7th Annual WML Academic Symposium

Time: 2:00 PM
Rm 224
Presenter(s): Andrew Lackey
Title: Athletes: Airing It Out and Speaking Their Minds
Developed under the guidance of Dr. Sal Mercogliano , History

This paper takes an in-depth look at athletes and the role they play in speaking out against problems they see in society. For many decades, athletes - professional and collegiate - have had a platform that allows them to reach many different audiences. Athletes speaking out have caused reactions across different departments in organizations, as well as from different agencies and businesses. Discussed are examples from the 1968 Olympics, the NFL, and the NBA. This paper's purpose is to take an objective look at different instances in which athletes have used their platform to speak out publicly and whether or not they have the right to do this while representing their employers.