The Olympics have been riddled with political protests and violence ever since their creation in 1898. Consistent racial, political, and religious protests occur at the games and hinder the competition. The United States has even gone as far as boycotting the 1980 games in Moscow. In 1984 the Soviet Union boycotted the games in LA. In the 1972 Munich games 11 Israeli athletes were kidnapped and slaughtered just because of their religion. In the 1968 Mexico City Olympic games Tommie Smith and John Carlos stood up and did the black power salute instead of singing the national anthem. The political, religious and racial actions committed at the games were ultimately ineffective and the Olympics were not the time or the place to do such disruptive…
such an influence on society that Nelson Mandela was able to use the sport rugby to help dismantle the apartheid system in South Africa. Mandela has once said “Sports has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a ways that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sports can create hope where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than…
1960s saw The Black Civil Rights Movement as a dominant and visible group in America. Martin Luther King Junior was leading the way in challenging and working towards changing the manner in which Black African Americans were treated in the United States. The Movement was making good progress until the late 1960s where the appearance of black radical groups started to emerge and began to cause inter-racial riots between black and white Americans in the streets of America. At the time of the…
was the Olympics gold medalist in the 1968 Olympic games which was held in Mexico City that year. Smith smashed the world record with a time of 19.8 seconds. His teammate John Carlos won the bronze that same year and competition. Both Carlos and Smith were part of an organization called the Olympic Project for Human Right or otherwise known as the OPHR. The founder of the organizations was a sociologist and college professor, Harry Edwards. Tommie Smith was one of the original members that…
During a time when black people in America were fighting against racial discrimination, Tommie Smith and John Carlos took a stand that many viewed as black power radicalism. While standing on the 1968 Mexico City Olympic podium, during the National Anthem, the two men quietly bowed their heads and each raised their black glove colored fist. Immediately, this action raised awareness towards black rights. By the time of the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, the United States had gone through…
Since the first Summer Olympic Games of 1896, numerous controversies and scandals caused stirs in the sports event more often than one might think. Most involve sabotage between contestants, performance enhancing drugs, and banning of countries. However, there have been years wherein significant moments occurred both surrounding and during the date of the event. The protests of 1968, in particular, was the most meaningful and impactful because of the unified, traumatic, and even iconic protests…
the 1960s Olympics “Bang”! The runners jump off their blocks from the start and begin to pick up lightning speed. Faster and faster, one runner breaks away, and you hear the crowd roar with excitement when the runner gets closer and closer to crossing the finish line with a new world record. The Olympics has become an amazing way to showcase worldwide competition while putting political and social issues aside. Although, not every Olympics has run as smoothly by the host country as they would…
2.What religious values might have motivated the Olympic Project for Human Rights protests at the 1968 Olympic Games? The purpose of this paper is to review the Olympic Project for Human Rights protests at the 1968 Olympic Games. The Olympic Games are an inspiration to many people and give young people an opportunity to dream that it could one day be them standing on the podium. They have the power to unite people from around the world to celebrate with pride the achievements of amateur…
Taking a Stand By Refusing to Stand: Colin Kaepernick’s Use of the Political Gesture in the World of Sports Athletes are given a public platform and some, despite the criticism they are sure to receive from members of the public, use it to make an important statement or to bring awareness to an issue they feel strongly about. In 1968, African American track athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos staged a protest during the Olympics in Mexico City, and in 2016, San Francisco 49ers quarterback…
Two American black athletes, Tommie Smith, and John Carlos, took a stand during the American National Anthem at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, Mexico, by raising a black-gloved fist and bowing their heads in a silent protest against racial issues in the U.S, known as the Black Power salute. Find symbols in another source. At the moment, the United States was dealing with civil rights and racial discrimination issues. Tommie Smith and John Carlos took the opportunity to show their thoughts on…