Should celebrities and athletes use their public platform to make political statements?
Should celebrities and athletes use their public power to make statements about political and social issues? This question has been up for debate for a while now, but it became a popular topic of discussion when San Francisco 49ers player, Colin Kaepernick, began kneeling during the national anthem. Kaepernick’s kneeling has sparked an ongoing discussion on many concepts. Debates included if he is protesting for publicity, or if he is trying to raise awareness to Black Lives Matter. This is considered an ongoing issue for Kaepernick, as well as for Americans because there are people that believe he is doing this to disrespect America, and then there are people that support what he is doing. Although there are many people that believe that athletes should not use their public platform to make political statements, their public platform could help raise awareness to political and social movements that are happening throughout the United States.
With the help of many athlete’s public platforms, they are able to reach a variety of people to express what they are actually trying to accomplish through politics. Celebrities giving their stance on their political views has always been a thing in the past. Political activism seems like a part of the jobs with athletes because they are always in the spotlight. In The Atlantic article, “When Athletes Take Political Stands,” written by Matt Vasilogambros, Vasilogambros discusses how Bill Russell, Jim Brown, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, among other African-American athletes met with Muhammad Ali in 1967 to see whether his objections to the Vietnam Was as conscientious objector were serious. Within that meeting, Ali got the support of fellow athletes who attended and he would later call it the Ali Summit. The Ali Summit has remained a pivotal movement in athlete activism. In this situation, with the help of the athlete background, Muhammad Ali and other African-American athletes were able to get their voices heard about the Vietnam War. This is a great example of how well athletes work with their public platform to get their voices heard.
Not only do athletes use their public platforms to express their political views, they also use it to spread their social concerns. In the KQED article, “Should Athletes Use Their Public Platform to Make Political Statements?” author Chanelle Ignant discusses how Colin Kaepernick refused to stand for the national anthem at a football game earlier in the NFL season. When Kaepernick was asked about his decision to kneel, he responded by saying, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color”. By saying this, Kaepernick started a movement of other athletes not standing during the national anthem. Also, he impacted many schools throughout the country in which many high school students would kneel during their own games. Athletes using their public platform to make statements about political and social issues is good because they can get their voices heard and their actions are speeded fast over the media.
Although many people believe that athletes using their public platform is a good thing, there are some people that find this very disrespectful to America. In the Los Angeles Times article, “Colin Kaepernick Kneels During National Anthem While Former Green Beret Nate Boyer Stands Beside Him,” the author Chuck Schilken discusses how Kaepernick’s gesture during the national anthem was very disrespectful to Americans and to the people that have served for our country. Because of this disrespect, he was faced with a lot of criticism where many people were questioning if he should even have the right to show any support for any political or social view. Nevertheless, everyone is entitled to free speech, therefore, Kaepernick is not technically harming anyone. If anything, he is more disrespecting people that take huge offense to this.
Another reason why most people believe athletes should not use their public platform for politics and social issues is because they could potentially hurt or even lose their endorsements. According to the Forbes article, “Should Pro Athletes Speak on political Social Issues?” written by Leigh Steinberg, Steinberg discusses how political campaigns carry risks for athletes and their images. He discusses when Michael Jordan had to speak against an extremely controversial Republican sitting, he declined and defended his caution by saying that “republicans by sneakers too”. Jordan only said this because agents push clients to inform themselves of the matter and back candidates if they felt like they had too. Thus, if an athlete states their political view on anything, it could hurt their image to most people because some people idolize athletes like they are heroes, and they will follow everything that they do.
Ultimately, in the end I am leaning more on the side of the positive aspects of celebrities and athletes using their public profile. Although most Americans believe that using the publicity is bad due to the disrespect and the lack of promoting an image, athletes could still send a strong message to the world with a simple task.
Works Cited
Ignant, Chanelle. “Should Athletes Use Their Public Platform to Make Political Statements?” KQED Learning. N.p., 30 Aug. 2016. Web. 11 Nov. 2016.
Schilken, Chuck. “Colin Kaepernick Kneels during National Anthem While Former Green Beret Nate Boyer Stands beside Him.” Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 2 Sept. 2016. Web. 11 Nov. 2016.
Steinberg, Leigh. “Should Pro Athletes Speak On Political, Social Issues?” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 26 July 2016. Web. 11 Nov. 2016.
Vasilogambros, Matt. “When Athletes Take Political Stands.” The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 12 July 2016. Web. 11 Nov. 2016.
