The night after a grand jury decided not to charge Louisville police officers with the killing of Breonna Taylor, Los Angeles Laker LeBron James, coming off a playoff victory, used the postgame interview to express his emotions about the news: “We lost a beautiful woman in Breonna that has no say in what’s going on right now. We want justice no matter how long it takes.” What is remarkable about comments like these is how commonplace they are becoming. There is a long tradition of Black athletes engaging in activism. But we have seldom seen so much attention be paid to their political statements and actions—including the recent NBA strike in response to the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, which spread to the WNBA, MLS, MLB and professional tennis. The activism of today’s Black athletes goes beyond speaking out against police violence: James, for instance, also recently formed a group aimed at protecting African Americans’ voting rights and encouraging people to vote this fall. Some observers have wondered what effect, if any, this activism has—whether it is just virtue signaling or whether it really matters in American politics. In particular, could athletes’ kneeling, marching, boycotts, fashion […]
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