Athletes have a long history of bringing about social change by helping to raise awareness and foster dialogues around issues of inequality and injustice in and out of sport. In recent months, our national attention has turned toward athletes engaged in a movement that puts a spotlight on racial injustice in the U.S. Although social justice activism by athletes is not a new phenomenon, athletes’ recent peaceful protests, public statements, and collective action have sparked national discourse and debate over the appropriateness of athletes using sport as a vehicle for social change.
Division 47 (the Society for Sport, Exercise & Performance Psychology) supports athletes, coaches, and other prominent stakeholders in sport who choose to use their platform and visibility to advocate for positive changes in our world.
To assist psychologists and the public on how to best support athlete activists, Division 47 has developed several resources:
- A webinar titled, “Sport Psychology 4.0: How to Help Athletes Navigate the World of Social Justice Advocacy and Activism,” featuring Drs. Diane L. Gill, Stephany Coakley, and Leeja Carter. The webinar is free and accessible to all at http://www.apadivisions.org/division-47/news-events/webinars/index.aspx.
- A recent publication of SportPsych Works dedicated to Athlete Activism: http://www.apadivisions.org/division-47/publications/sportpsych-works/index.aspx.
- And currently in development, a section on our website devoted to issues of diversity and social change through sport (update coming soon).
Athlete activism can be isolating and contain great risks, but also creates opportunities for meaningful social change to occur. We hope these resources can be of benefit to you and your colleagues.