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While I’ve been reading and watching news coverage over the past few days with great interest, I’ve avoided commenting on anything in real time. Reflecting on the last 48 hours, there are at least three intersections of sports/politics that stand out to me. 1/
First, it is striking how frequently online commentators have juxtaposed yesterday’s insurgency in Washington DC against the peaceful protests led by athletes who “took a knee.” 2/
Many of these observations directly invoked Colin Kaepernick, who has become a rhetorical shorthand for the activist athlete ( @khan_abe ). Nevertheless, CK's actions must be understood alongside other voices, especially women athletes, who have been politically outspoken. 3/
"Communication and sport” scholars have given CK substantial attention. His actions and the responses to them galvanized scholarship on sports and politics in important ways. But we've also over-invested in CK as a singular force, neglecting other important voices/discourses. 4/
A second theme is the attention given to the WNBA and the role of its players in the electoral outcome in the GA runoff elections. For those who doubted whether activist athletes could affect material change, the election of Rev. Warnock in particular demonstrates their power. 5/
There has been excellent work and commentary about the WNBA’s influence in the past year, including @CandaceDBuckner @tamrynspruill @mirarose88 @letisha122 @loumoore12 and @EdgeofSports. I know there are others, so I’m sorry not to list everyone. 6/
If it is fair to say that communication and sport scholars have sufficiently attended to Colin Kaepernick, I hope our academic community will turn our attention more robustly to the WNBA (and women’s sports broadly). @lenehan20, I know you're already there. 7/
Last, athletes continue to be among the most compelling voices responding to political events in real time. Beyond "activism," this is about the willingness to address life outside the lines in candid and passionate ways. This is healthy for many reasons.
