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Professional athletes and free speech

Ask our Experts
Posted on September 26, 2017

Donald Trump took to Twitter to attack professional athletes who have chosen to “take a knee” rather than stand and sing the National Anthem prior to sport events. In response, Bruce Maxwell of the Oakland A’s became the first Major League Baseball player to join the movement in protest of racial injustice in the United States, kneeling during the anthem on Saturday. Before the start of the NFL’s Monday Night Football game, members of the Dallas Cowboys linked armed and knelt prior to the National Anthem, joining some 200 players who protested on Sunday even as players and coaches across the league debate their response team by team. Meanwhile several NASCAR team owners and executives spoke out against the protest. while NBA players and coaches have openly expressed their disgust with the current rhetoric from within the White House rhetoric.

Aaron Lakoff, a student in the Master’s in Media Studies program, is doing his research on protest in sport, specifically why the NHL has been remarkably silent on this latest protest movement.

Aaron Lakoff, Master’s student, Faculty of Arts and Science
Cell: 514-831-2844
Aaronlakoff@gmail.com

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