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Muhammad Ali
In 1967, Muhammad Ali was drafted to go into the military, right at the peak of his popularity. Because of his Muslim background, and opposition to war, this played a huge part in his decision to not join the army. He was then arrested and found guilty of draft evasion, as well as being stripped of his medals. He wasn't able to fight for three years. -
Tommie Smith and John Carlos
At the medal ceremony at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, two African American track athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos won the gold and bronze medals. They stood on the podium for the national anthem and raised their black-gloved fists in the air, and this was seen as a black powered salute. -
Madison Square Garden debates playing anthem
Originally, it was planned that the National Anthem would not be performed at Madison Square Garden for the Olympic Invitational track and field meet. Some people believed that it isn't necessary to play the anthem since it has no correlation with the actual sports event. This idea received immediate backlash and the decision was reversed after the Olympic Committee received many calls of frustration. -
Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf
Abdul-Rauf protested by sitting during the playing of the National Anthem. He believed that the flag represented oppression and our country has had a past of tyranny. He converted to Islam and thought that it shouldn't be obligatory for him to stand for the anthem.
The NBA decided to suspend him until he agreed he will stand but they made a deal that he could close his eyes rather than embracing the flag. -
Shawn Green
In 2001 Shawn Green, baseball player for the Los Angeles Dodgers', refused to play in a game that was during on Yom Kippur. This was a critical game to secure the Dodgers' in first place, but Yom Kippur is the "holiest day" in the Jewish calendar. Green not only wanted to step down from playing in the game for himself, but also to show support to the Jewish community. -
Carlos Delgado
All star baseball player, Carlos Delgado, made a silent protest while he was on the Toronto Blue Jays. Delgado felt "enough was enough" after the United States invaded Iraq in 2004. At the start of a game "God Bless America" played and Delgado remained in the dugout. Now most teams rarely play this song before games. -
Phoenix Suns
Arizona passed an anti-immigration law in 2010. This led the citizens of Arizona to respond in uproar. Suns Owner Robert Sarver did not agree with the bill saying it was racially insensitive. In protest, the team wore "Los Suns" on the front of their jerseys. -
Miami Heat
Led by LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, several members of the Miami Heat wore hoodies during warm ups against Detroit Pistons,
They posed together in a photo with their heads bowed and faces hidden. They were protesting the killing of the innocent Trayvon Martin, an African American teen who was shot to death by police, who said he “looked like he was up to no good because he was in a hooded sweatshirt.” -
LeBron James & Kyrie Irving
Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron James before a game against the Brooklyn Nets wore a shirt that said "I Can't Breath" while warming up. “I Can’t Breath” were the last words of Eric Garner, an African American who died during a confrontation with a New York police officer. Garner was approached by NYPD on suspicion of selling cigarettes without tax stamps, and the officer was seen in a video tackling Garner and putting him in a department banned chokehold for 15-19 seconds while arresting him. -
Colin Kaepernick
In 2016, the San Francisco Quarterback Colin Kaepernick refused to stand for the national anthem during his pre-season game.
Kaepernick took a knee in protest of racial injustice and police brutality. This ignited a nation wide debate. He was criticized for offending U.S. veterans, but Colin explained his protest has nothing to do with showing disrespect to members of the military. Obama supported his protest. Since taking a knee, some veterans, college, and pro athletes have joined.