Playing and Protesting
(2-23-10) Boston, Mass. – “Playing and Protesting: Sport as a Vehicle for Social Change,” a forthcoming article in the Journal of Sport and Social Issues, looks at the ways in which athletes at every level may be more inclined toward progressive social change. Authored by Dr. Peter Kaufman, a Sport in Society research fellow and professor of sociology at the State University of New York at New Paltz, and Eli Wolff of Sport in Society, the article examines how sport and the struggle for social and political justice are not mutually exclusive. Read full article
“Hopefully athletes will realize that work in the area of social change is an option, and that there is a supportive community that they can be a part of,” said Wolff. “I also hope that there can continue to be increased understanding and recognition in sport and in society of the overall links and connections between sport and social justice."
Over five years, Kaufman interviewed more than 20 professional, collegiate, and amateur athletes who have engaged in social or political activism while in their role as an athlete. Through the voices of the athletes, Kaufman and Wolff discovered “that there are inherent qualities of sport and the athletic experience that do indeed suggest an orientation toward progressive social change.”
While sports have historically been used for political purposes, athletes are expected to play and not protest. However, some individual athletes use their status and recognition to promote social justice.
“The purpose of this study was to determine if there are dimensions of sport that result in individuals being more prone to progressive social change,” said Kaufman. “We discovered that there might be something inherent about participating in sports that contributes to an individual’s propensity toward working for issues of social and political justice.”
Kaufman and Wolff identified four qualities of sport and the athlete’s experience that lead to a penchant for progressive social change and activism. The qualities are: social consciousness, meritocracy, responsible citizenship and interdependency.
First, whether it is the platform athletics affords athletes or the traveling and exposure to a variety of people and cultures they experience, being an athlete provides one with a number of entry points on the path toward developing a social conscience.
Second, meritocracy suggests that life is played out on an even playing field. At every level of sport, teams and leagues attempt to create a level playing field though rules and regulations such as salary caps, drafts, and player lotteries. These practices are wildly popular in sports. Kaufman and Wolff believe that athletes, who are subject to these practices, could see the benefit to making the larger society more meritocratic.
Third, Kaufman and Wolff believe that responsible citizenship is connected to one of the earliest lessons of sports: sportsmanship. Good sportsmanship suggests doing what is fair and just. Although some athletes may not practice sportsmanship, they all learn what it means to be a good sport and, by extension, what it means to be a responsible citizen.
Finally, athletes have an acute grasp of interdependency. Success in sports is dependent on a group of individuals—be they the actual athletes, teammates, coaches, trainers or supporters—working together to achieve similar goals. Therefore, those involved in sport can translate that understanding to the need to promote interconnectedness of the larger society.
In the United States and abroad, athletes have fought for a variety of human rights causes such as racial, gender, and sexual equality, unionization and worker rights, peace and social justice, freedom from political persecution, ability rights, religious freedom, and free speech, among others. The research shows that, despite potential obstacles to linking sports and progressive social change, athletes will forever be compelled to make connections between playing and protesting.