“It's our duty to utilize the platform that we have”: Motivations for activism among US collegiate athletes

With the recent rise in athlete activism, scholars have turned their attention to the role activism can play in the construction of contemporary athletes as agents of social change. This chapter draws from in-depth interviews with 31 collegiate athlete activists in the United States to examine what motivates athletes to use their platform for activist purposes. Attesting to the changing nature of social constructions of athlete behavior, the athletes described a variety of motivations for their activism. For some, the reason why they wanted to become an activist was to use the platform they had as athletes to promote social justice. Second, athletes wanted to become activists to provide visibility to marginalized voices in the community of sport. Third, they reported that they wanted to serve as role models. Fourth, the athletes had a strong desire to eliminate discrimination with their activism, which was often rooted in their own experience as members of marginalized communities. Finally, participants shared the ability to promote inclusive environments in their communities—both physical and symbolic ones—as a motivation to become activists. This chapter closes with practical implications for empowering collegiate athletes to become change agents for change in the current cultural climate.