No More "Sticking to Sports": Black Athlete Activism and Its Political Consequences

Abstract

This dissertation seeks to understand the political consequences of Black athlete activism. Despite the longstanding intersection of sports and politics, social-scientific inquiries into this symbiosis and its consequences for the political arena remain mostly absent. Most existing accounts of athlete activism, and the connection between sports and politics more broadly, only reach a descriptive, exploratory stage. In contrast, this dissertation offers empirical analyses to interrogate Black athletes’ political influence. Apart from offering a history of Black athlete activism that runs counter to notions of a recent politicization of sports, I show that Black athletes are involved in a wide range of political advocacy online and receive strong engagement from the public, making it a viable avenue for Black athletes’ political activism. On top, I demonstrate that Black athletes can successfully influence policy preferences and mobilize the Black community to participate politically, making them elite political actors. Overall, my findings suggest that sports and politics not only have anecdotal interconnections, but directly impact each other historically, as well as in contemporary times. In short, I content that the study of Black athlete activism offers crucial insights into the politics of the Black community, and American politics more broadly.