Holland, SOJC professors discuss social activism in sports in webinar
EUGENE, Ore. — Former University of Oregon safety Jevon Holland and UO School of Journalism and Communication professors Troy Elias and Lori Shontz discussed the role of journalism and social activism in sports in a webinar Monday. The webinar was the latest installment of the SOJC’s weekly series “Journalism, Politics, and the 2020 Election.”
The topics included racism, police brutality, protests, media coverage of racism, the 2020 election, and the history of activism in sports.
Since the death of George Floyd in May and the ensuing protests this summer, Holland has vehemently fought for social justice and racial equality for Black people, using his social media platform and attending protests to speak out against racial injustice.
“I was ready to lay my whole career on the line for standing up for what was right,” said Holland, who opted out of the 2020 college football season to enter the NFL Draft. “If my future was affected in playing football because I spoke up and tried to defend the people that didn’t have a voice that I had, I was 100% okay with that.”
On May 30, Holland tweeted after Floyd’s death: “You keep telling me that there are good cops. But why aren’t they confronting the bad cops in the force?? I’m sure all of you gave the Same Oath as other cops around America. If you aren’t saying anything you are accepting the injustice.”
The webinar panel also described how teams and athletes in professional leagues have fought for social justice and raised awareness toward issues such as police brutality and racism in America. Shontz highlighted how the WNBA’s Washington Mystics wore T-shirts designed with seven bullet holes on the back in response to the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
“I think that’s something that I’ve been seeing more of this year is that it’s not just raising awareness for something, that it’s trying to make you uncomfortable,” Shontz said. “Putting that into context of what’s happening today, athletes and sports leagues have a real opportunity because so many people pay attention to them.”
Elias, whose research focuses on helping brands and organizations communicate with and include communities of color, said that he has seen professional and collegiate athletes rally around messages such as “Black Lives Matter,” but he recognizes that the message isn’t always well-received by fans and critics.
“I think the statement ‘Black Lives Matter’ is a pretty low bar, but for significant parts of the population it causes a lot of ruffled feathers,” Elias said.
62% of Americans believe that professional athletes should use their platform to express their views on issues in the US, according to a Washington Post poll conducted last month. While the majority of Americans support athletes in their fight for social justice, 38% believe that athletes should “stick to sports.”
“For people to say [stick to sports], it boils a fire underneath athletes, like myself, to use my voice because I have a platform,” Holland said. “I think it’s very disrespectful and inhumane to say that because athletes are obviously people first.”
UO sophomore and football fan Mark Montoya said he approves of athletes speaking up against racial inequities and believes that it is part of their role as public figures.
“People will actually listen to what they have to say,” Montoya said. “It is unjust to think that athletes should merely exist for our entertainment. If athletes are not allowed to speak their minds, then they have no possibility of addressing, and correcting, any issues that are important to them in society.”
With the election two weeks away, the panelists examined how the sports media have covered social activism in sports. Shontz said that journalists should study the history of Black athletes, such as Jackie Robinson, and their fight for civil rights.
“If you’re covering sports right now and you’re not familiar with the history of Black Lives Matter, with the history of protests, with Jackie Robinson, you need to go learn it because it’s really important,” Shontz said. “That should be a part of your job.”
Holland said he agreed that doing research will not only help journalists but all Americans while filling out their ballots. He advised young voters to educate themselves.
“Don’t be swayed by what social media says,” he said. “Just go do the research yourself because if you educate yourself, then you’ll develop your own opinion and have a more well-rounded decision. Educate yourself and you’ll thank me later.”
To find an Oregon football fan, I used Instagram to look at who is liking and commenting on posts from @GoDucks and similar Oregon football fan pages. I messaged a couple of fans and found Mark Montoya, who is a UO sophomore and football fan. We exchanged phone numbers and discussed over the phone how social justice activism has affected fans’ views of sports and athletes. We also discussed how the phrase “stick to sports,” which was a topic mentioned in the webinar, has impacted how athletes speak publicly and express their views. I reached out to someone on Twitter that commented a similar phrase under one of Holland’s tweets that I mentioned in the article, but I never received a message back.