The Most Politically Outspoken Black Athletes of All Time
In honor of MLK Day, take a look at how black athletes and the way they voice their political views has changed over the years.
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Intro
One group that has seen the most change since the Civil Rights era are black athletes. Yes, they still face some more subtle forms of racism today, but considering that 70 years ago black athletes weren't even allowed to participate in many of the major pro sports, it's quite a different ball game now. The credit for the progression of African American sports figures can be given to the athlete activist roles that many of their forefathers took on decades earlier. Iconic figures like Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali, and Althea Gibson paved the way for super stars of today.
But with bigger contracts, self-centered personas, and endorsement deals on the line, that political activism among black athletes has faded and morphed since the days of the Civil Rights movement. Instead of Tommie Smith and John Carlos using the world stage to express injustices faced by African Americans, today, most of the political views expressed revolve around more current topics like gay marriage and terrorism. From running for public offices to making controversial statements over Twitter, black athletes have expressed themselves in a variety of ways over the years. So, in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, we're taking a look back at the The Most Politically Outspoken Athletes of All Time.
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Jack Johnson
Jack Johnson
Sport: Boxing
Years: 1897-1938
Today's controversial black athletes have nothing on Jack Johnson. In an era where blacks were regularly lynched for beating up white men or being in relationships with white women, Johnson did both in the public eye. On July 4, 1910 in Reno, Nevada, Johnson, the first black heavyweight boxing champion, was challenged for his title by the white former undefeated heavyweight champion, James Jeffries. Prior to the fight, Jeffries said, "I am going into this fight for the sole purpose of proving that a white man is better than a Negro." Johnson won by TKO in the 15th round. The champ added even more fuel to the racial tension fire outside of the ring by dating white women outside of it. Johnson was married three times and all of his wives were white. Jeezy said it best...
Paul Robeson
Paul Robeson
Sport: NFL
Years: 1921-1922
While his athletic career was long over by the time he endured the ire of the U.S. government, Paul Robeson paid as high a price as anyone on this list for his political views. A football star at Rutgers during the '10s (he also played baseball and ran track), Robeson played two years in the NFL before retiring to devote his life to the arts. His quarter-century long, internationally acclaimed acting and singing career was effectively terminated by the U.S. government when the State Department revoked his passport in 1950, in response to his political activism. The move prevented him from touring internationally, and he was ostracized in the U.S. He died in 1976, but has since become an inspiration for artists and athletes with unpopular political views. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1995.
Joe Louis
Joe Louis
Sport: Boxing
Years: 1934-1951
The term "American hero" is thrown around lightly in sports nowadays with it being used for everyone from athletes who are considered the most popular among fans to those who win gold medals for the U.S. at the Olympics. But one of the few who athletes who represented the epitome of an American hero was boxing champ Joe Louis. The heavyweight whose championship reign lasted from 1937 to 1949 served in the military during World War II and became an icon for anti-Nazi sentiment in the country. His celebrity was often used to encourage blacks to join the armed forces despite the fact that the U.S. military was segregated. The Brown Bomber responded to this fact by saying, "Lots of things wrong with America, but Hitler ain't going to fix them."
Despite his work in the ring and outside of it, greedy promoters and incremental tax rates left the champ in financial distress. He ended up having to work odd jobs and seeking assistance from friends in order to pay his bills. SMH, what can your country do for you?
Jesse Owens
Jesse Owens
Sport: Track and Field
Years: 1935-1936
The 1936 Summer Olympics were hosted by Adolf Hitler, who wished to use the platform to show off his fascist Nazi propaganda. Owens proved that theory to be bullshit when he racked up four gold medals. Needless to say Hitler was conspicuously absent for the medal presentations. What's German for bitchassness?
Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson
Sport: MLB
Years: 1947-1956
On April 15, 1947 Robinson made his debut as the first black major league player of the modern era in the Dodgers 1947 home opener. Despite racism from some fans, opposing players, and even his own teammates, Robinson won Rookie of the Year honors that season and the National League MVP in 1949. After his Hall of Fame baseball career, Robinson used his fame to stump for various political candidates, including Richard Nixon for president in 1960, Nelson Rockefeller for governor of New York in 1964, and Hubert Humphrey for president (running against Nixon) in 1968.
Althea Gibson
Althea Gibson
Sport: Tennis
Years: 1950-1958
Way before Venus or Serena hopped on the scene, there was Althea Gibson. She was the first black woman to compete on the world tennis tour and the first to win a Grand Slam (1956). Throughout the 1950s she ranked among the top players in the world, winning six Grand Slam singles titles. After retirement, she began her political career when she was appointed New Jersey state commissioner of athletics in 1975. This would eventually lead to her challenging Democrat Frank J.Dodd for his seat on the New Jersey state senate in the 1977 primary election. Gibson finished second behind Dodd, and would continue to serve as the New Jersey state commissioner of athletics before taking a position on the governor's council on physical fitness. Sounds like the lady had a passion for sports that extended way beyond the court. That sure is more than we can say for some athletes of today.
