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On The Shoulders Of Giants : Throughline When Colin Kaepernick stopped standing for the national anthem at NFL games it sparked a nationwide conversation about patriotism and police brutality. And in the last few weeks that conversation was rekindled when the NFL announced a deal with Jay-Z that some thought moved attention away from Kaepernick's continued absence from the league. The discussion about the utility of athletes taking a stand is nothing new — black athletes using their platform to protest injustice has long been a tradition in American history.
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On The Shoulders Of Giants

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On The Shoulders Of Giants

Throughline

On The Shoulders Of Giants

On The Shoulders Of Giants

Listen · 40:12
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/755120850/764736074" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
  • Denver Nuggets guard Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf bows his head in prayer during the singing of the national anthem before playing the Chicago Bulls on March 15, 1996. Abdul-Rauf was suspended for one game after refusing to stand for the national anthem, but reached a compromise with the NBA.
    Denver Nuggets guard Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf bows his head in prayer during the singing of the national anthem before playing the Chicago Bulls on March 15, 1996. Abdul-Rauf was suspended for one game after refusing to stand for the national anthem, but reached a compromise with the NBA.
    ERIC CHU/AFP/Getty Images
  • Wilma Rudolph at the Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy, where she won the 100 meter and 200 meter sprints in August 3, 1960. At the age of four she was diagnosed with polio and had to walk with a brace. Just twelve years later she won an Olympic medal at the 1956 Summer Olympics.
    Wilma Rudolph at the Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy, where she won the 100 meter and 200 meter sprints in August 3, 1960. At the age of four she was diagnosed with polio and had to walk with a brace. Just twelve years later she won an Olympic medal at the 1956 Summer Olympics.
    Getty Images
  • Jack Johnson (right) world heavyweight champion since 1908, loses his title to fellow American fighter Jess Willard (left) in Havana, Cuba, in 1915.
    Jack Johnson (right) world heavyweight champion since 1908, loses his title to fellow American fighter Jess Willard (left) in Havana, Cuba, in 1915.
    Topical Press Agency/Getty Images
  • Jack Johnson with his first wife, Etta Terry Duryea in 1910. Johnson was later arrested in 1912 for traveling across state lines with his white girlfriend, Lucille Cameron, who later became his second wife.
    Jack Johnson with his first wife, Etta Terry Duryea in 1910. Johnson was later arrested in 1912 for traveling across state lines with his white girlfriend, Lucille Cameron, who later became his second wife.
    Library of Congress

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When Colin Kaepernick stopped standing for the national anthem at NFL games it sparked a nationwide conversation about patriotism and police brutality. And in the last few weeks that conversation was rekindled when the NFL announced a deal with Jay-Z that some thought moved attention away from Kaepernick's continued absence from the league. The discussion about the utility of athletes taking a stand is nothing new — black athletes using their platform to protest injustice has long been a tradition in American history.

In this early episode we explore three stories of protest that are rarely told but essential to understanding the current debate: the heavyweight boxer Jack Johnson, the sprinter Wilma Rudolph, and the basketball player Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf.

If you would like to read more about these athletes:

We love to hear from our listeners! Tweet at us @throughlineNPR, send us an email, or leave us a voicemail at (872) 588-8805.

Correction Dec. 9, 2019

A previous version of this story misspelled Colin Kaepernick's last name as Capernick.