One of the first actions A4I took after I joined was to release a statement in support of Colin Kaepernick. It read, in part, “We call on all NFL owners, general managers, and coaches with a position to summon the courage to sign Colin Kaepernick and to stand with us on the right side of history. No one should be denied employment for having the courage to follow their convictions and take action for equality and social justice.” Joining me in signing the letter were athletes including the all-star center for the Phoenix Mercury, Brittney Griner, who won the 2012 ESPY Female Athlete of the Year award; Olympic fencing medalist Ibtihaj Muhammad, the first US Olympian to compete wearing hijab; all-star Seattle Storm forward Breanna Stewart, 2016 WNBA rookie of the year, who recently spoke bravely about sexual abuse she faced as a child; and legendary track and field Olympian John Carlos. We’ve begun planning an in-person meeting, where the athletes can come together to set the group’s agenda and organizing priorities.
An organization like this is critical to moving athletes from being mad about shit to actually doing shit. Right now, when I talk to my teammates, a lot of them crave the idea of doing more but they don’t know the steps. They don’t have a map to get them to a place where they are “doing something.” That requires organization. I’ve described how pro athletes live in a bubble, where their employment is dependent on being focused from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day. So, if they are going to do something outside that bubble, it needs to be simple, user-friendly, and all boxed up, ready to go. And that’s exactly what can happen with A4I.
As A4I develops, we could meet once or twice a year, with a board or elected steering committee to set an agenda, and at these meetings the membership would have a say in the group’s direction, like shareholders. Over time, the board members could change so younger athletes would always be part of the leadership—because they have their fingers on the pulse of the pros, yet they are also not so far away from the realities of the NCAA and high school sports life.
I also see travel as an important component, with the group setting up trips and programs in the global South. This could open the eyes of high school athletes who have never traveled outside the country, and it would be uncomfortable for those people who think leaving the country means chilling at the beach in the Bahamas. But the problems around the world are our problems, too, and I’ve seen with my own eyes the impact we could have with the most basic effort.
One thing I feel strongly about is that this organization needs to be, pardon the expression, for athletes and by athletes. Too often when an athlete gets an idea, everybody’s well-meaning “team” gets in the way. Where there are managers and agents who understand our mission of social change as being more important than endorsement deals, we welcome their support. But the organization has to be for us and by us if it is going to be sustainable. Individuals burn out. Solid organizations last, and I think that somewhere along the way, as athletes, we have to be willing to ask ourselves, “What are we doing with the influence we have? Who do we need to be?”
But beyond the pros with the names, eventually I see this as involving any active athlete across the world. It starts with the pros, with the people who have influence, visibility, and some authority to speak out. Then we could open up our membership to NCAA athletes, hamstrung by their own situation. Higher-ups might think they could punish college athletes for joining a group like this, but let the NCAA just try to tell scholarship athletes that they have no right to take part in an organization on their own time. Let’s see how well that goes over.
Once we had that base, we could talk seriously about reaching out to high school athletes, kids in middle school, elementary school. Whatever it takes. Imagine a high school soccer player who wants to figure out how to use her position and leadership as an athlete to raise awareness in her school about violence against women. We could connect her with speakers who are pro athletes, do workshops with different teams, connect her with local or legal organizations, hold forums in her city, and supply her with all of these resources right through her phone or laptop. We could also offer travel opportunities for young athletes to broaden their horizons about the issues that move them. This network of athletes can have a deep and intense influence on youth, giving them a voice and a platform. We can teach them that the aspiration is not to wear an NFL uniform but to change the world. Young people have tremendous passion inside them. We can cultivate their experiences to show them that they’re not victims of their circumstances but the masters of them.
I have an after-school program in Houston I call Building Class. For forty-five minutes we talk to young people about how to be leaders, to build character and show them that they are the future. Instead of saying, “I’m Michael Bennett. Be like me,” we say, “Okay, let’s help you find out who you are and what you are passionate about.” I see a united organization of athletes being able to multiply that kind of mentoring a thousandfold. We can even link up athletes across the globe.
We have a long way to
