Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at California State University-Sacramento Christopher Towler joined a Zoom meeting on Oct. 14 with Professor & Chair of Political Science And International Relations Jeffery Koch to discuss his new work “The Politics of Sports: How Black Athletes Can Change the Game.” Other works of Towler’s include “Shut Up and Play: Black Athletes, Protest Politics, and Black Political Action.”
In his Zoom talk, he revealed the surprising impact players like basketball player Lebron James and football player Colin Kaepernick have on Black voter turnout and American politics as a whole. Before I get into what Towler discussed, I’d like to focus on one aspect of what Towler talked about. He made it clear that the way to get voters, especially Black voters, to support a movement is not through angry attacks but through, “positive and inspirational messages designed to appeal to the empathetic sides of voters.”
I chose to start with this because it gets to the core of why athletes, and Black athletes in particular, have made such an impact as they peacefully and solemnly protest for their causes in the face of owners while, in many cases, entire leagues, would rather have them “shut up and dribble.” These athletes provide a stark contrast to the injustice and violence that has been forced upon Black people for generations, and I’d like to say that I have a massive amount of respect for what these athletes have done as many have risked their careers to stand up for what is right.
To get into the meat of Towler’s discussion, however, Towler found there was sharp decline in Black voter turnout in the 2016 presidential election in the wake of Obama’s final term, as he said, “this was the first decrease in almost 50 years as Black voter turnout dropped below 60 percent.”
According to Towler, this was due to Black voters being less passionate about voting after the first person of color was elected to be president—an effect he identified in his survey ran as part of the Black Voter Project in which he is the co-principal investigator.
To curb this effect, as well as the push back from white voters after Obama’s term with movements such as the Tea Party movement, Towler conducted a study as part of the BVP that looked into the effect that athletes had on the voting percentage of Black voters. He found a significant correlation between voters who were aware of and in support of the athletes who made an effort to have their voices heard, such as Kaepernick, and a confirmation of a vote in the upcoming elections.
Athletes had such a prominent role in the voting plans of Black voters and in the civil rights movement that, according to a study conducted by Towler, close to a quarter of Black voters said they believed Kaepernick was the leader of the Black Lives Matter movement and the majority agreed he was a good role model for the Black community as a whole.
It is clear that athletes stand to make a sizable impact whenever they voice their opinions in support of the BLM movement and equality for all. The fact that these athletes often face harassment and discrimination for doing something that is indisputably right and helpful to countless people in the United States should terrify people who consider themselves to be patriotic and morally good in a country that often attacks the freedom of its own citizens.
While a few people view the idea of taking a knee during the national anthem as a heinous act, Kaepernick has done an amazing service to the Black community and to all people who are disenfranchised by their governments in America. He sacrificed his career and kickstarted a movement that has spread all over the sports world. If anyone is more upset about someone taking a knee during the anthem than the massive injustice forced upon the minority populations of the U.S., they must seriously reevaluate their priorities and their standards as a human being.
Towler has illuminated the lack of Black support in a country that so often touts its freedom over the rest of the world. I’m grateful that so many athletes have stood up for what is right and hope to see much more of this activism from people all over the world.