Protesting is a well known form of non-violent action. It can be regarded as an opportunity for people to address various issues that are up for discussion/dispute. They can be beneficial or an absolute nuisance. Sport can also be affected by it. Due to the extended amount of sports out there in the world, there's an unlimited amount of issues that can be fought against. In fact, general topics can be protested against in sporting events. Doing these can attract a wider audience due to the television coverage.
The latest round of protests are regarding the climates. It took place during the Italian Open (tennis). Climate protesters threw confetti on the courts. Orange vests were worn and protesters glued themselves to the stands. They rushed towards the court during the second set. The protesters didn't get the thumbs up from the fans.
In the footage that was made available, fans could be heard voicing their annoyance. The protesters were swiftly removed by police officers and firefighters. It wasn't just this match that was affected. There was also a doubles match that was interrupted.
These protests were organised by the group Ultima Generazione (Last Generation). They posted a video online taking responsibility for the actions. They said they, "wanted to “tirelessly reiterate that the climate and social crisis is here and that intervention is needed as soon as possible.” During the protests, the protesters said, "We don’t have any more water. We are in an emergency. You have to do something …”
It was reported that Ultima Generazione were in Rome to discuss “some proposals” and “had already staged several protests. The request from the environmentalists of Ultima Generazione is for a reparations fund for climate disasters,” the statement added.
This instance isn't an isolated incident. There have been many other stands that have been made. The first example is that of Muhammad Ali in 1967. It revolves around the Vietnam War. He declined to enlist in the army due to his religious beliefs.
As a consequence, he was fined $10 000 and sentenced to five years imprisonment. He appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which in 1971, ruled in Ali’s favour. The court said he had a First Amendment religious freedom right not to serve. When he chose not to join the military, citing his religious objection, he sparked a wider conversation about religious freedom that applies to every person in the U.S.
A protest embedded in race and The Civil Rights Movement took place in the Olympics in 1968. Track athletes, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, were at the forefront. During the medal ceremony for the 200-meter sprint event, for which Smith won gold and Carlos won bronze, the pair made several visible gestures supporting Black empowerment and human rights. Both wore black socks and no shoes, highlighting Black poverty.
They wore human rights pins on their jackets, along with silver medalist Peter Norman of Australia. Most controversially, Smith and Carlos donned black gloves and raised their fists in the air during the playing of the U.S. national anthem, a gesture largely perceived as the Black Power salute.
Carlos said back in 2015, “We decided to use our athleticism to be a voice for people who were voiceless.” He was noting that he and Smith thought about boycotting the Olympics in 1968 but decided instead to elevate the cause of Black and human rights on a world stage.
In the Olympic stadium and back home following the games, Smith and Carlos faced boos, ostracism from athletics and death threats. Decades later, though, many consider them athletic role models who stood up in silent protest and used their platform to highlight a cause in which they believed.
During Pride Month in June, many cities celebrate LGBTQ+ history and the anniversary of the Stonewall Inn riots in 1969. As Pride becomes more mainstream (and commercialised), sports leagues have faced pressure from LGBTQ+ advocacy groups and supporters to be more inclusive. Some male-dominated sports leagues, like the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL, haven’t been as welcoming to LGBTQ+ players and fans compared to other areas of society (like the performing arts).
Sports leagues like Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League have started Pride Night promotions at games, including fireworks displays and honoring LGBTQ+ groups in communities where teams play. Some teams and leagues have required all players to wear a Pride-themed jersey or patch. That’s where diversity and inclusivity have bumped up with free speech and religious freedom in recent years. As of 2023, all 30 MLB teams, except the Texas Rangers, have some kind of Pride-themed event.
In 1995, a stance was made by Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf. This was in regard to the national anthem. The Denver Nuggets' star refused to stand for the national anthem, declaring it would be a violation of his Muslim faith. Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf told reporters the American flag was “a symbol of oppression, of tyranny.”
The NBA suspended him for one game before reaching a compromise - Abdul-Rauf would stand and pray during the anthem. But Abdul-Rauf paid a price for his stance: Denver traded him to Sacramento after the season and despite his prolific scoring, he was out of the NBA by the age of 29.
Another NBA protest would be in1961 where Bill Russell and the Boston Celtics Boycotted a Game in Kentucky. When he and four of his Black team-mates on the Boston Celtics were refused service in a restaurant in Lexington, Kentucky, Bill Russell told the coach, Red Auerbach, that they wouldn't play in an exhibition game in the city. Two members of the St. Louis Hawks, Boston's opponent, joined them in the boycott. Auerbach didn’t exactly stick up for his players, telling the Associated Press, “The Negro boys got real emotional. They said they’d like to go home. We talked for two hours and I couldn’t change their minds.”
Russell and his team-mates flew back to Boston, where the star declared: “Negroes are in a fight for their rights, a fight for survival in a changing world. I am with these Negroes." A day later, Celtics owner Walter A. Brown told the Boston Globe the Celtics wouldn’t play games in the South again, adding, “I’m not so hungry for money that I’d arrange games that might embarrass my players.” At the time, the league consisted of only nine teams.
