The recent flashpoint of Colin Kaepernick taking a knee renews a long tradition of athlete-activists speaking out against racism, injustice, and oppression. Like Kaepernick, Jackie Robinson, Paul Robeson, Muhammad Ali, Bill Russell, Tommie Smith, and John Carlos—among many others, of all races, male and female, pro and amateur—all made the choice to take a side to command public awareness and attention rather than “shut up and play,” as O. J. Simpson, Michael Jordan, and Tiger Woods did. Using their celebrity to demand change, these activists inspired fans but faced great personal and professional risks in doing so. It Was Always a Choice traces the history and impact of these decisive moments throughout the history of U.S. sports.
David Steele identifies the resonances and antecedents throughout the twentieth century of the choices faced by athletes in the post-Kaepernick era, including the advance of athletes’ political organizing in the era of activism following the death of George Floyd. He shows which athletes chose silence instead of action—“dropping the baton,” as it were—in the movement to end racial inequities and violence against Black Americans. The examples of courageous athletes multiply as LeBron James, Megan Rapinoe and the activist-athletes of the NBA, WNBA, and NFL remain committed to fighting daily and vibrantly for social change.
Industry Reviews
"Steele, a sports journalist, connects recent efforts by Black athletes to effect social change, initiated by Colin Kaepernick kneeling for the national anthem, to the history of Black athletes using their platform to draw attention to racial injustice.... In particular, Steele draws a direct line from the famous protest by John Carlos and Tommie Smith at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City. He contrasts this with the period from the 1980s to the early 2000s, when Black athletes mostly tried to stay out of larger social justice debates.... [A]s Steele demonstrates, given recent high-profile incidents of police violence against Black people and the demagoguery of now former President Donald Trump and his supporters, the need for protest and social justice campaigns remains as great as ever.... Summing Up: Recommended."-Choice
"Steele takes on the task of positioning recent sports activism in the United States within the longer history of athletes in that country taking a stand against racial injustice.... Steele writes in an engaging and impassioned style that will certainly attract a broad readership.... It Was Always a Choice is a book with a clear argument - that athletes cannot and should not stand above the fray when it comes to civil rights activism - and anyone who is looking to understand recent events in US sporting history would benefit from reading it."-Sport in History
"David Steele's authoritative and engaging account uses historical reflection and up-to-date analysis to locate the key issues firmly in the present; but also, encouragingly, it turns its gaze to the future, and considers what, and who, might come next. Within the broader realm of sporting activism, Steele's book focuses specifically on race and racism, and explores the actions undertaken largely but not exclusively by African American athletes in the United States. Through a comprehensive and thoughtful delineation of their actions, bodily gestures and spoken words, Steele outlines how Black sportspeople are inseparable from the communities which they emerge from and represent.... It Was Always a Choice is an important and insightful text."-Ethnic and Racial Studies
