Like so many people around the world, I am looking forward to the Tokyo Olympic Games. The world’s best athletes have spent so much of their lives preparing for this moment. I celebrate their achievements.
But I also know that the athlete activism that was awakened and emboldened after the murder of George Floyd is going to be a significant part of these Games. Individual athletes and teams have been active since the WNBA players protested the police shootings of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling in 2016. Then Colin Kaepernick took the knee. LeBron James and others have individually spoken out.