Autumn Flagg

Professor Drown

ENG 123

January 21, 2020

Some of the issues, ideas and experiences that athletes are talking about  are politics, racism and transgender rights. I think that the reason athletes are talking about these topics is because they are currently relevant and they are major problems or topics in our society these days. Athletes also have the ability to use large social media platforms to get this information out to people who all have many different views. Many of these followers may be younger generations who do not follow these issues very often. By taking them to their platforms to people who look up to them means that they are getting out to many different points of views in the world. In Karl Anthony Towns’ article “There Are More of Us Than There Are of Them”, he talks about racism and how it is still an issue today. Towns and his driver, who grew up in the 1960’s in Louisiana, talked about racism today and the driver even states that “he feels 2017 reminds him of the 1960’s” (Towns 4).  This proves that racism is still an issue among us today. I think the reason that Towns chose to talk about racism is because there are many black athletes who have to deal with racism and being told they are “less” even though they are pro athletes and someone that many people look up to. I believe that no matter what we should all be treated equally and I think that is the main idea of this article. Another article I read was “Opinion: Texas Bill Could Subject Transgender Athletes to Bullying, Assult” by Brittney Griner and Layshia Clarendon. They talk about a bill that is trying to be passed in Texas which would proactively make it so the LGBTQ are not protected in any bathrooms or other changing facilities. These two female athletes are speaking up to oppose the bill not only in support of transgender athletes but all transgender people for equal rights. “We believe it is our moral duty to use the platform we have been given to speak out” (Griner, Clarendon 2). They are using their platforms in an attempt to stop this bill. Just like Towns, by using their platforms they can reach many people, once again, not all people who agree with them. I believe that these athletes chose to speak out about these topics because they are some of our biggest societal issues and some of the topics that I believe seperate many people. 

I think that it is important for athletes to speak out about society’s core values, beliefs, and experiences. These athletes are humans who are also going through and dealing with things that everyday people are. Many of the topics are considered to be controversial because people do not all have the same opinion on them. Things like racism, gender inequality, and other controversial topics can not be ignored because they are issues that affect real people and we can not just ignore them. I believe that these athletes speaking out about them is great because they may have a different view or way of thinking about it versus someone who is a politician or even regular people.