the disapeering convergence of politics and athletics

The Disappearing Convergence of Politics and Athletics

The era of the political athlete is dying. Past athletes like Jackie Robinson who broke the color barrier exactly 60 years ago on 4-15-07, and others involved in the transition from segregation to desegregation in American sports, were much more politically motivated than modern-era athletes. Increased commercialization in the sporting empire has resulted from advancements in technology and public interest. Increased interest brought about significantly higher amounts of money being pumped into the industry every year. Television exposure was the driving force of this transition and led to increased corporate involvement and inflating salaries. Somewhere along the line from 1947 to 2007, the American athlete lost his political interest and objectives, with his additional privileges and money.
Jackie Robinson’s persona encompassed so much more than just an ordinary star athlete. “In addition to his accomplishments on the field, Jackie Robinson was also a forerunner of the Civil Rights Movement. He was a key figure in the establishment and growth of the Freedom Bank, an African-American owned and controlled entity, in the 1960s. He also wrote a syndicated newspaper column for a number of years, in which he was an outspoken supporter of Martin Luther King Jr (wikipedia.com). Robinson was an involved political activist, businessman, writer and broadcaster, and human rights activist along with being an athlete. Robinson used his writing to portray his non-violent beliefs, which even reprimanded violence. He was not afraid to take a stand against public figures such as Malcolm X and Roy Wilkings, who was the leader of the NAACP in the late 1950s. He did support and work with was Martin Luther King Jr. though. Robinson teamed up with King and worked together on several projects. According to McCoy, Robinson also used participation in youth guidance and counseling programs to have an active sense social responsibility (6). He did this through various church and community organizations. Robinson was a man that expected progress though constant change. On the 60th anniversary of Jackie’s first game, his widow Rachel Robinson was asked how Jackie would feel about today’s culture and athletes, and she responded: “he would be frustrated and impatient because the numbers of African American players and in off the field positions have not grown in proportion to the times”. Jackie Robinson is considered one of the most influential members of the 20th century and contributed so much to our culture from 1947 until his death in 1972.
After Robinson’s playing days were over and other minority players were included in professional leagues, more and more political athletes emerged in the 1950s and 1960s. Political athletes became names like Jim Brown, Muhammad Ali, and Roberto Clemente. All of these men were educated and well-articulated activists of societal change. Brown and Clemente both lead community assistance programs for the African American and Latino communities, respectively. Ali took many political stances throughout the years, but is probably most famous for his refusal to go to the Viet Nam war after being drafted. Regardless of the nature of the political work that each individual pursued, positive contributions were continually being made by these legends. All men understood that change through service is positive, and good will improves the lives of others. Former athletes were still being racially persecuted and did not take advantage of enjoying equality and nice lifestyles. These men knew that positive change had given them a chance for success, and more would be needed in the future. The athletes of the 1950s and 1960s had an attitude that hard work breads success. And most athletes in this time period did engage political activities for societal benefit.
Modern-day leagues often use advertisements to promote themselves through programs like “NBA cares”, which is a community outreach venture. The NFL uses similar advertisements, showing their players engaging in community service. None of these league programs have any significant societal impacts though. All were created primarily for public relations purposes. So league contribution efforts are doing little to guide current athletes.
Little guidance, low political interest levels, and low education levels, provide modern athletes with low achievement in politics. Athletes’ seems to rather live a lifestyle modeled around partying and wild behavior. Examples of athletes exhibiting this type of reckless lifestyle could be characterized by Stephen Jackson of the NBA, or Pacman Jones of the NFL. This lifestyle re-invests nothing into communities that formed the majority of professional athletes. The only conclusion that can be drawn is that current athletes are not using their power efficiently or effectively. There are exceptions, but athletes still need to make major improvements in using their power for good. Sports were one of the fundamental things that helped integrate American culture and politics, and needs to continue to be used as a vehicle for improvement in the future. The ironic thing about low political activism among athletes is that the majority of modern athletes came from lower income families, precisely the demographic that needs their assistance. According to wikipedia.com, the NBA is over 80% black. Pre-existing economic structures for minorities in the United States prove equality has not been fully achieved. Don Imus’ recent race-stigmatizing comments regarding the Rutgers Women’s Basketball team teaches us that racism and oppression still exist. Athletes simply do not realize or care about logically helping the poor at levels that they should. Minority influence in lower class structures combined disinterest of current athletes; provide little optimism for improvement for the future. Current athletes need to learn how to utilize political avenues to help societal progress like past athletes used. There has been a definite decline in public effort and community contribution from iconic type players like Jackie Robinson of the past, compared to modern-era pro athlete. The 1950s and 1960s African-American and Latino athletes were characterized as hard-working, political juggernauts. Athletes like Robinson, Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown, and Roberto Clemente are icons who actively engaged themselves in community support and political aide. All of these men supported and believed in educational system as the mechanism that breeds success, and that lack of education is the fundamental reason for economic struggles and lower class duplication.
Modern athletes have such a lesser political impact per capita than past athletes due to a variety of factors including lack of education and interest. Athletes have gone from involved, to utterly disengaged politically. So with modern athletes contributing less, smaller strides are being taken in racial equality. I do not think that Jackie Robinson would be happy to hear that the first African American NFL coach that coached in a Super Bowl was in 2007, or to hear of the miniscule amount of Black head-college football coaches. Or about the slowing momentum of the politically involved athlete. Players need to reconsider their priorities and leagues need to sponsor more programs that achieve positive public benefits. The first thing that needs to occur though is the identification of the fact that a shift in the athletes political agenda has happened through history for no logical reason.