Abstract
2017 was a season of heightened awareness and actions as various NFL athletes used their platforms to raise awareness about social injustice. With the launch of the Players Coalition, the decision of several athletes to kneel during the national anthem to highlight racial injustice, and ongoing discussions between players and league owners aimed at building collective support for fighting inequality, these actions became the center point of a national debate.
This report aims to evaluate the impact of those actions while collating and analyzing a variety of efforts, some public - and some made outside the spotlight - seeking to bring about social change. Informed by Torres-Harding, Siers & Olson (2011), RISE developed five “goals” of social justice work and used them to examine the examples of advocacy we collected during the year. These goals are:
- Raising a sense of awareness about inequality – Actions intended to highlight, educate or otherwise raise awareness about a particular cause, problem or challenge.
- Protecting human rights – Actions geared toward directly protecting the lives of those in disadvantaged conditions.
- Empowering individuals – giving voice – Actions intended to improve the capacity of individuals in disadvantaged and unjust conditions.
- Encouraging civic participation and advocacy – Actions specifically aimed at encouraging more people to participate in civil society and use their voices and actions to bring about a more just society.
- Increasing access to resources – Actions designed specifically to improve access because of the lack of power or control over resources as a major cause of the state of injustice in which many find themselves.
In 2017, NFL athletes sparked a discussion that society desperately needs and have done so in the face of ridicule and critique from voices as loud and as influential as the president of the United States. The athletes were thoughtful, purposeful and strategic in their work forging alliances and are increasingly educated about issues and focused on making direct change. This leadership didn’t begin with the 2017 NFL season and likely will continue to grow in influence and impact in future seasons.
Original language | American English |
---|---|
State | Published - Feb 2018 |
EGS Disciplines
- Sports Sciences
- Social Work
- Politics and Social Change
- Sports Studies