Women Athletes on the Social Justice Frontlines

Women have been on the front lines of progress on every level in this country, and this continues in sports. Female athletes constantly use their platforms and sometimes sacrifice their dreams to create change. Women like Billie Jean King, Maya Moore and Natasha Cloud knew that they were more than an athlete and decided to take on issues bigger than themselves.

Video transcript

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- Women have been on the front lines of progress on every level in this country, whether it's Ida B. Wells during women's suffrage, or Alice Walker and Kathleen Cleaver during the Civil Rights Movement, women have held pivotal roles leading the charge rising up to fight for, not only their rights, but the rights of others. This continues in sports with female athletes constantly using their platform to create change.

Wilma Rudolph became the first American woman to win three gold medals in an Olympics sky rocketing her to fame and making her a role model for black and female athletes. She used that fame to break gender barriers at all-male track and field events and participated in civil rights protests in her hometown.

Chris Ernst led her 18 teammates on the Yale rowing team in a protest against the woman's athletic facilities by marching into the women's athletic directors office, reading a statement, and taking off their tops to reveal the Title IX written across their chest and backs.

Or the United States Women's National Team that has been in a public battle with the US Soccer Federation over equal pay for years. It continues to chip away at gender equality and give little girls hope across the country.

The founder of the Women's Sports Foundation, Billie Jean King, broke down barriers for gender equality for equal prize money and as an advocate for LGBTQ rights. In 1973 she defeated Bobby Riggs in the Battle of the Sexes tennis match. And six weeks later, lobbied in front of a US senate committee for the support of Title IX.

BILLIE JEAN KING: And the work still continues today. More and more female athletes are using their voices. And some are taking an even more powerful step, forgoing their dreams and their season to take on something bigger than themselves like Maya Moore, one of the most decorated athletes to play basketball. At the peak of her career she chose to step away from the game so she could help a wrongfully convicted man and fight for criminal justice reform.

And WNBA players like Natasha Cloud, Renee Montgomery, and Tiffany Hayes who are all forgoing this WNBA season to be on the frontlines of the Black Lives Matter movement. But even when women athletes are forgoing their seasons and dreams they are still bringing awareness of social issues on the field of play like the NWSL who all knelt in solidarity against police brutality and systemic racism.

Or the Scrap Yard Dawgs softball team who all walked out after the GM tweeted a picture of the team standing for the national anthem claiming none of her players were disrespecting the flag. Within days the team, disenfranchised, created a new team called This Is Us, bought new uniforms highlighting black softball players, and took to social media to amplify their message.

Women have to work twice as hard to get a fraction of the respect our male counterparts receive. We dedicate just as much time to our craft to earn a fraction of a paycheck. Female athletes have fought and struggled every step of the way. And yet we are still willing to give it all up to fight for these issues. As athletes, we have a platform to help transform our communities. We aren't sticking just to sports. And we aren't staying in our lanes because at the end of the day we know there's bigger things happening in the world. And it's time we all start noticing and putting in the work.