Can Athletics Promote Social Justice

What do football players have, but don’t know they have? Power. Power can be described as the possession of a capacity or ability to direct and influence the behavior of others, and/or alter the course or outcome of situations and events. College students, specifically, athletes, are generally unaware how much power they have until opportunities put them to the test. The athletes attending the University of Missouri recently put their power to the test and found their use of power resulted in a successful outcome. However, even with their success, the on-going argument as to whether athletics can promote social justice, still remains.
In the article “Can Athletics Help Promote Social Justice? Let Missouri Show You” authored by Jeff Jacobs, appears to make a credible case for the author’s claim that athletics promote social justice. This can be attributed to Jacob’s believability, emotional appeal and submission of logical examples. …show more content…
Yes, the author’s claims are clear, and can be considered somewhat relevant in today’s society. However, Jacobs’ reference to a quote used earlier in his essay; “In the 1960s Muhammad Ali, Tommie Smith, and John Carlos made courageous stands” (Jacobs 2) could be misplaced on many readers. Of course, people know who Muhammad Ali is, some may know who Tommie Smith and John Carlos are, but they made their stance in the 1960s and this article is published in 2015. Many student leaders and athletes who are reading this article perhaps have little to no knowledge of how these individuals' actions shaped this particular event, but the same quote if directed to an older audience which may be alumni of the administration may resonate more soundly, explaining the major time gap between generations. Additionally, the article includes the assertion that 48 hours after student athletes protested, the university president resigned and thus declare the goal