The three articles reviewed in this paper are “From reviled to respected: The half-century evolution from Muhammad Ali’s “Draft Dodging” by Fuller (2017), “On the shoulders of giants,” by NPR (2019), and “Playing and protesting: Sport as a vehicle for social change” by Kaufman and Wolff (2010). The similarities in the way that athlete activists are portrayed in these articles are shown in the importance that sports activism has for the promotion of social change. There are differences since NPR (2019) and Kaufman and Fuller (2017) state that black athletes have long been involved in activism. However, Kaufman and Wolff (2010) argue that most athletes do not have a favorable view of activism.
The way activism has been done in the sports world are discussed differently in these articles; for example, Kaufman and Wolf (2010) argue that athletes typically have a negative view of activism, while NPR (2019) suggest that activism has been an integral element of the career of some athletes. Moreover, Fuller (2017) cites the example of Muhammed Ali, who has been an activist throughout his career, protesting against the Vietnam war and supporting Muslims. Activism in the sports world has been received with criticism; for example, Fuller (2017) discusses how Muhamed Ali was stripped of his title for his ani-Vietnam war views. Activism has been tied to race, as NPR (2019) notes that black athletes protesting against injustices has been a tradition in American history. The ties to race remained the same over time as Fuller (2017) and NPR (2017) both discuss the high level of involvement in activism that black athletes have had. The most recent example of race and athlete activism is Colin Kaepernick, whose actions promoted a conversation about the purpose and appropriateness of sports activism in general.
References
Fuller, L. (2017). From reviled to respected: The half-century evolution from Muhammad Ali’s “Draft Dodging.” Web.
NPR. (2019). On the shoulders of giants. Web.
Kaufman, P. & Wolff, E. A. (2010). Playing and protesting: Sport as a vehicle for social change. Journal of Sport and Social Issues, 34(2), 154-175. Web.