Do athletes have a say in our political and social structure? Should they exercise their rights and communicate what they feel inside or are they merely here to entertain us and nothing more? Should we be blind to the fact that athletes are human beings impacted by the same circumstances that impacts us? Athletes have an immense platform and power. Through the years some of them have exercised their power to change society and laws through what is called sports diplomacy. Sports diplomacy describes the use of sport as a means to influence diplomatic, social, and political relations. Last week after being introduced to Xfinity Streampix (which allows you to watch anything at anytime including your cellphone and laptop) I caught a moving documentary entitled "Olympic Pride: American Justice" that explored this. To me, this film was a blueprint for what we are now seeing as athletes are taking a political stand during these turbulent time we are in.
At this year's Olympics, gymnast Gabby Douglas was heavily criticized for not pledging allegiance during the national anthem. Colin Kaepernick has faced the same wrath of criticisms from so called patriots who are angry that he is taking a stand by not standing for the national anthem all while ignoring the basis of his argument. The San Francisco 49ers quarterback is bothered by the police brutality and killings faced by unarmed Black victims that consistently results in no conviction for officers. Kaepernick hopes to bring awareness to the current state of injustice faced by African-Americans. Ironically, Kaepernick's jersey is now the best selling jersey in the league and he received support from U.S. women's soccer star Megan Rapinoe who also didn't stand during the national anthem this past weekend. Perhaps the surge in jersey sales may be an indication that many people who love America also agree with the fact that injustice is not a great representation of what America should be and equality for all should be a priority. Whether you agree or not with the athletes. Sports and specifically the Olympics have always somehow been tied into political and social stands. We often don't get to see the stories behind this on a large platform but Xfinity changed this with their presentation of the documentary "Olympic Pride, American Prejudice" .
Olympic Pride, American Prejudice" was released on August 5th in NY and LA . Directed by acclaimed Atlanta based, filmmaker, Deborah Riley Draper, the touching film chronicles the experiences of the 18 African-Americans (16 men, 2 women) who defied Jim Crow and Adolf Hitler to win hearts and medals at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin.
I was happy that Xfinity aired this poignant and at times heartbreaking documentary because it's not always easy to find diverse films, especially those with accurate historical representation. So kudos to Xfinity for understanding the immense importance of giving independent films (of color) a platform to connect with an audience that is at times ignored. It's also important for the public to become familiar with this moment in American history, as it shaped the legacy of athletes who took a stand for social justice decades before Tommie Smith's iconic raised fist at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City.
"We often hear about Jesse Owens but there were other athletes in the 1936 Olympics whose stories we don't hear about," said Draper. "Through this documentary, we were really excited to talk about the social and economic climate during the 30's. This was a time when America was rebuilding from the Great Depression and Germany was also trying to rebuild from losing the war and getting back to being the great nation it once was. So in doing this, Germany is building this whole platform of Aryan supremacy to create this strong German national pride and you have these Black athletes from America who are thrown into this situation. Should they go to Germany and compete? Should they represent America, a country in which they can't vote and don't have equal rights? They knew how important it was and they decided to go to Germany and represent the U.S.A and use this world stage to show that they were Americans----and not only that but they deserved to be treated as equal citizens in the eyes of the world. They didn't know what they would face in Nazi Germany but they were willing to put their lives on their line for that. When they returned home they had to continue the struggle for their justice. This is their story," said Draper. What a compelling story it is.
You can read more from Abesi on her blog, 7thandLotus.com