Hank Aaron
Hank Aaron
Sport: MLB
Years: 1954-1976
Given the era when he broke Babe Ruth's home run record, Aaron made political "statements" countless times in the early 1970s simply by showing up to work and not being dissuaded in his quest by the constant stream of racist threats he received (and by hitting the cover off the ball on a regular basis). He's a frequent contributor to mostly Democratic candidates, including his brother-in-law, Georgia Rep. David Scott, Bill and Hillary Clinton, and Georgia governors Zell Miller and Roy Barnes.
Wilma Rudolph
Wilma Rudolph
Sport: Track and Field
Years: 1956-1962
Wilma Rudolph was another female pioneer athlete of the Civil Rights era. Despite being born premature and contracting polio as a child, Rudolph would go on to become the the fastest woman on earth and rack up three gold medals at the 1960 Olympics in Rome. Rudolph said she that Jesse Owens was her inspiration to become such a successful sprinter. If actions speak a lot louder than words, then Wilma was worth her weight in gold (Olympic gold, of course) for a lot of African American girls who had an interest in sports.
Bill Russell
Bill Russell
Sport: NBA
Years: 1956-1969
Bill Russell may not have been the most vocal athlete, often refusing to sign autographs or do interviews but he was no doubt a pioneer for all black athletes. He battled racism throughout his years in Boston and lead his team to become the most dominant dynasty in sports history. After Russell had won nine championships in ten seasons with the team, Celtics head coach Red Auerbach retired and named Russell as player-coach, making Russell the first black head coach in NBA history and professionals sports. Russell coached the team to another two championships in three seasons as player-coach. In 2010 he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Curt Flood
Curt Flood
Sport: MLB
Years: 1956-1971
Curt Flood played centerfield for the St. Louis Cardinals and was a seven-time Gold Glover. During the 1970 season, he went to war with Major League Baseball. In 1969, the Cardinals traded Flood along with Tim McCarver, Byron Browne, and Joe Hoerner, to the Phillies for Dick Allen, Jerry Johnson, and Cookie Rojas. The principals in the trade, Flood and Allen, refused to report to their new teams and Flood filed an antitrust suit against the MLB. Back in those days, there was no such thing as free agency; once a player was drafted, he was "property" of that team for life (The Reserve Clause). Flood sat out the 1970 season in the dispute, returning for a brief stint with the Senators in '71 before retiring for good.
In 1972, the US Supreme Court ruled in favor of Major League Baseball in the case of Flood v. Kuhn, but Flood's activism forced MLB to accept the 10-5 Rule wherein any player with at least 10 years of experience and at least five with his current team could veto a trade.
Jim Brown
Jim Brown
Sport: NFL
Years: 1957-1965
At the young age of 29, Jim Brown retired from the NFL as the all-time leading rusher with 12,312 yards; a record that stood for 19 years. After retirement Brown would go on to star in movies such as 100 Rifles; one of the first major releases to include a interracial love scene. Aside from his acting career, Brown founded programs like the Black Economic Union which was aimed at black professional athletes to help black-owned businesses thrive in urban communities. After the BEU folded, J.B. would create another program now known as Amer-I-Can in 1986. The Los Angeles based program helps gang members and convicts learn life skills in an effort to change their lives for the better. Over the years Amer-I-Can has raised millions of dollars and has expanded to cities such as Cleveland and San Francisco.
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali
Sport: Boxing
Years: 1960-1981
The boxer many consider the Greatest wasn't always loved by the majority of sports fans. When he changed his name from Cassius Clay after converting to Islam, many writers refused to call him by his name. When Ali refused to join the Army because of his religious beliefs and opposition to the Vietnam War it created quite a nationwide controversy. "I ain't got no quarrel with them Viet Cong ... They never called me nigger," said Ali. Though not really seen as controversial today, Ali's outspoken opposition to Vietnam War caused many to call him a draft dodger while pointing to and praising athletes in the past who served such as Joe Louis and Willie Mays. The then heavyweight champion was also stripped of his title and sentenced to five years in jail (although he didn't end up serving time). A few decades and questionable foreign conflicts later, Ali is considered an American sports hero. Progressive views, FTW!
Dick Allen
Dick Allen
Sport: MLB
Years: 1963-1977
The first MLB player who brashly spoke out against racism and the power struggle for players in white owned organizations was Dick Allen. Allen was the first black player on the Philadelphia Phillies and won the NL Rookie of the Year in 1964. That same year, the Phillies staged one of the biggest collapses in baseball history, losing 10 straight games to drop the pennant to the St. Louis Cardinals. Despite stellar numbers, many Philadelphia fans and media members put blame on Allen.
