The politically correct term ‘student-athlete’ will certainly induce eye rolls and scorn from some. There are undoubtedly those of the opinion that the order of those two terms should be flipped, those that only see the on-field achievement of student athletes in major programs.
At its core, this past week’s controversy at the University of Missouri — including the resignation of president Timothy Wolfe and the hunger strike of graduate student Jonathan Butler — is not a sports story.
Still, the Missouri football team’s actions in the face of this controversy exemplified exactly what it really means to be a student-athlete at a major college campus. They also demonstrated that they have some pretty serious pull.
In response to allegations over Wolfe’s failure to take action in the middle of several racial incidents, a group known as Concerned Student 1950 emerged at Missouri calling for Wolfe’s resignation. Butler also participated in a seven-day hunger strike that only ended this Monday with the president's compliance to those terms.
On Saturday night, several African-American members of the Missouri football team announced that they would not participate in football related activities until the resignation of Wolfe. Other members of the team quickly showed their support for their teammates, and head coach Gary Pinkel canceled football activities Sunday. To affirm his support for his players he tweeted the following:
The Mizzou Family stands as one. We are united. We are behind our players. #ConcernedStudent1950 GP pic.twitter.com/fMHbPPTTKl
— Coach Gary Pinkel (@GaryPinkel) November 8, 2015
It is inconceivable to argue that the football team deserves all of the credit for ending Butler’s hunger strike, but at the same time there is no denying that these individuals made a difference in their community.
Using athletics as a medium to wage war against social injustices is not a new concept; just look back at courageous actions of Arthur Ashe, Jackie Robinson and Jesse Owens. All played significant roles in changing cultural perspectives about minorities.
The bottom line is the realm of sports spreads awareness on these issues to a whole different group of people who otherwise might remain unaware. Those who didn’t read about the hunger strike in The New York Times might have first learned about the issue on ESPN or Deadspin.
Furthermore, in an age where athletes are discouraged from voicing their personal views, in a world where they are constantly hushed and told to keep their opinions off of social media, it is refreshing to see a group of student athletes take action instead of taking a more passive route.
There was no higher authority above the team pressuring them into action. They could have just gone on with their regular routine. Instead they elected to come to this decision on their own. When athletes have this much power in our society, it is a shame to see that influence wasted.
In addition to the political and social changes that they aimed to address, the student athletes who participated in the strike identified with Butler, a fellow member of their student body, and offered him their support. This was a situation where time really was of the essence. Without their support some type of resolution surely would have been reached, but there is no telling when exactly that would have happened or what condition Butler would be in at the time of that decision.
The leaders on the Missouri football team recognized that their fellow student needed their assistance to facilitate this movement, and so they acted. Student athletes, not athlete-students.