The return of sport was meant to be a unifying factor in the face of Covid-19 as a sense of normality gradually began to return through the resumption of various sporting codes.
This collective spirit though has been diminished after the tragic death of George Floyd in Minneapolis which has sparked outrage and protests across the globe.
Mr Floyd’s death occurred last Monday after white police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes during an arrest in which there was no sign of struggle, has brought to light again the racial tensions which exist within America as well as globally.
Mr Chauvin has since been fired as well as charged with third–degree murder and manslaughter with a lawyer for the Floyd family accusing Mr Chauvin of ‘premeditated murder’.
“We think that he had intent… almost nine minutes he kept his knee in a man’s neck that was begging and pleading for breath,” he said.
The reaction from the sporting world has been significant with Michael Jordan the latest to release a statement where he simply stated he was, “plain angry.”
German Bundesliga stars Jadon Sancho and Marcus Thuram also sent out a show of support for George Floyd and his family after scoring for their respective clubs over the weekend with English player Sancho taking off his shirt to reveal the message, “Justice for George Floyd.”
Mr Floyd’s death has also put the plight of former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick back up in lights, after he became an outcast for kneeling during national anthems in 2016 after protesting police violence against the black community.
President Donald Trump criticised Kaepernick’s stance at the time, “You have to stand proudly for the national anthem or you shouldn’t be playing, you shouldn’t be there, maybe you shouldn’t be in the country.”
The sport cover of the Houston Chronicle linked the latest death of George Floyd to the very thing Kaepernick was taking a stance against,”Imagine. If we had embraced Colin Kaepernick’s peaceful protest and paid attention to the issue he was trying to address… Imagine. We could be working toward change instead of witnessing the chaos, anger and violence in our streets.”
Donald Trump has condemned the protest violence which has erupted across the country,”My administration will stop mob violence, and we’ll stop it cold. It does not serve the interests of justice or any citizen of any race or colour, or creed.”
The intensity of the protests have led to some cities introducing a night time curfew including Minneapolis, Los Angeles and Chicago, as the pain and frustration felt by the African-American population continues to be driven by a society and government which lack the understanding and empathy towards their struggles.
While not condoning the violence which has occurred since his brother’s death, Philonise Floyd also understands where this outpouring of emotion has stemmed from, “I don’t want them to lash out like that, but I can’t stop people right now, because they have pain. They have the same pain that I feel.”
The importance of athletes to use their privileged position within society to affect change has again been brought to the fore, as NBA stars Jaylen Brown and Malcolm Brogdon attended peaceful protests in Atlanta, while San Antonio Spurs guard Lonnie Walker handed out water and helped clean graffiti after its protest,”I take great pride in saying I am part of this community,” Walker said.
George Floyd’s death has tipped the anger and frustration which has been felt by the disenfranchised into a state of anarchy wherein movements no longer preach non-violent resistance.
This pain is born out of centuries of being kept quiet and serving under the, ‘white privilege’, which leads our global society and looks to keep the oppressed silent.
Corporate giants such as Netflix and Nike have aligned themselves with Black Lives Matter wherein Netflix posted on Twitter.
Current Formula one champion Lewis Hamilton has used this platform as he spoke out and criticised the silence from others in Formula One as well as his fellow drivers, “I see those of you who are staying silent, some of you the biggest of stars yet you stay silent in the midst of injustice,” as he took to Instagram to give a damning verdict on the very sport he competes in, “Not a sign from anybody in my industry which of course is a white-dominated sport.”
Sport and society are intrinsically linked wherein the notion that politics and sport should not mix is completely ignorant of the fact that sport can both reflect the best and worst of humankind.
Professional athletes that are willing to stand outside of their privileged standing and use their public profile to stand against injustice should be applauded and encouraged.
Australia itself struggles to face its own conversation which sees Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islanders aged between 15-24 almost four times more likely to commit suicide than non-indigenous people of the same age.
We as a country struggle to face these realities as highlighted when one of our most celebrated and successful sportsman Adam Goodes dared challenge the way we are educating and involving our first nation people into Australia’s cultural fabric.
