Athletes turned SJWs: 5 times college sports went woke
From college basketball players kneeling to athletics programs implementing diversity trainings for its athletes, social justice was a force in college sports this year.
This year, Campus Reform reported on athletic programs going woke.
From college basketball players kneeling during the national anthem to athletics programs implementing diversity trainings for its athletes, social justice was a force in college sports this year.
5. They took it: UTSA abolishes ‘Come and Take It’ football chant
The University of Texas at San Antonio announced in September that it will no longer be using “Come and Take It” as a football chant.
The chant used to be emblazoned on a flag waved at UTSA’s football games and it was also used as a rallying cry during the fourth quarter. The phrase has roots in the Battle of the Alamo, which occurred in San Antonio and preceded the formation of the Republic of Texas.
However, in August, university President Taylor Eighmy expressed concern that “Come and Take It” was inseparably linked to political debates, including those over gun rights.
“After much research, consultation and deliberation, I am ending this rather young UTSA Athletics tradition at this time and will not be proceeding with the task force,” Eighmy wrote in a statement to the university community.
4. This nonprofit uses ‘sport as a vehicle for social justice’ at colleges across the nation
One nonprofit organization is seeking to create “inclusive campus environments” by means of educating student-athletes and coaches about “race and equality”
RISE is partnering with college campuses across the country to use “sport as a vehicle for social justice.” The national nonprofit’s mission is to “educates and empowers the sports community to eliminate racial discrimination, champion social justice and improve race relations.”
RISE has impacted numerous universities across the nation including Texas Tech University, Texas Christian University, Arizona State University, Clemson University, St. Thomas Aquinas College, University of Alabama, and Florida State University.
3. College basketball players open March Madness by kneeling during anthem
During the 2021 NCAA’s March Madness basketball tournament, many college players took the opportunity to make a statement on the court by kneeling during the national anthem.
On March 10, the entire Georgetown University’s team kneeled before their game against the University of Colorado. Georgetown lost by a margin of 23 points against the Buffaloes.
On March 19, five members of the Ohio State Buckeyes kneeled preceding their game against Oral Roberts. Ohio State lost to Oral Roberts 72 to 75.
Also on March 19, members of Colgate University’s team kneeled before taking on the University of Arkansas’s team. The Colgate Raiders lost to the Razorbacks 68 to 85.
2. UPenn diversity initiative is ‘straightforward neo-segregation,’ critic says
At the beginning of 2021, the University of Pennsylvania’s athletics department approved a series of diversity-related recommendations from its “Racial Justice Task Force.”
Penn Athletics states that “these recommendations have been created as a beginning, not a conclusion” in the process of making the athletics department into a “more diverse, inclusive, anti-racist organization.”
Among the recommendations included a “permanent shared space for Black student-athletes” which would also be open to “allies and non-athletes.” The task force also recommended a series of actions related to diversity training.
1. DEI consultants train Bowdoin’s sports teams? Athletes, coaches undergo diversity sessions.
Bowdoin College in Maine made diversity, equity, and inclusion training mandatory for coaches this year through a partnership with the Institute for Sport and Social Justice.
The ISSJ is a non-profit diversity consulting firm attempting to “create worldwide social justice through the power of sport.”
The university also tapped Jen Fry, a social justice education consultant and owner of Jen Fry Talks, to work with Bowdoin’s student-athletes.
As Campus Reform has reported, Fry is the ‘social justice educator’ for today’s college sports teams. Her other clients include Harvard University, Yale University, and University of California Los Angeles.
The Bowdoin College Football team went 1 in 8 this season.
Follow the author of this article on Twitter: @opheliejacobson
