Change is Coming

Since the beginning of America, oppression has been a prominent factor to society. We see it in commercials for high end products, and we see it on the news in real life situations. While there’s no doubt that laws have been passed and civilization has moved forward in the right direction, we’re not to the finish line yet, in fact we’re not even close. While racism does not ‘exist’ in documents, it’s in the hearts and minds of people around the globe in high and low positions. The Black Lives Matter movement has always been present, but has never been pushed into the spotlight of political issues in America. The death of George Floyd was the tipping point for many Americans, and protest have now been seen in all 50 states. It’s not my place as a journalist to paint the narrative of who is to blame for mass racism in America, nor is it my place to discriminate against a group for the actions of a few (even if there are too many incidents). However, it is my job to educate and I’d like to draw attention to teams, players, and owners who are no longer remaining silent.

1. ESPN

ESPN as well as other sports networks have remained vocal on all forms of social media. They are using their platform to retweet, share, and educate just about everything on the internet when it comes to awareness and helping.

2. The Mavericks

The Mavericks as well have been extremely vocal as a whole, and individually with their players. A viral video of Dirk Nowitzki is going around on multiple pages showing him “rebuilding Dallas” with a police officer. They’ve continued to stand on the side of unity with officers and all racial communities. They have acknowledged the problem that is at hand, and voiced that we need to join as one to make a change.

3. Patrick Mahomes II

America’s Superbowl MVP, and favorite player (maybe that’s my ‘Kansas-City-lovin-bias’ speaking) has spoken out through Twitter and Instagram. He’s made his own statement by using his own experiences from unity in the locker room. Not only has he reposted words from other prominent pages, he’s continued to endorse his girlfriend, Brittany Matthews, statements as well.

While many have used their platform to educate and inspire unity with change, one team in particular has remained silent. I would expect every single NFL team to speak up one way or another, seeing as though 70% of the league is made up of black players. The Dallas Cowboys have continued to tweet about their upcoming season with no acknowledgment of the current social situation. Like I said, it is not my place to influence or force feed my morals, but I will say that is a poor decision on their organization.

All of this does spark an interesting question, with the world of sports now voicing their opinion on the modern civil rights movement, will Colin Kaepernick be given a second chance in the NFL?