The young star would go onto have more successful seasons, appearing in seven All-Star games during his career but controversy would often surround him and mar his accolades. Following his rookie season, he got into a fist fight with white teammate Frank Thomas who reportedly often made racist remarks toward Allen. Thomas was released from the team after teammates said he swung his bat at Allen during their confrontation. This created animosity from fans and media members who believed Allen caused Thomas to lose his job; it also caused a racial divide in the city. Allen was eventually traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1970 in a trade that saw Curt Flood refuse to report to the Phillies and caused him to eventually sue the league.
Tommie Smith and John Carlos
Tommie Smith and John Carlos
Sport: Track and Field
Years: 1968
After winning the gold and bronze medals for the 200 meter dash at the Olympics in Mexico City, John Carlos and Tommie Smith raised their gloved fists on the medal podium in a black power salute on the Olympic medal podium. At the time their gesture was seen as a very disrespectful airing of the country's dirty laundry on the world stage. Carlos and Smith were immediately suspended from the U.S. Olympic team and received death threats for years after returning home. Today Carlos and Smith are seen as Civil Rights heroes and were honored with a statue in 2005 at their alma mater, San Jose State University. Time sure changes a lot, huh?
Arthur Ashe
Arthur Ashe
Sport: Tennis
Years: 1969-1980
Aside from being a leader for AIDS/HIV awareness, Arthur Ashe was active on the civil rights front years earlier. He was one of many prominent figures who brought attention to the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa and was arrested in DC while protesting on more than one occasion. He spoke out against American treatment of Haitian refugees and was arrested for protesting that as well. When he retired due to heart problems, he dedicated his life to the people, doing volunteer work and traveling to South Africa to witness the change first hand. He also wrote A Hard Road to Glory, a definitive history of black athletes. Ashe was the first African-American male to win a Grand Slam title and the only black male to win the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Sport: NBA
Years: 1969-1989
In recent years with ballers changing their name to monikers like Ochocinco and Metta World Peace, it's easy to forget that there were athletes before them who legally changed their names for beliefs deeper than their jersey number or "to inspire and bring youth together all around the world." Right, Ron. Or Metta. Whatever.
Anyaway, in 1971, Lew Alcindor changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar the day after the Bucks won the NBA championship. The Muslim name means "generous servant of the mighty one." When asked about the reasoning behind the change he stated that Alcindor was the name of a French planter who brought his family to America as slaves. "When I was a kid, no one would believe anything positive that you could say about black people. And that's a terrible burden on black people, because they don't have an accurate idea of their history, which has been either suppressed or distorted." Abdul-Jabbar would become one of the most-widely recognized Muslim athletes in sports history and write books such as Black Profiles in Courage: A Legacy of African-American Achievement, Brothers in Arms: The Epic Story of the 761st Tank Battalion, and On the Shoulders of Giants: My Journey Through the Harlem Renaissance.
Lynn Swann
Lynn Swann
Sport: NFL
Years: 1974-1982
The author of some of the most amazing catches in Super Bowl history during the Steelers' run of four world championships in the '70s, Swann is an icon in the Pittsburgh area. A staunch social conservative, Swann was the Republican nominee for governor in Pennsylvania in 2006, losing to incumbent (and Eagle fan) Ed Rendell.
J.C. Watts
J.C. Watts
Sport: College Football/CFL
Years: 1979-1986
If there were ever a person to defy the black athlete stereotype it's J.C. Watts. As a quarterback he led the Oklahoma Sooners to Orange Bowl victories in the 1979 and 1980 seasons then spent a few years in the Canadian Football League before retiring in 1986. In 1994, Watts ran for Congress in Oklahoma as a conservative Republican, supporting the death penalty and welfare reform while opposing abortion. In an interesting twist, his father and uncle both affiliated with the Democratic party and opposed many of J.C.'s political views. Watts won the 1994 election and would serve until stepping down at the end of his final term in 2003. He also was an outspoken supporter of the Iraq War. Yeah, we bet he bumps this on the reg.
Magic Johnson
Magic Johnson
Sport: NBA
Years: 1979-1991, 1996
By the time the '80s rolled around, athletes were finding out that large contracts weren't their only source of income. For some, money made through endorsements outweighed that made through lucrative contracts. Unfortunately, this resulted in many athletes being tight-lipped for fear that they might lose out on sponsors who didn't agree with their political views. Magic was one of the most beloved players in the league in this era when he was diagnosed with HIV in 1991. Since then, he's used his fame, money, and power to bring awareness to the disease across the globe and specifically in black communities.
