Honoring the Uncompromising Militancy in Pro Sports Protests

Former U.S. professional basketball player Mahmoud Abdul Rauf protesting the playing of the U.S. national anthem by praying "for the oppressed of the world."

As Ahmed Sekou Ture said; bad organization is always better than no organization at all.  So, of course, we agree that any protest of any kind that aims to bring attention to injustice of any kind is a good protest.  Nothing being written here is meant to disparage and/or take anything away from any effort to accomplish this critical task.  Still, its important we view everything at all times through a balanced viewpoint.  In other words, any protest of any kind, whether we are talking about urban rebellions, or silent, individual protest statements, this power structure e.g. the capitalist bourgeoisie, will attack any and all protests we decide to engage in.  When the urban rebellions happen, they say that's a completely unacceptable form of protest.  When Colin Kaepernick, Eric Reid, etc., decided to mind their business and stage a simple, silent protest, they said that was disrespectful and therefore unacceptable.  That reality should tell you two things.  First, no matter what you do or don't do, they are going to have a problem with you because that's really the issue.  They have a problem with you, not just what you are doing.  Second, because again, no matter what we do, they denounce it and we receive unrelenting repression. So, although we honor all who protest, we should provide special attention and respect to those among us who engage in protests that call out the fundamental contradictions, without any level of qualification and justification.  

Since we are going to focus specifically on professional sports protests in the U.S., we are talking about those brave souls who not only jeopardized their earning potential in the sport they play, but did that in the course of telling the unfiltered truth, regardless of who that truth offends.  The first such protest we will focus on was carried out by boxer Muhammad Ali.  In 1967, in concert with the position his organization - the Nation of Islam (NOI) - held against Africans joining the imperialist U.S. military, Ali, then the heavyweight champion of the world, refused to accept his induction order to report to the U.S. Army.  Ali's famous retort that no Vietnamese "ever called me n - - - - r!" offered a clear rebuke against U.S. imperialism which has the audacity to demand that we help it plunder and dominant the world's poor populations while continuing to treat us on all levels like slaves.  Today, with the clear exception of the most reactionary and hardcore racists within this society, Ali is widely considered a national hero of conscience and respect, but its important for everyone to realize that in 1967, Ali was public enemy number one for taking his bold stance.  Everything they are throwing at Kaepernick today, they threw at Ali 50+ years ago with even much more vigor and hatred.  This is true because unlike Kaepernick, Ali was an actual participant in the African liberation struggle by virtue of his active membership of the NOI.  The fact he had an organizational vision guiding his actions helped make Ali's militant protest seem like the natural response it should have been.  That's why his protest - a clear statement that we are not Americans and therefore should not support this country's offensive and immoral agenda of death and destruction - was so profound and powerful then and is still equally as powerful today.  Ali's stance was even more impressive because he stood directly in the national spotlight and up to that point, no such bold anti-capitalist empire protest had taken place on such a stage.  

Right on the wings of Ali's courageous stance, a very similar protest waged at the Olympic games in Mexico City in 1968 was carried out by sprinters John Carlos and Tommie Smith.  Upon standing on the stage to receive their gold and silver medals, when the U.S. national anthem was played, those two Africans raised their fists in the black power salute.  The impact of this may be difficult for people today to grasp, but like Ali's protest, this one single act signified a clear break by elite African athletes (representing the U.S.) who wanted to let the entire world know that that representation was a complete fraud.  That this entire society is a complete fraud.  Also, like Ali, the fact of these two Africans taking such a bold anti-imperialist stance against the U.S. empire caused each of them to suffer immensely for their protest.  Still, and also like Ali, Smith and Carlos refused to back down, despite the enormous pressure leveled against them to attempt to force them to.  

In 1996, Denver Nuggets (professional basketball) guard Mahmoud Abdul Rauf was doing his best to honor his Islamic beliefs as he learned and practiced them.  In his studies, he learned that the U.S. is a demonic empire that exploits any and everyone that it can.  As a result, he started deciding to go into the locker room while the U.S. national anthem was being played before each game.  He did this because he felt it hypocritical to stand for a song that he believed (correctly) symbolizes the oppression of African people, Muslims, and all of humanity.  A European reporter discovered Rauf's disappearing act whenever that song was played and reported it in a column.  It was then that the league challenged Rauf to come out with the rest of his team when the song was played or suffer expensive fines.  Rauf reached a compromise with the league where he came out to the bench like the rest of his team, but while the song was being played, instead of standing and/or standing with hand over heart, all symbols of respect for the song and the country, Rauf engaged in Islamic prayer for - in his words - "the oppressed people of the planet."

