With the upcoming Super Bowl matchup between the Carolina Panthers and the Denver Broncos, it has been hard to overlook the impact sports players have in terms of making sociopolitical statements. Throughout history, sports have played a great role in bringing up certain topics of discussion which are otherwise difficult to discuss. While these issues range from things such as the opposition to the military draft for the Vietnam War, to even problems with racial relations between team owners who hold onto antiquated beliefs as seen in the Donald Sterling case in the NBA, it is easy to see that sports are a platform that has always been used to express the attitudes of at least those living in the urban inner cities.
This explains why we can look to sports today to find what’s trendy in the youth culture. This can even be seen with the way certain sports shows, such as “His and Hers,” are being marketed through the diverse castings which allows inner city trends and behaviors, which were previously a taboo, to become an acceptable means of expression. With hip hop as the primary driving force of the counter-culture that has seeped through the present day sport world, it is only right that the conversations about the role that athletes play in social issues regarding culture revolves around the black athlete and his/her everlasting battle of validating their athletic prowess while also pushing for the acceptance of the culture they are brought up in.
Cam Newton’s emergence as an MVP caliber player serves as a great example of how athletes today place themselves in a position where they can excel in their respective sport without having to leave behind their culture which was previously looked down upon. Cam Newton’s emergence is not unique only because of his race, as we’ve seen Black quarterbacks such as Russell Wilson and Donavan McNabb lead their team to Super Bowls in the recent history. It’s unique because of the cultural pride that Cam emanates. While he’s faced criticism from groups of people in the broader society, such as the mother who condemned his touchdown celebrations, his resilience and his constant assurance of the pride that he takes in his culture illustrates how sports have always been an outlet for underrepresented groups.
This is not to place too much power on the athlete as there are obvious limitations to making athletes the unofficial representatives; athletes of a large stature are sometimes given the burden of socioeconomic situations that are many times out of their hands, as seen with the appeal to Lebron James regarding the Tamir Rice case. These athletes power positions have the power to positively change misconceptions that the dominant society have always had about misunderstood groups of people or cultures, such as the place of Black womanhood, Black masculinity, LGBTQ struggle, etc. With the emergence of athletes who are willing to proudly attach themselves to their own cultural background without fear of scrutiny from the dominant society will make way for starting deeper conversations about having respect for all groups of people through mutual understandings and dialogue.
Sylla is a sophomore intended computer science major from Bronx, New York.