Daniel Johnson
  Sports Editor 

Athletes, particular black athletes, have been looked upon to be guiding forces for social justice for their people since Joe Louis and Jesse Owens “defeated” the Nazis in the 1930s and Jackie Robinson integrated baseball in the 1940s. There is real anger and betrayal when African American athletes fail to speak out against racism. Jackie Robinson was angry at Willie Mays for not following the lead of his contemporary Hank Aaron, instead choosing to be more socially active. While OJ Simpson attended the University of Southern California and enjoyed popularity as an athlete during the late 1960s he declined the teachings of influential sociology professor Harry Edwards at nearby Berkeley. Michael Jordan has never taken stands on social positions. One of his most famous quotes, “Republicans buy sneakers too”, led to Kareem Abdul Jabbar to comment “commerce over conscious.”

Muhammad Ali died on June 3 this year. In the history of our country, no athlete has been more politically involved than Ali. Anytime there is call for a professional athlete to take a step off the gridiron, hardwood, ring or diamond and into the realm of politics and social activism, the name of Ali is usually the first to be mentioned.

Last Sunday morning, ESPN’s “Sports Reporters”, a 30 minute talk show featuring four veteran sports journalist discussing the past week in sports, had a segment talking about NBA superstars LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, and Dwyane Wade opening to the ESPYs, which saw the players calling for peace following the shootings in Dallas, Baton Rouge, and Minneapolis. Once again, Ali’s name was mentioned and New York Daily News columnist and author Mike Lupica talked about the impossible standard set by Ali.

“He (Ali) came along at an extraordinary moment in the history of this country. He wasn’t just talking about race and class, but he also became the face of the anti-war movement. It was the perfect storm with a perfect messenger.”

I liked what the players did to open the ESPYs. I liked Carmelo Anthony’s Instagram post that made its way to the Daily News following the shootings three shootings. I personally hope it continues and many athletes become more vocal on what is happening in the nation. But to ask an athlete to carry the banner for sports similar to what Ali, John Carlos, Tommie Smith, Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Jim Brown, or even Billie Jean King fighting for LBGT rights would be unfair and impossible because it is a new era and a new battle, even if it’s the same enemy: prejudice in America.

With the summer Olympics coming soon and all the controversy surrounding that, I won’t be surprised to see an athlete take a social or political stance on the recent events in this country. And they’ll probably piss off a good number of people. It’s possible more people hate them afterwards than like them. John Carlos and Tommie Smith lost their gold medals and were sent home for giving the black power fist at the 68’ Olympics. Ali was hated by many Americans for being a draft dodger before Vietnam became very unpopular, converting to Islam from Christianity, and associating himself with the Elijah Muhammad, the Nation of Islam, and Malcolm X over Dr. King. He lost three years of his prime and struggled financially for years not being allowed to fight. Jim Brown and Bill Russell were not celebrated in their northern cities (Cleveland and Boston) during their careers.

In my limited experience in the world, I can not remember a month so filled with violence, racial tension, and a feeling of distrust and anger towards people. If not for the release and excitement of “Pokemon Go!”, social media would be filled with post of “All Lives Matter”, “Black Lives Matter”, and “Blue Lives Matter”. President Barack Obama seems to be on television every other day calling for peace and an end of senseless shooting, to no avail. And if the president, presidential candidates, politicians, police chiefs, or any grassroots activist can’t help end the situation, what the hell can Chris Paul or LeBron James do? Remember, for every Ali, Brown, Jabbar, and Hank Aaron, there was a MLK, Brother Malcolm, Harry Edwards, RFK, and JFK.