With social activism becoming more common in sports, some organizations have encouraged their players to speak their mind and peacefully protest.
The Miami Dolphins are one of those organizations.
In June, Dolphins coach Brian Flores spoke about George Floyd’s death and the fight for racial equality. And, last week, the Dolphins released a video on social media explaining that they will protest racial injustice by remaining in their locker room during the national anthem.
Dolphins players appreciated Flores’ willingness to speak up, as well as the support they have received from the organization.
“He’s been great,” Dolphins wide receiver Mack Hollins told JR SportBrief. “There’s nothing worse than somebody that just says, 'Football is your whole life, and you can’t do anything outside of it. You’re not anything outside of football.’ He’s allowed us as players to not only be great football players . . . but when we leave the locker room, we’re not NFL players anymore; we’re men and we still live in this country.”
Some NFL fans, of course, do not like seeing activism in sports. Sports is their escape from reality, they say, and they do not want to be reminded of social unrest.
As Hollins said, however, athletes are people first, entertainers second.
“To be able to have the opportunity to speak out on social justice issues is amazing,” he said. “To have a coach and an owner and a GM and a whole organization that supports that is amazing.”