneel during the national anthem to protest against police brutality. Sophie Tatum writes that Trump and his aides are arguing that the protests are unpatriotic and disrespectful to the flag. Trump also adds that it is disrespectful to the people who fought to protect our country. Although players argue that they are just exercising free speech. In the beginning of the article Sophie Tatum adds an interview, Spike Lee, who is speaking out for the players who take a knee. He defends the players that they are simply protesting against law enforcement and want to be heard on the issues at hand. Reading the title of the article before I read the rest and

There are some reasons as to why professional athletes shouldn’t be protesting because they’re popular. For example, the protests have been causing controversy among people. “While some have voiced their support of Kaepernick, the general public may have a different view.” This shows that not everyone is going to have the same opinion over a topic because the way someone will view things will be based on experiences in their life. In addition, there are other ways to make a difference that are not as harmful. Apparently, “both Kaepernick and the 49ers recently announced they will be donating to charities focusing on racial issues.” This shows that making a difference doesn’t always have to have people outraged because doing other helpful things like volunteering and going on mission trips manage to make a difference without angering people. Furthermore, sports are meant to be entertainment, and they’re taking that entertainment away. “Americans of all economic classes and

If society was to take a look back time in the history of the United States, during World War II, it was stated, “The Supreme Court struck down such a demand for a flag salute during the Pledge of Allegiance” in which the supreme court reason was “the ruling gave strength to individual freedom of mind in preference to officially disciplined uniformity for which history indicates a disappointing and disastrous end” (Sachs and Zatz 1-2). By Supreme Court ruling this way, it gave the people the right to be individuals and be able to have the freedom of speech or to protest against the ways that society is doing wrong by its people. As stated in the First Amendment of the Constitution, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievance” (First 1). So, as citizens of the United States, the sports players have rights to protest and exercising their freedom of

To begin with, the status of someone’s reputation can allow for proper recognition to be received; Correlating with this, NFL players have “louder” voices than those excluded from the field. In Why Colin Kaepernick and I Decided to Take a Knee, Eric Reid makes to highlight his hopes that his role can help gain support for his stand: “We also discussed how we could use our platform, provided that us being professional athletes in the NFL, to speak for those who are voiceless.” Eric’s use of the term “professional” and his revelation to “help those who are voiceless” suggests that he believes that the high position in his area of work has a high likelihood

Professional athletes making political statements and sharing thoughts on their viewed social issues has been around since games were first being broadcasted and gave these athletes a stage to make a stand. Along with those actions entered debate for sports fans who are stuck between whether athletes should or should not share their views on things “bigger than sports”.This has been missing from professional sports in recent decades but is now slowly once again becoming relevant. The presidency of Donald Trump along with Colin Kaepernick’s taking a knee to protest the national anthem are the two main reasons for the

Greatness in sports is a status that only very few reach, however to be labeled the greatest athlete of all time is for that one soul individual who excels at all aspects of the game and exceeds every other player in that sport. In my exploratory essay I established what makes an athlete the greatest athlete of all time. In the following paragraph I am going to summarize what makes an athlete the greatest athlete of all time. For the sake of the argument to follow I am going to stick with just the NFL. When I look at the NFL one name comes to mind when thinking about the greatest NFL player of all time. His name is Tom Brady. Tom Brady is the greatest of all time.

Professional Athletes should be held to the same political standards as anyone else, and not be punished from being outspoken just because they are famous. For example, athletes should be allowed to publicly speak, and not be held to a higher political standard than an ordinary human being. Like Chip Kelly, 49ers coach said in a press conference over Colin Kaepernick's kneeling during the national anthem, “that is their right as a citizen.” Athletes, such as Colin Kaepernick,

If you are sports fan in the U.S., Sunday afternoons between August and February represent gathering with family and friends to watch NFL football. However, this year’s NFL season has been plagued with controversy over the #Take a Knee peaceful protests being demonstrated during the raising of the American Flag and singing of the National Anthem. On September 23rd, at a rally in Alabama, President Trump launched an attack against the NFL stating, “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. Out! He’s fired. He’s fired!” (Graham, 2017, para. 2). Following these statements made by President Trump, on Sunday September 24th, there were wide scale protests from nearly every NFL team. Nearly every media outlet reported their take on President Trump’s missiles against the NFL and how the NFL players would react. The Atlantic and The New York Times took no exception, both publishing articles regarding the views on the controversy.

Flag respect has become a controversial topic, especially among American athletes and their fans, of which numerous news articles have been buzzing about. This ties in with a bigger picture, one about athletes publicly stepping into the political scene. This issue has garnered mixed responses from many places, many being that athletes should stick to sports. However, athletes should be able to use their fame to promote a political agenda for varied reasons. Washington Post’s article “The athlete as agent of change” discusses the history, causes, and effects of athletes influencing society.

With more and more social issues popping up all the time, people are turning for answers. Sadly, we don't have answers to give. Instead we try expressing our opinions publicly through protests and public demonstrations. The country has been turning to athletes and asking them to voice their opinion, but is it really the athlete's responsibility? Or could they stay dormant with their points of view?