I am sure you have heard the phrase “Stick to Sports” uttered after an athlete or journalist speaks out on social issues. Stick to sports is the rallying cry from certain sport fans that may get offended when an athlete takes up a social cause, which is usually a good indicator that they don’t agree with the position the athlete is taking.
The phrase is a convenient way to dismiss an athlete’s involvement in a protest against injustice or other issues that may be hurting people in the community at large. However, you will never hear “Stick the Sports” uttered when an athlete is giving to charity or helping with disaster relief.
This is the hypocrisy Rachel Nichols eloquently called out on her show and underscores how certain fans use coded language to express their opposition to certain causes. The backlash and subsequent black-balling Colin Kaepernick has experienced comes largely from the mouths of the “Stick to Sports” crowd and their apologists who are so eager to silence players who speak out against injustice, while lauding players who donate their time to charity. As Rachel Nichols points out, it’s a strange dichotomy of what sticking to sports actually means for different people, and helps reveal true motivations as to why charitable issues are not treated with the same kind of scorn.
Athletes are people who are a part of the communities they live in and play a role just like everyone else. They are more than just video game characters or fantasy stats. They are complex human beings with opinions and perspectives on numerous topics. This is why “Stick to Sports” has always been a dumb thing to say.
Flip the page to see video of Rachel Nichols destroying the “Stick to Sports” fan base.