As the discussion of athlete protests, and what is and not appropriate continues to dominate headlines, Martellus Bennett is using illustration to convey the message athletes feel during attempts to draw attention to important social topics and how sporting fan react.
Before revealing the pieces, Bennett shared his inspiration for the pieces.
“To me, it seemed as if any athlete who signed up to protest or speak out on inequalities on one of the largest platforms in the world ended up with a target on their backs. Peaceful protests by black athletes led to them being attacked by the organizations, fans and even teammates they played for and with. With all of this happening, they still had to find a way to perform at a high level both for those very people spewing hate and their own livelihoods.”
Part one of the provocative two-part piece is a mock-up slave bill asking that protesting “boys” be returned to their owners. Part two illustrates the varied insults sports fans lob at athletes while ignoring why protests were initiated, to begin with.
To see both illustrations, courtesy of TheUndefeated.com, flip the pages.