Rauf continued to play in the league a few years after his protest became national news and the number of death threats, etc., he received was incredible.  It also brings back to light an important message about what people are really offended by when Africans protest anything, any way we choose to do so.  To the majority of people who function within this backward society, they are ordained by God to plunder the entire planet.  They feel that an African's audacity to support their belief system anything less than 100% is treason.  I say African, or Indigenous person's, protesting because when we make uncompromising protest against this country, in the eyes of those who wish to see us still on slave plantations and forced to exist only by selling moccasins by the side of the road, we pose a serious threat to their security.  They see it no different than the master saw a slave revolt on the plantation.  How else can you explain why a silent individual protest, one that's not even carried out in front of anyone, like Rauf's, could still generate such outrage?  Again, the answer is its not at all about how he was doing it.  It was the fact that he dared do anything that wasn't lock step in line with ruling class bourgeoisie white supremacist and classist values.  Certainly Ali, due to the well repeated political views of his NOI, as well as the others, knew and understood this on some level.  That's why their conscious decision to continue to resist in whatever form they took, is so valuable.  And, the still consistent support for the actions that Rauf, Smith, and Carlos still show for what they did today, makes their sacrifices that much more inspirational.  

Those protests hold such importance today because much of what is happening with protest now is great, but not nearly as uncompromising as those aforementioned protests.  Kaepernick's protest, and those of other pro football players, were and are great, but none of them, with the possible exception of New Orleans Saints Running Back Alvin Kamara, are waging protests with a clear message against U.S. empire.  Kaepernick went to great lengths in 2016 to adapt his protest into a version that would not offend participants in the U.S. military and/or those who honor this country's rag flag.  The discussion around his protest today still centers a "debate" about whether the protests are "anti-American" or not, and his continued inability to get another job playing professional football is militantly supported by his detractors who claim he was disrespectful to this country.  

In many ways this current discussion has regressed from what it was 50+ years ago, or even just twenty years ago.  With Ali, Carlos, Smith, and Rauf, there was no debate.  Their protests were against U.S. empire, military, flag, anthem, everything.  Today, we are supposed to tip toe around these questions so that the sensibilities of European white supremacy are honored and protected.  That's why I separate those protests e.g. Kaepernick, Craig Hedges handing a complaint petition to then U.S. empire president bush, etc., from those protests of the 60s, and even Rauf's in the 90s.  Kaep, Hodges, Jackie Robinson, etc., were great protests, but all of those were centered around making a demand of the power structure.  All of them asked for recognition, even validation, from the power structure.  Ali, Carlos, Smith, Rauf, all of them made a statement about our African existence and the statement was what it was, with or without European capitalist acknowledgement.  The latter actions didn't make any demands.  Instead, their messages were really directed at us as African people urging us to wake up and realize our conditions.  This is an overwhelming and empowering message and even if we don't recognize it, the power structure does.

Its interesting that one thing all of these protests have in common is none of them caused a single shred of harm to come to anyone.  No physical harm.  No financial harm.  Nothing.  Still, all of them were universally condemned by this power structure.  Over the last 50+ years, whenever one of these protests arises, no matter when, for what issue, or how the protest is carried out, you can tune into any sports talk radio show at any time of day in any part of this country and you will hear the same thing.  We are wrong for doing it.  And, you will be able to hear a never ending parade of European men, women, and whatever speak about what we need to do, how we need to see things, and what's wrong with us.  The funniest thing about that is if you took all the millions of them who never hesitate to want to tell us how we should stay in our place, you wouldn't find 1% of them who have studied enough on the issue we are protesting to fill my you know what crack.  Yet, we are supposed to act as if this charade poses as some sort of free speech and democracy?  You can play that silly game if you want to. 

What all of this should hopefully tell us is no matter how we protest the injustices against us, they will be against us.  So, we may as well represent our dignity and stand up.  And in the process of standing up, we have to learn the most dignified lesson of all.  When we express ourselves, let's take their feelings and concerns into consideration just about as much as they always take ours.