Picking a thesis that encompasses all of America’s sport history, or any aspect of America for that matter, is extremely difficult. One thing that is hard to argue against is an athlete’s power in addressing the general public whether they want to or not. Athletes are constantly under the magnifying glass of America, if they choose to promote a certain issue everyone will know about it. On the flip-side, if an athlete can be seen representing an issue just by being a part of something bigger than themselves, Americans will take note of that as well. America Sport Since 1900 shows that America is a place where sports and athletes have the unique opportunity to change America’s perception of events affecting our society, or at the very least
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Athletes that fall under this category include Billie Jean King, John Carlos, and Tommie Smith among many others; these athletes promoted an issue close to their hearts, but also something that needed to be addressed. On the other end of the spectrum there are athletes who promote issues without having (full) intention to do so. One athlete we’ve discussed this semester that embodies this idea is Jesse Owens; his race was also a topic of discussion regardless of how he felt. There are also athletes in modern times that embodied this idea including Jen Welters and Sarah Thomas; two female NFL employees that regardless of their intentions are giving hope to young females everywhere that anyone can be a part of the NFL. What all these athletes share however is the ability to raise awareness of issues due to having the eyes of America upon …show more content…
On a global level they were able to raise awareness not only for African American rights, but for human rights as a whole. Smith and Carlos differ from Jesse Owens because they had a motive to raise awareness, it also came at a time when the country had “ended” the practice of Jim Crow Laws, but were racism was still rampant. Many didn’t approve of the “stunt” performed by Smith and Carlos, including other Olympic athletes . Along with not gaining approval from a large amount of their fellow athletes, and citizens of the United States, the two were also banned from the Olympics for their actions. If there was going to be such negative consequences for their actions, why would they continue to deliver their
Athletes that fall under this category include Billie Jean King, John Carlos, and Tommie Smith among many others; these athletes promoted an issue close to their hearts, but also something that needed to be addressed. On the other end of the spectrum there are athletes who promote issues without having (full) intention to do so. One athlete we’ve discussed this semester that embodies this idea is Jesse Owens; his race was also a topic of discussion regardless of how he felt. There are also athletes in modern times that embodied this idea including Jen Welters and Sarah Thomas; two female NFL employees that regardless of their intentions are giving hope to young females everywhere that anyone can be a part of the NFL. What all these athletes share however is the ability to raise awareness of issues due to having the eyes of America upon …show more content…
On a global level they were able to raise awareness not only for African American rights, but for human rights as a whole. Smith and Carlos differ from Jesse Owens because they had a motive to raise awareness, it also came at a time when the country had “ended” the practice of Jim Crow Laws, but were racism was still rampant. Many didn’t approve of the “stunt” performed by Smith and Carlos, including other Olympic athletes . Along with not gaining approval from a large amount of their fellow athletes, and citizens of the United States, the two were also banned from the Olympics for their actions. If there was going to be such negative consequences for their actions, why would they continue to deliver their