When you hear the word “sports” or “teams,” you tend to think of your favorite sport, your favorite team, or about the athletes you admire. You might also think of jaw-dropping sporting scenarios that were legendary; such as the hair-raising moment when Kawhi Leonard scored that famous three-pointer, making the Toronto Raptors basketball team advance further than they have in a long time! The Raptors ended up winning the championships and brought a sense of joy and glory to all of Canada. That was certainly a dramatic event in NBA history. Another famous sporting event would be in 2015 when Carli Lloyd scored the fastest hat trick in World Cup history. That moment definitely brought a sense of empowerment to a lot of female athletes around the globe. These are a few of the many athletic achievements in history. Sports aren’t for everyone so it’s understandable as some may lack athletic ability or simply have a lack of interest.

I personally am not a sports prodigy, but I do enjoy watching and playing some sports. My favorite historic sporting story was about the acclaimed soccer player, Pelé , who was the first player to win three World Cups in his career; bringing a sense of pride to Brazil after their disappointing loss in the 1950 World Cup. His style of play called Ginga was truly fascinating and enjoyable to watch as well. A great movie that narrates the compelling story of this legendary soccer player would be, Pelé : Birth of a Legend . I’m sure a lot of us have a favourite sporting moment that can bring nostalgia, emotion, tears, or smiles. Watching/playing sports bring enjoyment and excitement in our lives that can bring people together, though there’s a lot more to sports than you think.

Sports events can interestingly intertwine with social issues.The spectacle of sports can be used to promote the awareness of central matters taking place in our world. Discriminative issues like sexism, racism, or other unjustified actions are announced during many sporting events where people, especially athletes, can show their stance on it and advocate against these injustices. Sporting events are convenient to publicize the horrific events that happen in the world. Some athletes are gracious enough to play a part in spreading strong opinions through actions or words, so peace-promoting messages can broaden. It’s fair to say that sports play isn’t the epitome of nicety but rather aggressiveness and competitiveness, but it is a perfect place to strengthen a platform of justice that society needs to follow. The interesting thing about sporting events is that it surpasses the borders of countries. Sports fare is played between different countries in a civilized way. Sports also promotes diversity because it builds sportsmanship between players of different races and heritages. Rules and fair play are applied to all players thus making games practice pure competition without prejudice. As well, no matter what the sporting event is, it can be shared diversely, making it so that all people of different demographics can hear about honorable athletes advocating for rights and freedoms. Liberation and equality are values that should transcend countries, rather than limiting them to a specific collective. Kindness, fairness, and strength should be universal qualities that all human beings should have.

A good example of an advocating athlete would be Colin Kaepernick. During the singing of the American anthem, Kaepernick decided to kneel instead of stand, trying to highlight the oppression that colored people face in America. This simple gesture brought tons of awareness towards the Black Lives Matter movement. Kaepernick also decided to donate $1 million to charities he’s been working with that fight against racism. Other athletes have also performed a great deal of activism, except it was off the field. For example, Brittney Griner donated to and supported campaigns marketed towards the LGBTQ+ society. Another famous example was from a renowned tennis player, Venus Williams. After failing to convince the All-England Club for equal pay for men and women champions, Williams penned an op-ed in The Times of London in 2006, which caught the attention of the parliament. Then in 2007 when she won her fourth Wimbleton trophy, she was the first woman to receive the same pay as the male champions in that event. Some athletes have even suffered from standing up for rights. It was even more inspirational that they were willing to spread their messages regardless of the risk. In 1970, a group of Syracuse football players, known as the Syracuse Eight , walked out of practice to instead protest against racism. As a result, they were kicked off the team, but that ended up making their anti-racism movement more recognized. Even events related to sports and athleticism from the late 1900s created a big impact on social issues.

Sports is an amazing way to spread morals throughout the globe because of the mass of worldwide fans and the connection it brings between people. Fans of advocating athletes will look up to what these athletes are fighting for, and that will hopefully teach the majority of society about veracious practices they should follow as well.