Athletes to Activists: Politics of the Playing Field

When Jackie Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, he became first black major league baseball player of the modern era – and paved the way for athletes to serve as harbingers of social change. Twenty years later, at the 1968 Olympic Games, track and field star John Carlosraised his fist in silent protest of American racial and economic injustice, resulting not only in a world famous photograph, but also his suspension from the U.S. Olympic Team. 

Now, decades after Robinson first stepped on the field and Carlos risked his career for a cause, professional athletes are using their visibility to advocate for what they believe in. Join Carlos for a conversation with ESPN's Howard Bryant about the complex relationship between black athletes and activism, and the intertwined worlds of sports and politics.

Co-presented with The Jackie Robinson Foundation, this talk accompanies our upcoming exhibition, In the Dugout with Jackie Robinson: An Intimate Portrait of a Baseball Legend