HIGH-PROFILE PROTESTS AGAINST RACISM
JESSE OWENS
A silent protest in its purest form. Owens simply beat the opposition to four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, and with it the Nazi propaganda machine that wanted to show off its perfect Aryan athletics programme.
JACKIE ROBINSON
Walked through a cauldron of racial hate when Brooklyn Dodgers decided to integrate baseball in 1947. In the 1950s he became a civil rights leader alongside Martin Luther King. And in 1972, nine days before he died, Robinson made a speech on the field during the World Series as he accepted an award marking the 25th anniversary of his debut. He used the occasion to criticise the league for having no black managers.
TOMMIE SMITH AND JOHN CARLOS
At the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, Smith and Carlos won gold and bronze in the 200m, then each donned one black glove which they held aloft in a Black Power salute on the victory rostrum.
LEBRON JAMES
James and several other NBA players wore ‘I Can’t Breathe’ T-shirts in 2014, referencing the last words of Eric Garner after he died in police custody in New York.
COLIN KAEPERNICK
In a 2016 pre-season game against Green Bay, the San Francisco quarter-back refused to stand for the national anthem and later said: “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people.” In the final pre-season game, he changed his protest to taking to his knee, with others around the league joining him. At the end of the season, Kaepernick opted out of his contract to become a free agent. No team has signed him since.