Adam Goodes retired in 2015 amidst considerable controversy over his treatment by fans. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
The family of George Floyd have found an ally in the family of David Dungay who suffered from diabetes and schizophrenia and was in Long Bay jail in 2015 before he was held down and injected with a sedative by a justice health nurse.
Dungay repeated 12 times that he couldn’t breathe which was caught in harrowing footage before he lost consciousness and died.
Sport and race have been intertwined through history from U.S. sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos raising their fists at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics in protest of their countries treatment of the black community.
While modern times have seen black football players being whistled at and abused in Italy’s Serie A as well as the booing Goodes had to contend with after he spoke out against the young girl who called him an ape during an AFL game against Collingwood.
Racism is ingrained within culture and society and much of the time is pushed away from the public sphere or denied by politicians who look only to push the dominant view.
Infamous rappers and groups such as Tupac Shakur and N.W.A. challenged these social norms with their powerful and politically charged lyrics in the early 90s.
They were criticised for their violent imagery and lyrics which discussed police brutality and the oppression African-Americans faced within their communities. This message continues to be echoed in this latest incident wherein the white middle class commentary yet again is failing to acknowledge the roots of these protests.
Sport and its representatives now have a responsibility to stand up to this injustice and make its voice heard. The public platform that many of these athletes earn through their standing in society must be utilised to inspire as well as educate and speak to the people they inspire each week through their sporting talents.
NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar perfectly encapsulated the angry reaction which has followed Floyd’s death, “African-Americans have been living in a burning building for many years, choking on the smoke as the flames burn closer and closer. Racism in America is like dust in the air. It seems invisible- even if you’re choking on it-until you let the sun in.”
This sentiment runs true in a country like Australia wherein our first nation people are not even acknowledged in the Constitution and are pushed to the side when it comes to telling the complete story of this country.
Sport is inevitably looking to resume battles on the field but in fact it may be the battles off the field which ultimately shape the sporting year of 2020.
Kafka
Guest
‘Black Lives Matter’ protest marches / vigils against Black Deaths in Custody ( over 430 since Royal Commission in 1991 & no recommendations from that commission taken up!) and Systemic Racism ( First Nations people are 3% of the our population but make up almost 50% of juvenile and adult incarcerations often for minor offences such as unpaid parking fines in the adult population) in this country and globally to be held across all Australian major cities this weekend 6-7June. Google . As Marcia Langton notes, ‘Change occurs through those that show up’. We can collectively work for a better world by turning up ,even in the era of covid when the UK and Europe have under a much more concerning covid context on their shores.... & even if the results of our actions aren’t immediately obvious.K????????
Kafka
Guest
You mention the 1968 Olympics protest by African American athletes. What binds us intimately to that moment is Peter Norman an Australian with a deep humane conscience who acted in support of their message for equity. The response of the Australian Olympic movement was that he never represented Australia again! Where are we now ? Still living with the political structures of systemic racism... where we struggle to give our First Nations people a voice to parliament ( not in parliament) to advise the system how to deal with their unique community problems but with no authority to legislate. Yet, each year we trot out the white rhetoric that speaks on behave of Indigenous Australians about endemic failures in ‘closing the gap’ like some authoritarian school master admonishing their failures with deficit discourses. Maybe the gap that needs to be closed is in the hearts and minds of the policy makers and the systems of oppression they impose with the racist meritocracy of ‘ if you have a go , you’ll get a go’ from the comfort of their security and inability to even take a wage cut during these confronting times for all Australians! Truth is the duty of every human being and the greatest penance and place of ultimate refuge of all true democracies. What we are witnessing across America at this moment is just an extreme example of what all socially unregulated democracies face. We are unique individuals but individuals that always work for the collective good ... not neo- liberal inhumanity and unregulated markets and futures speculations and / religious prosperity gospels that see the underprivileged through neat alibis of a weaponised rationalisation of their lives ... that somehow it is failing in them. We are approaching a critical mass as a people across the globe...are we seeing the end of something . Time will tell. K
Kafka
Guest
Fantastic article - rich in its depth of sporting voices , connections & the ongoing consequences of systemic racism globally ; and more discomforting in the manner systemic racism manifests in the lives of our First Nations people... as we mimic the ‘white privilege’ meritocracy of ‘anyone can succeed if he or she works hard’ or is it ‘ you’ll get a go , if you have a go’ that exempts the systemic failures of the policy makers and white male leaders of any responsibility. As MLK poignantly noted , ‘ Riots are the language of the unheard’. Voice - Treaty - Truth. Our humanity is the endgame if we fail to listen to the voiceless and the growing inequity in contemporary capitalist systems masquerading as the free world . Socrates saw this as a problem without social checks on democratic freedom and unrestrained power and ownership at the expense of an examined life. Maybe it’s ‘game over’?! K
chris
Guest
China has virtually no allies save North Korea. Any aspirations they may have had in being a leader (of the "free world") has well and truly been dashed. Economically sure, they can be strong but as far as being a leader... not going to happen.
