Tommie Smith's Speech At The 1968 Olympics

The presence of sports has been felt in the majority of the world’s everyday lives. No matter where you are or where you reside, sports will always somehow make its way into your life. Along with sports, the injustice of the way people are treated will somehow always be seen in your life. Whether that is through the news, blogs, and or social media, the inducement treatment of people will be prevalent in your life as well. In 1968, the combination of sports and social injustice made its way onto the podium in the 1968 Olympics. Tommie Smith, who won gold in the 1968 200 meter dash alongside John Carlos who won Bronze, stood on the podium with Smith’s right fist and Carlos left fist in the air while the United States national anthem played.

Prior to Tommie Smith and John Carlos, protesting inequality or segregation on a national stage was something that had yet to be done by an African American athlete due to the fear of backlash from the United States and the violence that could occur. Although Smith and Carlos received backlash from their actions, their actions allowed for African American voices to be heard and inspired a group of other African American athletes to speak out against inequality by using their athletic stage. With Smith and Carlos giving inspiration to other African American athletes to speak up, there have been countless athletes in today's day and age that have used their athletic viewing as a way to protest. In 2014, LeBron James along side Kyrie Irving wore black shirts that read, “I Can’t Breathe”. The reason behind wearing these shirts was that on July 17th, a 43 year old man named Eric Garner who lived on Staten Island was killed after being wrestled down and choked to death by police officers arresting him for selling untaxed cigarettes. After the officers who were accused of killing Eric Garner were brought in front of a grand jury, no charges were brought against the officers. This decision by the grand jury sparked discussion on how African American men were being treated unfairly and even being killed for selling untaxed cigarettes. LeBron James and Kyrie Inrving who wore these shirts during warm ups were later interviewed by Sports Illustrated about why these two were wearing the shirts. LeBron James and Kyrie Irving using their sport and national sports media to protest and convey a message can be seen as a direct result of Tommie Smith and John Carlos raising their fists during the 1968 Olympics to speak out against inequality. Not only have Tommie Smith and John Carlos’s