In such a mental-centric sport, external stressors as well as internal stressors from the sport itself can derail an athlete’s training.
Jacob Cohen
Daily Sports Writer
Sports & Society
Members of the Michigan men's basketball team will continue to use their platform to advocate for social justice as the season gets under way.
On the panel Johnson showed no signs of discomfort when speaking with the fellow panelists on the issues that face him as a Black man in society. Whether it was about using his image and platform, his personal experiences or even when a young kid simply asked him if he got nerves while playing football, he spoke like someone who had done this before.
TEDxUofM hosted the salon via Zoom, titling the event “Race in Sports: The Black Athletic Experience.” The four panelists included Johnson, professor of Sports Management and Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the School of Kinesiology Dr. Ketra Armstrong, Sports Management Ph.D. Elena Simpkins and former Michigan volleyball player Elliot Brooks.
Freshman wing Jace Howard sat in front of a photo of Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali as he talked to media the day before Election Day.
Athletes — tired of being viewed only through their on-field accomplishments — seized on their popularity and their platforms to fight for change on issues they felt were important. For many, that was fighting back against generations of systematic racism and police brutality.
Politics and sports are far from separate.
They can’t be. Not if you’re a woman. Not if you’re Black. Not if you’re LGBTQ+. And not if you’re surrounded by teammates whose lives can be affected by an election — this election.
The student athletes at the University of Michigan have risen to the occasion. They know there is no good reason to waste the opportunity in front of them. They know and respect the responsibility they hold.
Four days remain until the most anticipated election in recent memory. For the Michigan softball team, this moment serves as a turning point for a better future.
This was bound to happen, right? I mean, sooner or later, a crack was going to show in the Big Ten’s approach to football this fall. We are, after all, living amidst a pandemic.