But his political activism wasn't just limited to the topic of AIDS prevention, after retirement, he also has worked to bring large corporations (Starbucks, AMC Theaters, etc.) to urban neighborhoods in an effort to create jobs. As a result he's become one of the richest athletes in sports history. Homie is definitely a legend in two games. No Pee Wee Kirkland.
Craig Hodges
Craig Hodges
Sport: NBA
Years: 1982-1992
After the Chicago Bulls won an NBA title in 1992, they were invited to the White House by President George H.W. Bush. Hodges saw the invite as an opportunity to voice his political concerns to Bush. He showed up wearing a dashiki and delivered a letter to the President detailing what Hodges saw as the government's shortcomings for blacks in America. Hodges was waived by the Bulls in the off-season and believes that his political actions, not his play, were the main reason behind him being released. In 1996, after years out of the league, Hodges filed a $40 million lawsuit against the NBA.
Charles Barkley
Charles Barkley
Sport: NBA
Years: 1984-2000
Never at a loss for words, the Round Mound of Rebound first made waves politically by supporting the first president Bush in the 1992 election (he famously quipped "My family got all over me because they said Bush is only for the rich people. Then I reminded them, 'Hey, I'm rich'."). He's toyed with the idea of running for governor of his native Alabama on multiple occasions, filmed a video in support of Barack Obama in 2007, and officially changed his registration to Independent in the 2000s.
Kevin Johnson
Kevin Johnson
Sport: NBA
Years: 1987-2000
One of the best players in the NBA during the early '90s, KJ was a three-time All-Star and, alongside Charles Barkley, a key component to the Phoenix Suns' 1993 Western Conference championship squad. Always outspoken during his career, Johnson jumped into the political arena officially in 2008 when he ran for and won the mayorality in Sacramento, California. He's the first African-American to serve as mayor of the California capital.
Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf
Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf
Sport: NBA
Years: 1990-1998, 2000-2001
During the 1995-96 season, Abdul-Rauf's refusal to stand for the "Star-Spangled Banner" caused the league to issue the Denver Nuggets guard a one-game suspension. His reason for not standing was that he believed the American flag represented "oppression and tyranny" both of which go against his Islamic faith. Two days later, the league and Abdul-Rauf made a compromise which required him to stand but allowed him to bow his head in prayer during the anthem. We're cool with the "Star-Spangled Banner"...as long as Carl Lewis isn't the one reciting it. Jesus.
John Ameachi
John Ameachi
Sport: NBA
Years: 1995-1996, 1999-2004
Despite a largely lackluster NBA career, Amaechi will be remembered as one of the bravest players in the L's history for coming out as gay after he retired. He received some support (and an outlandish criticism from Tim Hardaway), but most importantly he set the stage for a current NBA player to come out of the closet some day. Somewhere there's a gay kid with a wicked jump shot who will have an easier transition to acceptance because of John Amaechi.
Etan Thomas
Etan Thomas
Sport: NBA
Years: 2001-2011
A defensive-minded power forward out of Syracuse, Thomas enjoyed a largely unspectacular 10-year career in the NBA. But off the court he proved he was more than an athlete by, among other things, publishing a book of poetry called More Than an Athlete. He's also an outspoken peace activist who lent his name to various anti-war causes in the mid-2000s, and campaigned for Barack Obama in 2008.
David Tyree
David Tyree
Sport: NFL
Years: 2003-2009
David Tyree was loved by many in New York when he made is ridiculous catch to help the Giants win Super Bowl XLII in 2008. A knee injury and brief stint with the Ravens before retiring in 2010 kept Tyree under the radar for a couple years before his political views put him right back in the headlines in 2011. Tyree, who is a born-again Christian, openly opposed the idea of legalizing same-sex marriage in New York and joined the National Organization for Marriage. He created a storm of controversy when he said that the Marriage Equality Act would "be the beginning of our country sliding toward anarchy" and that he would trade his Super Bowl catch for marriage to remain between a man and a woman. Needless to say a lot of Giants fans and same-sex marriage supporters didn't appreciate Tyree's statement. What's that saying? If you don't have anything nice to say...STFU? Eh, close enough.
Rashard Mendenhall
Rashard Mendenhall
Sport: NFL
Years: 2008-present
On May 2, 2011, many took to the streets to celebrate the death of Osama bin Laden. But Rashard Mendenhall took to Twitter to criticize their actions and state his belief in 9/11 conspiracy theories. "What kind of person celebrates death? It's amazing how people can HATE a man they never even heard speak. We've only heard one side...," Mendenhall continued by questioning the destruction of the World Trade Center towers on 9/11. "We'll never know what really happened. I just have a hard time believing a plane could take a skyscraper down demolition style." The Steeler running back later said he didn't mean to cause harm to anyone but just wanted to "generate conversation." As a result of the controversy, Champion sports apparel decided to end their contract with Mendenhall.