In 1969, 14 Black Wyoming players were banned. Wyoming’s football team was undefeated and ranked 12th the week of its game against Brigham Young University. When 14 Black members of the team visited head coach Lloyd Eaton to discuss an upcoming protest of the allegedly racist policies of the Mormon Church, Eaton shut them down. He said, "Gentlemen, you can save time and breath," according to one of the Black players. "As of now, you're off the football team.”
A week later, four Black track athletes at Wyoming quit in solidarity with the football players and the football team was met by protests at every road game. In their next 38 games after the mass dismissal, the Cowboys won only 12 and Eaton was out as coach after the 1970 season. In 2019, the university apologised to the, “Black 14.”
In 2016, when NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick decided to sit and later kneel during the national anthem in 2016, he probably didn’t realise the firestorm and years of debate it would spark. Kaepernick said he sat to protest police violence against Black people. Nate Boyer, a former Green Beret and fellow NFL player, told Kaepernick it would be more respectful to take a knee and Kaepernick agreed.
Kaepernick and the Women’s National Soccer Team both received plenty of criticism for their actions in 2016 and beyond.
When the U.S. Women’s National Team had an earlier-than-hoped exit from the World Cup in 2023, many people (including former President Donald Trump) blamed their “woke” political stances and support for LGBTQ+ causes, saying they were distracted from their job on the field. The team, led by Megan Rapinoe, also protested their unequal pay compared to the less-successful U.S. Men’s National Team. This protest brought them plenty of criticism but was ultimately successful in boosting their pay and the profile of sports protests.
Tennis star, Billie Jean King, demanded an equal pay in 1970. After the Open Era in tennis began in 1968, men earned far more prize money than women. Billie Jean King decided to fight, boycotting a 1970 tournament because it awarded men $12,500 and women only $1,500. King arranged a rival tour, despite facing suspension from the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association.
By September 1970, tournaments increased the purses for women to avoid boycotts from King and her like-minded competitors. In June of 1973, King became the first president of the Women’s Tennis Association. A month later, the U.S. Open announced men and women would receive equal prize money.
In the same year of 1970, Syracuse players sat out a season. Nine Black players boycotted spring practice to protest the lack of Black assistants or access to the same academic and medical resources as white players. Also, Syracuse wouldn’t take Black players to road games in southern cities. White team-mates threatened to quit if they were reinstated, with linebacker Bill Coghill telling the Associated Press: “I don’t care if you call me a bigot. I’m not going to take it.” The Black players sat out the entire season, derailing their football careers, though all nine student-athletes graduated.
It's become a sad state of affairs because politics has interfered with the beautiful game. When Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the U.S. national anthem at NFL games to protest against racial injustice in 2016; little did he know the butterfly effect his deed would have as it sparked debates and polarised a country.
Many leagues around the world have embraced his actions. The Premier League has supported the most. A spillover from the Black Lives Matter movement that began over three years ago, the league's players continue to fight discrimination by taking a knee before some games this season. The continued protests are, to a large extent, to do with rampant online abuse which rears its ugly head every week, with social media platforms seemingly unable to stem the flow of unbridled rage and racial abuse that lands in players' inboxes.
Outside the arena, Olympic medal-winning wrestlers in India found out the hard way what lies in store for those who leverage their popularity to go up against a member of the ruling party after months of protests on the streets fell on deaf ears.
India's top wrestlers were detained by police in May when they intensified their protest demanding the arrest of their federation chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh over allegations of sexual harassment of female athletes, which he denied.
As images of wrestlers being manhandled by police were beamed across the world, 2016 Olympic bronze medallist, Sakshi Malik said: "This is how our champions are being treated. The world is watching us."
On the other hand, sporting platforms have also been a stage for spectators to amplify causes and 2023 was no different in dividing viewers when activists disrupted major events from tennis Grand Slams to golf majors and cricket matches.
Just Stop Oil protesters interrupted Wimbledon matches when they released orange ticker-tape onto the grasscourt surface while the group also stopped play by scattering orange powder at an Ashes test and the World Snooker Championship.
Their controversial and disruptive tactics have been condemned by athletes and fans alike, but they also garnered sympathy from popular and outspoken soccer pundit Gary Lineker. He said, "I completely understand where they're coming from, disruptive protest is the only one that gets any publicity. I get it," said Lineker, who presents BBC's 'Match of the Day' soccer highlights programme.
As the evidence has showed, there are various reasons why protests take place. They take a stand on an issue they feel is unjust. The public might not agree but that doesn't matter to them. They are raising an issue that they feel is unfair. At some point, the wider community and public will understand and condone the actions that were taken.
Source Material
Keane, S. 2023. 8 Memorable Protests by American Athletes. History.
Leadingham, S.A. no date. 10+ of the Most Prominent Sports Protests of All Time. Freedom Forum.
Morse, B. & Simonella, M. 2024. Climate protesters interrupt Italian Open matches, throwing confetti on the court and gluing themselves to stands. CNN.
Nair, R. 2023. Sport continues to be a catalyst for protest despite misgivings. Reuters.