Professional athletes have used their platforms to stand up for their beliefs and flex their First Amendment muscles throughout history. With the winter Olympics fast approaching, now is a great time to jump into the conversation of First Amendment freedoms, on and off the field. These three resources can help get your classroom in shape!
Browse a selection of front pages covering Jesse Owen’s 1936 Olympic victories, which were a blow to Adolf Hitler’s attempt to showcase Aryan supremacy at the Games, on NewseumED.
Engage your classroom on the topic of athlete protests and social media with a critical debate from NewseumED. Debate whether social media posts magnify the impact of a protest for better or worse.
Take a virtual tour of the exhibit “Fair Play: Athletes Speak, Assemble, Petition for Freedom” and see how athletes have used their First Amendment freedoms to shine a spotlight on injustice and seek to make life’s playing field more even for all.