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uch like the Los Angeles riots in 1992, the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement of 2020 has brought much of the racial discrimination and disparities in the United States to light. But no matter how uncomfortable some people may feel about addressing Black people and the issues surrounding their community, the fight for equal rights isn’t going away any time soon. The question of whether this conversation should happen in the athletic space has been a debate in professional athletic associations like the NFL, NBA and MLB. But college athletes across the country, including those here at the University of Miami, have also taken a stance on the topic. The University of Miami football team has expressed their support of the BLM movement through several avenues, including gameday clothing choices and a handful of posts on social media. One post shared on the @canesfootball Instagram was of coach Manny Diaz in a shirt that said “Say Their Names” and captioned “Using our platform for a purpose.” This post had its comments turned off. In another, four players sported “Black Lives Matter” across their chests with the caption “We stand together, united against social injustice.” Although much of the post’s comment section was supportive, some of the responses were not positive. Aggressive explicatives and anti-BLM slurs from UM fans included: “Only wins matter,” “Sorry I don’t speak ebonics. Can you translate?” and “F*** that!! All lives matter!! Hope you tear an Achilles.”
Kameron McGusty, a guard on the men’s basketball team, participated in the ‘Canes Voting Rally at the Watsco Center on Sept. 17. The event was a march on behalf of the BLM movement to emphasize the importance of
voting in the 2020 presidential election. Players and coaches from the basketball, volleyball, swim and dive and track and field teams were in attendance. McGusty saw the rally as a way to unite the community and
show the UM student body that athletes are addressing issues related to racial injustices. “We care about this matter just as much as we care about our sports. Our students should care about it as much as we do,” McGusty said. “We want to have the same support from our school, our staff and for them to have the same passion. Especially since a majority of the sports teams are People of Color.” Some sports fans have expressed that the professional ‘Canes who care for ‘Canes care about Black lives. BIPOC athletes united with their non-BIPOC peers in support of the BLM movement.
Winter 2020 DISTRACTION 73
