Let's look at the NFL. The argument is that until Colin Kaepernick came along and started kneeling to protest social injustices, the world of football was completely void of any sociopolitical stances. This statement would be laughable if so many people didn't actually believe this notion. The history of the NFL is rife with politics throughout it's nearly 100 year history.
In 1946 the Cleveland Rams wanted to move to Los Angeles. At the time the NFL had an unspoken ban on African American players and the team wanted to lease the publicly funded Los Angeles Coliseum. So an African American journalist named Halley Harding wrote to the Coliseum Commission and implored them not to let the Rams lease the space until the team integrated. The move worked and the team integrated on March 21, 1946 with the signing of UCLA standout Kenny Washington.
This move however would not be the end of politics forcing integration in the NFL. In 1962 the Washington Redskins were the lone hold out team in the NFL to integrate. Where pressure from fans, sportswriters and much of the public at large had failed to get Marshall to change his stance, the federal government stepped in and forced his hand. Interior Secretary Stewart Udall advised Marshall that D.C. stadium was on federal land and that if the team did not sign at least one black player, the team would lose use of it. Marshall relented and went on to sign five African American players.
In 1965 the American Football League (which became the AFC during their merger with the NFL in 1970) looked to hold their all star game in New Orleans. The problem? New Orleans was still a very segregated city. After several racially charged incidents, the 20 African American players were fed up and decided they were going to boycott the game. Instead the AFL moved the game to the more racially tolerant Houston. This move nearly derailed the city from being awarded an NFL franchise.
In 1967 several current and former NFL players held a meeting with heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali. While some of the players were at odds with Ali's stance on the Vietnam War they chose to stand by him in his decision to protest. They chose to use their influence to stand up to the federal government in the face of religious persecution in a volatile time in the country.
African American players weren't the only ones involved in the sociopolitical climate and finding themselves embedded in politics at the time. In 1968, 49ers legend Y.A. Tittle went on the campaign trail to endorse Ronald Reagan for president. Tittle had been a supporter of Reagan's since his run for governor two years prior and believed wholeheartedly in the messages and ideals of Reagan.
Players nowadays still continue to focus their efforts on social inequalities, systemic racism and prison reform. Meanwhile the owners haven't shied away from politics as several current NFL owners and NFL Ventures donated more than $7 million to the Donald Trump campaign and Tom Brady even endorsed Trump for president.
As much as we may like to believe sports is an escape from our everyday life and therefore shouldn't address the issues that impact everyday people, this isn't a realistic request nor vision for professional sports. Politics will always be a part of the NFL and the NFL will always play a part in politics.
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