A call to arms exploring the protest movements of 2020 as they resonated within the athletic world. Beginning with George Hill of the Milwaukee Bucks refusing to play in an August 2020 playoff game after Jacob Blake's shooting by police, the narrative illustrates how the Covid-restricted NBA “bubble” ignited a radical response from athletes. In their grief and anger against American racism, these athletes disrupted the status quo, showcasing a level of progressivism often absent in mainstream politics. The author traces the radicalism of Black athletes across various sports, including the WNBA, women’s tennis, the NFL, and NASCAR, linking contemporary figures to a historical lineage that includes Muhammad Ali and the iconic protest by Tommy Smith and John Carlos at the 1968 Olympics. The work argues that the current dystopic crisis presents a unique opportunity to rethink our existence through the lens of sport. Forerunners: Ideas First is a series of innovative digital publications that capture the evolution of thought, blending scholarly work from blogs, social media, and academic exchanges, representing a space for intense intellectual exploration and speculation.