Redondo
Roar Rookie
Imagine what would have happened if this guy had been black... https://twitter.com/barriecassidy/status/1267698855321075717?s=20
Brian
Guest
Its a fine line between activism and marketing. That netflix tweet was the latter. If the FANGMAT want to help they could start by paying tax.
Nick Symonds
Guest
This was in The Strategist last year in a piece by Hugh White: But to many in Washington, the real point of putting this request to Canberra would be political rather than strategic. It would not just be about reassuring Australia of America’s reliability as an ally, but also about testing Australia’s commitment to stand by America in the new cold war with China. It cannot have gone unnoticed in Washington that Canberra has so far failed to endorse America’s new tough line on China, and is still trying desperately to avoid choosing sides between our major ally and our primary trading partner. That is not what Washington wants or expects. It wants us to choose sides unambiguously, and what better way to force that choice than to ask us to host nuclear missiles aimed at China? - https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/us-could-ask-australia-to-host-nuclear-missiles/ - On the other side China has territorial disputes with India, Japan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Philippines, Malaysia, Nepal, Bhutan, South Korea, Indonesia, and Taiwan. Then, if the Chinese are willing to take on America and India you would have to assume they could take on Russia as well who occupied part of China in Vladivostok. If America withdraws from Asia, then China could turn on Russia.
Dexter The Hamster
Roar Rookie
Scary times Nick.
Nick Symonds
Guest
The issue of justice reinvestment, diverting money from law enforcement and prisons into social programs, is really the key here. In America the problem is obvious, while here in Australia there was a small indigenous town where the government spent $60 million on law enforcement and only half a million on social programs over the same period. Then in China, they spend more money on internal "security" than they do on their millitary. In fact, I'd say that the biggest threat to Chinese security is Chinese security spending. If governments spent the money making their nations better and keeping people happy, they wouldn't need to worry about crime in the first place. But of course, when the criminal justice sysem becomes a privatised industry in itself then what do you expect? Justice reinvestment is an issue that sport could get behind to raise its profile.
Nick Symonds
Guest
There's a global pandemic, a new great depression, the rise of China is triggering a new cold war and now America is turning into a failed state. On the topic of the new cold war, the issue of basing intermediate range nuclear weapons in Australia aimed at China is set to be discussed at the next AUSMIN talks. Remind me, who has the nuclear football at the moment? But you tell me over and over and over again my friend, Ah, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction.
Charlie Keegan
Roar Guru
I am deeply saddened that it has taken such wanton destruction for the people of America and the world to be aware of the dangers police present to the oppressed minorities around the world. I do think that sport faces the chance to be a unifying endeavour for fans of all stripes and teams.
GenEnright
Roar Rookie
Michael Jordan's statement resonated the most with me, because in the 'Last Dance' he made a point about being apolitical, but for him to come out now and state 'he is truly pained and plain angry,' shows that he recognises the importance of his platform.
Dexter The Hamster
Roar Rookie
Great article, well said. I used to listen to NWA when I was a kid, and I could hear their pain and frustration, but couldn't understand where it came from. As a white kid, I just didn't have any sense of it. As you grow older and travel more, you get an understanding that not all people in this world have it so easy. The booing of Adam Goodes, will live with me forever, one of the most disgraceful things I have ever seen in sport in this country. For shame.