Beyond the Athlete — The Role of a European Athlete Activist Today
Gerard Piqué knew he could face sanctions for speaking out in favor of Catalan’s independence referendum in late 2017. He offered to leave his $14.7 million contract as a defender from FC Barcelona if his politics interfered with the team. Piqué’s political pursuits highlight a growing wave of athlete activism within European athletics.
Eric Hutcherson, the Executive Vice President of Human Resources for the NBA, said athletes’ growing social media presence allows them to speak out on issues that matter to them.
“Athletes have a voice like all other citizens,” Hutcherson said, “to not exercise the voice seems to be a missed opportunity.”
Two years ago, as athletes in America banded together over NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s in-game protest against police brutality, European athletes often stayed silent.
“European athletes do not get involved in politics because they think it’s not their job,” said former international and American basketball player John Amaechi, “they think they will be instantly critiqued — which they will be — but it’s not the job of athletes to avoid critique.”
The article, which CNN released in late 2016, is no longer representative of today’s wave of global sports activism. While “passive and covert” protests were popular a few years ago, athletes like Piqué today are speaking out more often and on much larger social platforms.
Dr. Ben Carrington, an Associate Professor in the Annenberg School for Communications and Journalism at USC, said the role of European athletes as activists has grown over the last few years as a result of social pressure. “We have reached a stage where an elite athlete not speaking out on a social issue would be considered to be more surprising than an athlete who speaks out.” Hutcherson said large social media followings allow athletes to “have a platform that cannot be recreated in general society,” which he said creates a “responsibility for athletes to weigh in on specific subjects relevant to them.”
Piqué said he understands the power his political actions have on the future on sports activism in Europe.
“Why shouldn’t I express myself? We’re footballers but we’re people too. Why can a journalist or a mechanic express themselves but not a footballer?”
While lots of societal change is affecting mid-tier European soccer stars, some internationally renowned athletes stay silent. Italian soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo, who has 143 million followers on Instagram, does not post social or political issues on social media. Rob Parker, an analyst for Fox Sports in Los Angeles, said “some athletes are taking bigger risks by speaking out,” referring to Ronaldo’s record social following for an athlete worldwide. Top athletes are restricted on social media by team policies and fears over losing sponsors.
Carrington said current athlete activism in Europe is not enough. “If a particular group is subject to discrimination, they have to speak out.” Carrington talked about a series of racist chants in European soccer where black soccer players had bananas thrown at them during the games. Carrington asked, “Why didn’t white players on the team stand up in solidarity with the black players?”
Erit Yellen, a sports and society columnist for The Undefeated, said societal change through international sports must start in youth sports organizations. She highlighted a global nonprofit organization called “Right to Play,” which recently started the Sport for Development and Peace (SDP) movement. Yellen criticized the American media for lacking coverage on global sports organizations promoting “sports development for humanitarian relief, post-war reconciliation, and broad social development.”
“This is an organization today that provides sport and play programs for two million children in over 25 countries around the world and has over 400 professional athletes around the world involved. Why aren’t we hearing about this?”
Yellen said the American media focuses their sports coverage on finding “clickbait narratives” rather than telling the stories of athletes around the world. By promoting youth sports programs, both current and future athletes have a platform to advocate for change and better society through social programs.
Hutcherson believes society as a whole is becoming more socially active as a result of sports protests. “Corporate leaders are now being asked to have a voice. You’re starting to see leaders at all levels who are expected to take a stand.” Everyone who can post on social media, whether they are in the United States or abroad, can become a pioneer for social activism within their sphere. “Whether you’re in corporate, the government, athletics, or a schoolteacher, you can and are expected to take a stand.”
Gerard Piqué is still a pioneer in the rise of social activism in European athletics. The risks he faces while speaking out against social and political issues in Spain will give future athletes and teammates the ability to become activists. Hutcherson said international social activism within sports is a team effort. “No matter where you are or what team you are on, all athletes have more power when they’re together.”
