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‘Activist athletes’ take center stage in Sports Illustrated’s Athlete of the Year
Luisa Morales (Philstar.com) – December 9, 2020 – 10:51 am
MANILA, Philippines – In 2020, the world of sports took a back seat to a halt amid a global pandemic and myriad social problems.
So it makes perfect sense that this year’s Sports Illustrated Athlete of the Year focused on those who stood out not just on the court, but more importantly, off the court as well.
Nicknamed “The Activist Athlete,” Sports Illustrated named five athletes who extended their platforms beyond their respective stages to others in a time of global crisis.
Athletes who stood out for getting bigger than their sports included Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, Seattle Storm’s Breanna Stewart, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, three-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka and Mahomes’ teammate Laurent Duvernay-Tardif. .
The quintet shared the honors of being named Athlete of the Year by the American publication.
James, for his part, worked tirelessly to end voter suppression and ensure that everyone, especially blacks, had equal access to the polls in the 2020 general election. All of this while leading the Los Angeles Lakers to the title of the NBA and clinched his fourth Finals Most Valuable Player trophy.
Meanwhile, Stewart, who led the Seattle Storm to the WNBA title this season, spoke out against racism and the quality of women.
Mahomes, on the other hand, used his platform as one of the biggest stars in the NFL to pressure the league to recognize the Black Lives Matter movement, as well as recognize the rights of its players to protest.
His teammate and award-winning Duvernay-Tardif shared the honors after leaving the NFL to join the battle against COVID-19 as a medical leader.
Osaka, for her part, used her platform in the fight against social injustice, especially in her career during the US Open, where she wore face masks bearing the names of victims of police brutality in the United States on the way to her third Grand Slam title. .
In a year that forced the sport to neglect, Sports Illustrated’s Athlete of the Year award demonstrated that there are merits beyond league trophies and MVPs, encouraging athletes to be “more than an athlete.”
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