The Black Athlete Revolt: The Sport Justice Movement in the Age of #BlackLivesMatter

This insightful debut from Anderson, a communications professor at Loyola Marymount University, examines the relationship between Black athletes and the quest for social justice. Chronicling the highs and lows of “athlete activism,” Anderson explores Jackie Robinson’s integration of Major League Baseball in 1947, Muhammad Ali’s 1967 refusal to serve in Vietnam, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s decision to boycott the 1968 Olympics in protest of racism in the U.S. According to Anderson, activism among Black athletes waned in the 1980s and ’90s as players focused on corporate endorsements and avoided political statements for fear of losing revenue. That changed with the Black Lives Matter movement in the 2010s, which “paved the way for the revitalization of athlete activism” and inspired San Francisco 49er quarterback Colin Kaepernick to protest racial inequities by kneeling during the national anthem. Anderson suggests that BLM has also ushered in a “sport justice movement” grounded in the belief that teams and leagues should actively engage in the fight against injustice through partnerships with nonprofits and the adoption of equitable internal policies. Despite the academic tone and sometimes dry prose, Anderson makes a persuasive case that sports have a “legitimate power to create substantial social change.” Meticulous and enlightening, this scores. (Feb.)