Sports Archives

The Kaepernick Effect: Taking a Knee, Changing the World

Book — Non-fiction. By Dave Zirin. 2021.
A book about the politics of sport, and the impact of sports on politics, reveals that essential dimension of the new movement for racial justice in the United States.

OPHR button - John Carlos and Tommy Smith | Zinn Education Project

Oct. 16, 1968: Olympics Black Power Salute

Tommie Smith and John Carlos made a symbolic protest while the U.S. national anthem was played in the Olympics.

Colin in Black and White: The Kaepernick Curriculum

Teaching Guide. Presented by Ra Vision Media & Know Your Rights Camp. 2022. 85 pages.
In conjunction with the Netflix series of the same name, this teaching guide provides students with resources and activities to understand and address systemic and institutional racism.

Oct. 15, 1968: Wyomia Tyus Sets Olympic Records

At the XIX Olympic Games in Mexico City in 1968, Wyomia Tyus became the first person to win gold medals in the 100-meter sprint in two consecutive Olympics. She was also participating in Olympic Project for Human Rights (OPHR) protest.

Behind the Shield: The Power & Politics of the NFL

Film. By Dave Zirin and the Media Education Foundation. 2022. 94 minutes.
This documentary film explores the hidden politics of militarism, nationalism, gender, and race in the NFL.

July 7, 1912: Jim Thorpe Wins Olympic Gold for U.S.

Jim Thorpe was the first Native American to win Olympic gold for team U.S.A.

Sept. 5, 1971: Unofficial Women’s World Cup

In 1971, Denmark beat Mexico in the second unofficial Women’s World Cup in front of a sold-out crowd of 112,500 fans at Mexico’s Aztec Stadium. As of 2024, it is still the most attended women’s sporting event on record.

Nov. 9, 1912: Carlisle Indian School Beats the West Point Football Team

The undefeated Carlisle Indian School football team faced off against the Army football team at the West Point Academy campus in front of a crowd of 3,000 people. The Carlisle team defeated Army 27–6 in this game.

March 22, 1893: First Women’s Collegiate Basketball Game

In 1893, the first ever women’s college basketball game was played at Smith College, a historically women’s college in Northampton, Massachusetts.

A Wichita Beacon article lists the ground rules for the game.

June 21, 1925: Black Baseball Team Beats Klan Players

The Wichita Monrovians bested a squad fielded by the white-supremacist Ku Klux Klan terrorist organization at the height of Jim Crow apartheid.

Aug. 26, 2016: Quarterback Colin Kaepernick Kneels in Protest

Colin Kaepernick, quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, draws attention to his quiet protest against police brutality during an NFL pre-season game.

Members of the Black 14 holding a sign during their protest

Oct. 17, 1969: 14 Black Student Athletes Fired at Hint of Protest

Fourteen Black football players at the University of Wyoming were fired when their coach learned they wanted to wear black armbands during a game against Brigham Young University.

May 8, 1959: Mexican American Communities Evicted

Palo Verde, La Loma, and Bishop were close-knit Mexican American communities that were destroyed in the 1950s to make way for Dodger Stadium.

April 22, 2004: Football Star Pat Tillman Killed in Afghanistan

Football star and soldier Pat Tillman was killed in Afghanistan. The U.S. government used his death in pro-war propaganda.

The John Carlos Story: The Sports Moment That Changed the World

Book — Non-fiction. By John Carlos and Dave Zirin. Foreword by Cornel West. 2011. 220 pages.
Written for grades 7+, this biography of John Carlos recounts his childhood, his legendary act of courage at the '68 Olympics, and the backlash.

Teaching Activity by Dave Zirin

Americans Who Tell the Truth

Posters. Portraits by Robert Shetterly and biographies of individuals who have taken a stand for justice.

Oct. 14, 1916: Paul Robeson Excluded from Rutgers Football Team

As a sophomore, Paul Robeson was excluded from the Rutgers Football team because another team refused to play against a Black player.

Dec. 31, 1972: Roberto Clemente Dies

Puerto Rican Roberto Clemente died in a plane crash while traveling at great risk in response to urgent requests to deliver help to earthquake devastated Nicaragua.

Oct. 20 or 27, 1968: NFL Player Dave Meggyesy Refused to Salute Flag During Anthem

St. Louis Cardinals NFL linebacker Dave Meggyesy disobeyed league rules and refused to salute the flag during the pre-game playing of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” nearly fifty years before San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick took a knee to protest police violence.

Elegy for Peter Norman

Poem. By Josh Healey.
Poem about Peter Norman, the white Australian athlete in the historic protest and iconic photo at the 1968 Olympics.

Statue of Octavius Catto with people gathered around it

Oct. 10, 1871: Octavius Catto Killed on Election Day in Philadelphia

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Black educator, baseball player, and civil rights activist Octavius V. Catto was murdered by a white supremacist on election day.

Redemption Song: Muhammad Ali and the Spirit of the Sixties

Book — Non-fiction. By Mike Marqusee. 2017. 352 pages.
Tells the story of Muhammad Ali as not only a boxer but a remarkable political figure in a decade of tumultuous change.

Kings and Pawns: Jackie Robinson and Paul Robeson in America

Book — Non-fiction. By Howard Bryant. 2026. 320 pages.
Highlighting the lives of Paul Robeson and Jackie Robinson, this book tells the story of sports and fame, Black life in the United States, and the promise of integration through the Cold War lens of two transformative events.

Robeson, Robinson, and Resistance: Athletes, Artists, and the Struggle for Liberation

Rethinking Schools editor Jesse Hagopian will be in conversation with Howard Bryant about his book Kings and Pawns: Jackie Robinson and Paul Robeson in America. This class is part of the Zinn Education Project’s Teach the Black Freedom Struggle online people’s history series.

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