Why I Won't Stick To Sports: Karly Murphy
Republic needs to stand for all
Karly Murphy
Why I Won’t Stick to Sports is a first-person series written by Colorado State student-athletes. Nationally, athletes are told to “stick to sports”, but as members of the community, they have ideas, motivations and a passion for creating meaningful change in the world. Their talents and knowledge are not limited to fields of play. In their own words, this is why our student-athletes will not stick to sports.
“I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
Justice for all?
What about justice for Breonna Taylor?
What about justice for Elijah McClain?
These are words I spoke every day for 13 years of my life. Children all over the country continue to say The Pledge of Allegiance every day. But what if the republic doesn’t stand for the oppressed?
Indivisible? This country is divided in every way possible right now. We need God more than ever. The definition of liberty is “the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views.” Liberty and justice for all should really mean liberty and justice for ALL. As an American citizen, everyone who speaks these words in the morning before school should feel truth behind them. I want the next generation to have a republic that stands for them no matter their race, gender or sexuality. I want there to be unity in a country that gives all lives liberty and justice.
As a student-athlete, it can be scary to speak up about uncomfortable topics. Black athletes have been persecuted and silenced for using their platform to advocate for social issues that are in contrast to the opinions of a dominant white culture. Female athletes have been silenced for speaking up about sexual assault. Gay athletes have hidden their personal truth and sat in pain for years and years. It is time for change. Athletes are held to high expectations. We have more eyes on us -- whether that be the media, fans, other students, young kids or social media. But God didn’t give athletes this platform to waste it. Athletes work extremely hard to achieve success and influence comes with it. I believe it is important to use this gift to do good.
Athletes are natural leaders wherever they go. The workplace, classroom, on their teams or in their community. In order for there to be change, voices need to be heard and work needs to be done. We need to amplify and empower Black voices. The Black community needs to be heard and it is up to us to fix the systemic racism that has been built in this country. This is our problem to fix, and it is going to take everyone realizing this. We need to be willing to admit our implicit biases and work to change. Change is what gives us the opportunities in life to grow and develop. It is not something to be scared of. Policy change is only a start. We need change of hearts and minds.
I will acknowledge my implicit bias and work to unlearn these tendencies. I will continue to educate myself and pass along valuable information I find to my white friends and family. I will listen to the marginalized people in my life and stand with them. I want their voices to be amplified. I want them to feel empowered. There needs to be unity. The Black community has time and time again expressed how tired they are. How scared they are to do things I do not think twice about. You can see the pain in their face and hear the hurt in their voices when speaking about the oppression their community experiences. Using my voice to better the community is important because I was created on purpose, for a purpose. And so was everyone reading this.
God also created each and every member of the Black community on purpose, for a purpose. You cannot love God and hate his creation. He is a God of peace, unity and love. I will use my voice because not only am I a student-athlete, but I’m a Christian first. There is so much division, evil and hate in this country, so I want to do what I can to make this world a better place. It’s time to join together and stand up.
I am able to confidently use my voice because of the brave people who came before me. Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Muhamad Ali are a few names of social activists who weren’t only players but active in movements in this country. They pushed the boundaries and because of them, Lebron James, Colin Kaepernick and Draymond Green have confidence in finding their voice and using their platform to be heard. Because of them, female leaders like Billie Jean King, Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams are able to challenge the barriers against them in society. They didn’t shut up and play their sport. And because all of these people and many more, I am not afraid to use my voice against what I believe is wrong.
Everyday there are microaggressions that you may not even realize. Microaggressions regarding race, gender, sexuality, classism, religion, etc. This isn’t going to change unless you actively seek to see and hear it. It is time to start thinking about the lives of marginalized communities. It is time to self-educate. We need to get to a point where everyone can wake up in the morning and feel comfortable being who they are.
This is not an athlete issue. This is a human-being issue and the fight won’t stop until every child can go to school in the morning, say The Pledge of Allegiance, and feel truth behind those words.
Karly Murphy is a graduate transfer on the women’s basketball team, pursing a master’s degree in sports management with two years of eligibility remaining. The graduated from Wisconsin-Green Bay with a degree in business administration, carrying a 3.7 GPA. She is actively involved with Rams United.