No More Sticking to Sports: The Political Impact of Black Athlete Activism

• In Event: Elite Cues & Motivated Reasoning

Abstract

In the wake of renewed protests surrounding the Movement for Black Lives, accompanied by the Covid-19 pandemic, one group of actors assumed a particularly central role: Black athletes. Black athletes are politically active in large numbers again for the first time since the 1960s. From tweeting, to joining protests in the streets, to helping people register to vote, to staging a day-long boycott of large parts of the sports world, Black athletes are at the heart of the contemporary push for racial justice. The centrality of Black athletes in the current political moment warrants a closer analysis of the ways in which sports, politics, and race interact. Despite plenty of anecdotal narratives, little empirical research exists about this intersection. This paper analyzes the political consequences of renewed Black athlete activism, particularly its impact on public opinion and political engagement. What, if any, effect does this activism have? Does it sway public opinion on racial attitudes? Do Black athletes encourage increased political participation, especially among their communities?

Existing research shows that elite rhetoric can significantly impact the mass public’s attitudes. By drawing on the persuasion literature in social psychology, I ultimately argue that Black athletes are political opinion leaders and can act as political elites in mobilizing the public. Moreover, I embed Black athletes and their status as elite role models within theories of self-interest and symbolic politics. Traditionally, these theories are presented as competing explanations. In the context of Black athlete activism, I suggest that self-interest and symbolic politics, in fact, complement and reinforce each other. Black athletes serve as role models in both a material and a cultural, symbolic way in their communities. Consequently, Black athlete activists can persuade the public on racial justice issues and encourage them to participate politically. To arrive at these conclusions, I collect original survey data, including a priming experiment, on Black athlete activists’ impacts on public opinion regarding racial justice policies and political engagement.

This paper promotes and advances the understanding of pluralism in political science in multiple ways. It expands the field of inquiry by exploring the understudied nexus of sports, politics, and race in the United States. More specifically, it contributes to a broader understanding of Black athlete activism and its political ramifications. Furthermore, the paper offers a more pluralistic conception of politics by treating Black athletes as (non-traditional) political actors, thereby recognizing the political agency they possess.

Author

• Sebastian Mayer, University of Washington