When Athletes Become Advocates For Social Change

Politics and sports have often intersected in modern history, and in recent years, controversial team names and athlete protests during games have garnered much attention. The Washington, DC NFL team recently agreed to change its current name that many find offensive and other sports franchises with names associated with Indigenous Americans are under increasing pressure to do the same. Earlier this month, the Minnesota Wild’s Matt Dumba became the first NHL player to kneel in support of the Black Lives Matter movement during the National Anthem. And the Minnesota Lynx’s Maya Moore sat out another season to advocate for the release of a man whom she believes was wrongly sent to prison. This week on Dialogue Minnesota, a look at how sports became a platform for expressing ideological views and how today’s athletes are using their celebrity to promote racial equity. Joining us is Douglas Hartmann, a professor and chair of the Sociology Department at the University of Minnesota. He is an expert on the sociology of sport.