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Protest among professional athletes

Across the country, the outcry over the tragic killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., has been loud. Among the voices of protest have been star athletes in the NBA and the NFL —not, coincidentally, two of America’s major sports leagues with the highest percentage of African-Americans.

The expression of indignation has ranged from posts on Twitter to pre-game demonstrations. Indeed, before the match between the Oakland Raiders and the St. Louis Rams, five of the Rams’ players raised their hands in a nod to the “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” protest occurring nationwide. The Rams’ players, coaches and staff also locked arms during the national anthem before the game as a show of support for the Ferguson community during this period of unrest.

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The move, however, didn’t fail to incite controversy within the St. Louis community. The St. Louis Police Officer Association interpreted the move as a disregard of the St. Louis police force’s efforts to keep the St. Louis community safe during the unrest. From the words of the SLPOA business manager Jeff Roorda, one would think the act was an outright offense to the police force, which had been tasked with keeping the protests occurring outside the game under control.

Following the game, the SLPOA demanded that the NFL discipline the Rams’ players involved in this mini-demonstration, as well as a formal apology from the Rams organization and the NFL itself. The NFL, however, disagreed with the SLPOA’s view of the players’ action, and on Monday morning, decided not to bring disciplinary action against any members of the Rams organization.

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy essentially admitted that the NFL was walking a fine line as to not offend too many people, proclaiming that the league “respect[s] and understand[s] the concerns of all individuals who have expressed views on this tragic situation.” Certainly, the NFL is in a tight spot. After readmitting domestic abuser Ray Rice into the league this past weekend, heavily disciplining the Rams for supporting a noble cause would have been a PR nightmare.

Despite what amounts to essentially a “no comment” on the NFL’s part, the importance of taking a very public stand on a divisive issue is huge. Indeed, many have compared this move by the St. Louis Rams to iconic protests in sports history; Muhammad Ali’s refusal to serve in the Vietnam War, and Tommie Smith's and John Carlos’ raised fists (symbol of the Black Power movement) in the 1968 Olympics are the first images to come to mind.

As in Ferguson, the issues protested by Ali, Smith and Carlos had racial overtones. Of course, the Black Power movement was a response to the deeply entrenched systematic disenfranchisement of blacks across the United States. Moreover, Ali famously said about his refusal to join the draft, “I ain’t got no quarrel with them Viet Cong. No Viet Cong ever called me 'nigger.' ”

Unsurprisingly, these men’s preeminence in their sport provided a podium for the protest, and thus the men became loud enough for millions of people to hear. In a country where paths to success have historically been far and few between for African-Americans, athletics has long been a way to fame and fortune.

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The question remains, however, what is the social responsibility attached to that hard-earned fame? Certainly, history is littered with athletes who used their hard-earned gains to better their own lives, but I like to think that the greatest athletes are those who do their part for the greater good. Taking a stand on issues from which they, by virtue of their fame and wealth, are a degree removed sends an incredibly powerful message.

The St. Louis Rams’ choice to express their solidarity parallels the protests seen in Princeton last Tuesday: a group of people, most of whom are privileged enough to be a few degrees separated from this conflict, coming together to send a strong message of support. Many think that the core protesters are those directly affected by police brutality —in Ferguson or other parts of the country. In truth, those with the most privilege can often be among the most instrumental factors in pushing the movement on toward success.

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