Natasha Cloud, a seasoned player in the WNBA, sees her role in advocating for social justice as equally important as her achievements on the basketball court. With a nine-year professional stint that includes a WNBA title and holding the record for career assists with the Washington Mystics, Cloud is also distinguished by her commitment to social justice causes. Her efforts range from forgoing the 2020 season to champion community reforms, to participating in protests after the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.
Cloud, now with the Connecticut Sun, emphasizes that merely winning games isn’t sufficient. “If achieving wins is all I do with my career, then I have failed,” she remarked, pointing out the importance of leveraging her platform, including practice and media opportunities, to foster meaningful community change.
Cloud highlights the urgency for athletes across American sports to stand against racial inequality, especially amid efforts by former President Donald Trump to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. Such moves, coupled with corporate and institutional pressures to limit DEI efforts intended to uplift minority groups, make this advocacy critical.
“The systems of power function as they were originally designed for — benefitting a select few,” Cloud asserted. “It’s essential to dismantle a system that has historically been about maintaining dominance by white men.”
For decades, sports have served as a platform for civil rights activism. Today’s athletes possess unprecedented influence, thanks to their financial resources, celebrity status, and the reach afforded by social media. However, this visibility also brings risks of backlash and professional repercussions, which have long been navigated by Black athletes.
This includes both historical figures like Muhammad Ali, who risked his freedom to protest the Vietnam War, and more recent figures like NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who sacrificed his career to protest police brutality. The cost for Black athletes speaking out can be immense, a reality underscored by experts like Len Elmore, a former NBA player and current Columbia University lecturer. Elmore notes that “sacrifice often accompanies the pursuit of social justice,” acknowledging the penalties athletes may face for such activism.
Trump’s attempts to eradicate DEI programs, ban transgender athletes from female sports, and direct educational institutions to remove diversity initiatives highlight a significant rollback of efforts to support marginalized communities. Major companies have also scaled back diversity initiatives established during 2020’s racial reckoning. Joseph N. Cooper, a specialist in Counseling, School Psychology, and Sport, underscores the broader significance of these challenges as a fundamental fight for human dignity and rights.
Cloud believes the responsibility for driving change should not rest solely on the shoulders of Black athletes; nevertheless, she underscores the importance of leveraging visibility in service of valued causes. Her advocacy extended to calling for WNBA venues to function as polling sites and supporting voter registration efforts during the 2020 election, reinforcing the importance of NBA and WNBA solidarity with their players’ communities.
The NBA and WNBA integrated “Black Lives Matter” into their 2020 court displays and collaborated with players to facilitate genuine social justice actions, such as launching the NBA Foundation, committing $300 million to the Black community’s economic development over ten years.
Individual athletes have frequently pioneered the intersection of sports and politics. During Trump’s initial presidency, prominent figures like LeBron James and Stephen Curry refused traditional White House visits. Curry endorsed Joe Biden during the 2020 Democratic National Convention alongside his wife Ayesha, while James spearheaded the “More Than A Vote” campaign to combat systemic voter suppression, particularly within the Black community.
“Athletes leveraging their platforms for freedom and human rights have immense influence,” Cooper acknowledges. “Their activism, including decisions to avoid the White House, exert considerable impact.”
Jaylen Brown from the Boston Celtics harnesses his social media presence, with millions of followers, to advocate for social justice initiatives and support small businesses. His robust community involvement reflects a commitment to both awareness and actionable change.
Elmore contends that athletes shouldn’t necessarily feel obligated to pursue social justice just because they have a platform. Nevertheless, historical and contemporary examples demonstrate the moral impetus behind such activism, even at significant personal and professional risk, as was clear in the fallout from Kaepernick’s protests during the national anthem.
Athletes today, enjoying significant financial and social benefits, face complex decisions regarding activism, balancing personal ideals with potential losses. “This calls for unique individuals or profound urgency,” Elmore observes. “The pressing question remains: Are we approaching such a critical juncture?”
