It originated in the Black Lives Matter movement that was formed in 2012 since the shooting of African American 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. At the bottom, protests are being made against white police officers who shot people of African American origin without legal reprimand. But the link between sports and activism has been through basically the entire US sports history.
- Activism and sport have gone hand in hand since the Olympics (1936 in Berlin) with Jesse Owens, we have had Muhammad Ali and Johan Carlos and Tommie Smith at the 1968 Olympics, Isiah Thomas, elected to the Hall of Fame for his merits as basketball players, told Newsone.
It made a big impact when African-American quarterback Colin Kaepernick got down on one knee during a match in American football in August 2016. Something that made President Donald Trump rage because he thinks the squats do not show respect for the US national anthem and flag .
Two years later, Colin Kaepernick is still without a contract.
However, the female basketball player of the WNBA team was the Minnesota Lynx who was the first to protest during a sports event, writes Dagens Nyheter. It happened in July 2016 when they crocheted arm wearing white t-shirts with a pink ribbon, a symbol of awareness, after two fatalities by police who received little attention.
Several other teams followed suit and warmed up in black t-shirts with Black Lives Matter print before the WNBA clubs responded by fining the players. This was when Barack Obama was president.
200 NFL players on their knees this weekendOver the weekend, around 200 NFL players in American football showed their support by getting down on their knees and more sports, famous athletes and celebrities have been airing their opinions ever since. There are also variations on the knee bend by staying in the dressing room when the national anthem is played and the flag is raised.
When basketball star Stephen Curry hesitated, as the reigning NBA champion for his Golden State Warriors in Oakland, California, to visit the White House, Trump immediately withdrew his invitation. However, NHL champion Pittsburgh visited the White House the same. The motoring organization Nascar has also shown its support for Trump.
Soccer star Megan Rapinoe first chose to kneel during the national anthem during a league match in the United States.
“I am disgusted by how he (Kaepernick) has been treated and all the hatred he has endured because of this. The least I can do is kneel down to help him spark the discussion, "she said afterwards.
And when all the footballing worlds were focused on the World Cup this summer, she continued to protest against Donald Trump. Among other things, by not singing in the national anthem.
“It's a kind of 'fuck you' to all kinds of injustice that (Donald Trump's) cabinet stands for. I will probably never hold my hand over my heart or sing the national anthem again, ”she says.