I had the opportunity to write about athlete activists leading up to the Tokyo Olympics, including what they’re advocating for, what sometimes gets overlooked or misunderstood, and how putting themselves out there affects them.
I wrote this one for The Guardian about Gwen Berry, Taliyah Brooks, the Olympic Trials, and the IOC’s Rule 50.
Berry told me: “I am trying to fight for a better America for everybody. That doesn’t make me anti-American. If anything, it makes me more American, because I really want freedom and justice for everybody.”
This article for Women’s Running gets into how racial injustice affects high-profile athlete-activists–as well as the rest of us. And people who step up to advocate may take on another layer of harm. It includes insight from athlete-activists Gwen Berry and Tianna Bartoletta.
When someone uses their platform to advocate, “their mental health and well-being take a hit every time,” says Dr. LaKeitha Poole, director of student-athlete mental health at Louisiana State University and owner of a private practice that provides sport psychology and performance services to athletes.
And this article, from before the Olympic Trials, gets into more detail about the IOC’s Rule 50.
At the Olympics, Raven Saunders and Race Imboden used their podium moments to support the oppressed and underrepresented. These athletes have opened the door to others, and these conversations will continue.