Jack Mahoney
English 123
Professor Drown
2/18/2020
Problem Statement:
The University of New England has been known for its commitment to excellence in the classroom, and for its ability to be recognized as a NCAA Division III regional, and national powerhouse in athletics. As a smaller university, the students here are granted the opportunity to receive a degree, while having the ability to participate in college athletics and this is what allows the University of New England to flourish. The school is beginning to grow significantly, as this year’s freshman class had close to one thousand students, the most accepted in UNE’s history. With numbers growing, the culture of students is becoming more diverse. This diversity is most seen within the student athletes on campus. As a public relations consultant, I have recognized that student athletes at UNE are seen as leaders, scholars, and individuals that normal students strive to be like. This role creates a large target on the back of student athletes, especially if athletes began to protest political events that are seen to be protested in professional sports to this day. At the University of New England, freedom of speech is encouraged and diversity is seen in all aspects of life. However, college student athletes protesting a political issue could have severe ramifications for a school like the University of New England. Although the athletes deserve the right to speak out about political issues, protesting could get them in trouble. If the protest violated NCAA rules, the player could be suspended and even kicked off the team. The protests could also lead to setbacks for the school as well. If others do not agree with the protest, the enrollment rate could drop, and the overall reputation of the school would be tarnished. Along with this, the school could lose funding for major programs such as athletics, which is an overall loss of income. Our job as administrators is to solve this problem, while respecting the student athletes constitutional rights.
Background: Over the course of history, political protests have occurred in numerous professional sporting platforms. During the 1968 Olympics, USA athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their gloved fist to show their support of the Black Power movement, which protested police brutality and inequality in the south during the Civil Rights Movement. The images of the athletes caused serious commotion in the international sports community because it challenged the image of a perfect america that was usually seen at sporting events. Along with this, the images portrayed the corruption that was felt by African Americans in the United States, as social change was demanded. A writer by the name of Erin Blakemore states, “African-Americans like Smith and Carlos were frustrated by what they saw as the passive nature of the Civil Rights movement. They sought out active forms of protests and advocated for racial pride, black nationalism and dramatic action rather than incremental change” (para.3). These athletes inspired millions of people to speak out about civil inequalities that still linger in the United States today. Over my lifetime, there have been multiple examples of professional athletes protesting political issues. More recently, the most famous is former NFL star Colin Kaepernick who began taking a knee during the National Anthem during the 2016 season. During the preseason, Kaepernick would originally sit during the anthem but began receiving backfire from Veterans who believed he was not supporting the efforts of the military. He was approached by a former vetran who was playing for the Seattle Seahawks at the time who supported Kaepernick’s efforts to bring change to american society. He recommended kneeling instead of sitting so that a false image was not portrayed to those who served in the military. With this, Kaepernick began to kneel to protest against police brutality towards the black community in various parts of the United States. This protest spread to every team in the NFL, as more players were seen to be taking a knee, or even waiting in the locker room until the National Anthem was over. It felt as if the NFL was racially and emotionally divided and a solution to this problem was needed right away. His protest caused so much commotion in the United States that he was cut from the San Francisco 49’ers at the end of the 2016 season and has yet to be signed by another team in the NFL.
Issues+Positions +Analysis+Interpretations: The main problem that I have as an administrator overlooking the protests that could potentially happen at UNE is choosing between what is right and what is wrong. Taking away the ability to protest for the student athletes would be unconstitutional, but a solution to this problem would be needed as soon as possible. This means that we need to find an environment for the athletes to protest in without getting them in trouble with the NCAA. The student athletes who would potentially be taking a knee are hoping that their actions spark a chain reaction across the country so that college athletes at all levels will protest as well. Our position is to end this protest respectfully so that UNE’s image is not tarnished.
Recommendations:
Both college and professional athletes are figures that are seen as larger than life. These athletes often use their position to speak out against certain issues such as politics.However, most athletes choose to not speak out and protest and instead just focus on their craft. In the article, “The era of the sports god who shuns politics is sadly over”, New York post writer Clay Travis emphasizes the role famous professional athletes play in politics. He begins the article by reliving his childhood, and what athletes he looked up to at the time. He illustrated how he strived to be as good of a Basketball player as Michael Jordan and equally as talented in Football and Baseball as Bo Jackson. Then, Travis stated, “No one starts a game with more points on the scoreboard based on their race, gender, religion, ethnicity or sexual orientation.In sports, the best man or woman wins. Period.” (Travis) This quote introduces the belief that the author has that politics should be left out of professional sports. The author then stated,” Throughout my childhood as a sports fan and into my early young adulthood as I became a sportswriter, radio host and television commentator, sports didn’t divide us — they united us. While the country faced substantial challenges — the first Gulf War, the tech stock implosion, 9/11, the subprime mortgage collapse — sports didn’t exacerbate those tensions or politicize any of them. Instead, Americans looked to sports as a welcome diversion from the challenges we faced as a country (Travis)”. Personally, I agree with his statement. Although professional athletes deserve great respect in their respective communities, I believe they do not have the ability to fight something that won’t be fixed necessarily with their support. Travis uses the example of Michael Jordan who during the 1990’s stated, “Republicans buy sneakers too” when asked about why he did not speak out about issues surrounding the country at the time. Jordan understood that the best way to unite the country and please people was by playing basketball, and expanding his shoe game. He could not risk losing popularity during the 1990’s as his career and brand were taking over the world. Travis also believes that the usage of social media allows politics to sneak into the world of athletics because some athletes are obsessed with their own identity, and can’t afford to not be liked by all people from different backgrounds. Personally, I believe that the world of athletics is not a place for social experiments. With a possible situation like this happening at UNE, I believe it is important to keep this same mindset, yet being flexible to the student athlete’s needs and wants. I believe the most logical response to the student athlete’s potential protest would be to give them a platform off the playing field that would allow them to continue their protest. Whether it’s a place where the athletes protesting can meet, or some sort of social media platform, all could help reduce conflict for both sides. Along with this, giving the athletes access to representatives from the local and state legislature will give them the chance to seek change much faster than protesting on the athletic stage.
Works Cited:
Travis, C. (2018, September 22). The era of the sports god who shuns politics is sadly over. Retrieved from https://nypost.com/2018/09/22/the-era-of-the-sports-god-who-shuns-politics-is-sadly-over/
Blakemore, E. (2018, February 22). How the Black Power Protest at the 1968 Olympics Killed Careers. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/news/1968-mexico-city-olympics-black-power-protest-backlash
