Understanding the Increasing Politicization of Sports

“Washington Redskins National Anthem Kneeling” by Keith Allison is licensed under CC-BY-SA-2.0

Americans historically have liked to keep politics separate from other aspects of daily life. However, the intersection of sports and politics seemingly is different from the typical intersection of daily life and politics. While we see that there is some pushback when brands make public political stances, the backlash they face usually pales in comparison to when sports athletes make political statements. While a cursory analysis may find that sports do not have a particularly special relationship with politics, the reality of the situation is very different. There exists a unique relationship between sports and politics, with the two becoming further entwined as cultural divisions in American continue to rise.

“San Francisco 49ers National Anthem Kneeling” by Keith Allison is licensed under CC-BY-SA-2.0

One aspect of sports that increases the involvement of politics is their international audience. The viewership of leagues such as the NBA and NFL is not just from the US, but also from Mexico, China, and other countries across the globe. According to Andrew Strenk, a former US Olympic swimmer and professor at the University of Southern California, sports are a tool that can be used as political propaganda. The most obvious example of this is the Olympics, where the host nation uses the opportunity to convey that their nation is great. What may not be so obvious is the commonplace propaganda that these leagues use before every game, whether it be the national anthem, honoring American veterans, or other patriotic acts to increase American nationalism. Strenk also suggests that sporting events can be used to protest situations. One prominent example of protest in recent years is protesting the national anthem before NFL games. Initially done by Colin Kaepernick in protest of police brutality, the movement quickly gained speed, reaching a peak when President Trump called for NFL players who kneeled during the national anthem to be fired. This is just one example of the many cases where athletes use their international stage to call out injustices that personally affect them. 

Sports are not just a form of entertainment; they are also a product to be consumed. America has long been known to be a consumer-based economy, with consumption making up 70 percent of American gross domestic product. Professor Timothy Breen of Northwestern University argues that Americans are culturally ingrained to use this consumerism as a force for political change. Breen dates the first notable case of political consumerism back to colonial America, where American colonists refused to buy British goods as a result of the Stamp Act. Ever since the successful protests of the Stamp Act, Breen contends that the political aspect of American consumption is a powerful force for political change. When Americans even threaten to reduce consumption, this is often enough to cause political change. However, political consumerism is not always a negative incentive for social change. Following Nike’s support for Colin Kaepernick and the release of its ad campaign starring Kaepernick, Nike reported record brand engagement while its stock price reached an all-time high following the campaign’s immediate release. The campaign led to what is known as a “buycott”, effectively an anti-boycott where supporters of a cause increase their consumption of brands that agree with their cause. Both methods continue to be powerful tools that American consumers can use when brands either endorse causes or act in ways that consumers support or oppose.

American culture is inherently ingrained in American sports, and this applies similarly to other countries internationally and their respective sports leagues. It should be no surprise then that when a country has cultural divisions, those same divisions are present in sports. Professor Barry Houlihan of the University of Loughborough finds that there is notable typecasting for nonwhite athletes, such as the quarterback in football or defender in soccer. Typecasting in sports is akin to general discrimination because the underlying idea is that someone of a different race is not as capable as his or her white counterparts. A recent case of typecasting can be seen with current Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. Jackson, a Heisman-winning quarterback in college, was asked by several teams to try out as a wide receiver instead of as a quarterback. This typecasting isn’t uncommon; only 17 percent of quarterbacks in the NFL are black. Yet Jackson has proved himself at the highest level, having the lowest interception rate of any quarterback with at least 250 attempts at an astounding 1.1 percent. The racism that has plagued American culture since its inception continues to be present in sports today. In order to change the culture, it makes sense that the athletes who are plagued with the shortcomings of American culture often choose to talk about these issues. By talking about changing the culture in a politically divided country, politics and sports grow further intertwined.

The current polarized political climate makes a decrease in cultural divisions unlikely. This means sports and politics are likely to remain intertwined. However, this is not necessarily bad, as the more entwined sports and politics are, the better the chance for real change to come about. One final example to look at is the recent events involving the NBA and China, where Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey expressed support for Hong Kong over the recent protests in its fight for democracy. This led to outrage from the Chinese government, prompting the cancelation of several NBA-preseason games in China. However, American consumers threatened to boycott NBA events. The NBA League Commissioner, Adam Silver promised there would be no punishment for Morey or the Rockets, despite calls from the Chinese government to fire Morey. This interaction demonstrates the power of political consumerism, and the idea that having such a close bond between politics and sports can be a powerful force for change.