Mizzou Athletes Strike And University Officials Bend
Missouri saw the resignation of not one, but two senior University of Missouri administrators today in the wake of escalating protests concerning the racial climate on campus. University of Missouri System President Tim Wolfe and University of Missouri Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin both resigned amid criticism that they were not doing enough to improve the racial climate at the University.
But, while students and faculty members at Mizzou say racial tension had been brewing there for months, it wasn't until members of the school’s football team announced a strike that the rest of the nation paid attention.
Thirty black players announced last Saturday on Twitter that they would not participate in any football-related activities, including an upcoming game against Brigham Young University, until Wolfe resigned.
“‘The athletes of color on the University of Missouri football team truly believe 'Injustice Anywhere is a threat to Justice Everywhere,’” the players said in their statement.
News of their strike quickly reverberated across mainstream and social media outlets. Then, following a team meeting on Sunday morning, Missouri football head coach Gary Pinkel canceled practice and tweeted a picture of the team with the caption, “The Mizzou Family stands as one. We are united. We are behind our players.”
By the time Wolfe and Loftin announced their resignations on Monday, the tweet had been shared about 15,000 times.
Student activists have been voicing their discomfort with the racial climate at the University of Missouri since the beginning of the year, with numerous forums and demonstrations being held on campus. One student, Jonathan Butler, went on a hunger strike — declaring on Nov. 2 that he would not eat until Wolfe was out of office. While Butler’s strike drew the attention and concern of the Missouri campus community and some local politicians, it wasn’t until Missouri football players threatened to stop playing football that the problems at the University became a national story. One that was looped on ESPN, as well as CNN and Fox News.
USC student-athletes, including Zach Banner, a senior offensive lineman on the USC football team, expressed support and admiration for the football players’ actions.
“I applaud their leadership,” said Banner. “They got thirty guys to step in and step up to that. I think leadership is key.”
While college students have become increasingly disturbed — and increasingly vocal — about racial climates on their campuses, sports and media experts have noted that it is unusual to see student-athletes exhibit this kind of high-profile activism, particularly those who play a major sport. Professor Jeff Fellenzer, who teaches Sports, Business and Media at USC, explained that many top athletes are concerned such actions could hurt their chances of becoming professional athletes.
"The pros are evaluating you, not only as a player but as a person. Are you a good teammate? Are you someone who could be risky in a locker room?" said Fellenzer. "Teams use all sorts of measures to evaluate players they bring into a program."
One of those considerations may be whether a player will be a distraction to the team or draw additional media scrutiny. For this reason, many young athletes are reluctant to speak out, says Fellenzer. The increased scrutinity and media attention around student-athletes can also blow a players' remarks out of proportion, which is why Fellenzer said that he regularly cautions student-athletes to be mindful of what they say.
"You just want to make sure that you're understood," said Fellenzer. "And many times, with those snippets of comments that are made here and there, you may not be fully understood —yet people draw opinions about you."
But in the past year, some professional athletes have attracted controversy for the sorts of political and social activism that student-athletes tend to shy away from. Players for the St. Louis Rams were both lauded and criticized for raising their arms before a football game in support of Michael Brown, a teenager who was shot and killed by a police officer last year in Ferguson, Missouri.
And several professional basketball teams, including the L.A. Lakers, warmed up before their games last winter wearing "I Can't Breathe" t-shirts, a reference to Eric Garner, who was choked to death by a cop in New York City. His death was caught on cell-phone video, which went viral and sparked a national outcry against excessive police force.
The fact that Missouri's football coaches stood behind the players' decisions show how deep the problems at the university ran, said Fellenzer. "It's a sign that there were issues that had great significance there to a lot of students. They were real and change was needed.”
Had the football players’ walkout lasted into the weekend, Missouri would not only have had to forfeit their game to BYU, but pay a hefty $1 million cancellation fee to their opponent.
Following the resignation of both Wolfe and Loftin, Missouri football players took to Twitter to share their satisfaction. They also thanked their head coach, Gary Pinkel, for his support.
Meanwhile, pundits from the Washington Post, Slate Magazine and the L.A. Times are now considering the untapped political potential of student-athletes.
The team says they will resume practice on Tuesday morning.
