Wrestlers’ sit-in and the power of past sporting protests

The Indian sporting ecosystem has had the odd uprising against an authority or establishment, though pushing the distinctive line between the two can at times get blurred. For the sheer scale and sight though, the ongoing protest by some of the country's top wrestlers is unprecedented. In India, that is.

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Globally and historically, sport is replete with athlete protests. Ultimatums, boycotts, social and political undertones have all played a role and shades of them have also brushed the wrestlers’ stir seeking former federation chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh’s arrest over sexual harassment accusations.

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We aren’t just talking about the wresters' call to throw their medals into the Ganga, which is out of the Muhammad Ali book. The boxing legend threw his gold medal won at the 1960 Rome Olympics in the Ohio River, disgusted at repeatedly being at the receiving end of racism.

Ali lost significant time at the peak of his boxing prowess for refusing to budge from his stand. The undisputed heavyweight champion, who had become one of the most polarising African-American figures in the US, faced a backlash and possible jail time after refusing the army draft in 1966 for the Vietnam War. He was stripped of his boxing license and titles, and a Houston jury convicted him of felony in June 1967. Ali spent the next three years legally challenging the verdict in his great fight outside the ring.

A group of prominent African-American US athletes, including Bill Russell, Jim Brown and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then called Lew Alcindor), gathered to meet Ali in what is known as the Cleveland Summit. After a discussion on Ali's conviction, they collectively backed him at a press conference held in Ali’s presence.

“I had the opportunity to see him do his thing, and when he needed help, it just felt right to lend some support,” NBA legend Abdul-Jabbar was quoted as saying by cleveland.com in 2012.

Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia have also sought such support from fellow athletes to intensify their voice.

What did intensify and spread globally in recent years was a simple gesture of protest. American football quarterback Colin Kaepernick, before a match in August 2016, refused to stand for the national anthem in his stand against racism in the US. Instead, he took the knee, an act repeated by athletes transcending sports and nations (Indian cricketers included).

The most iconic image of protest in sport had played out on the most prestigious stage five decades earlier. After winning the 1968 Mexico Olympics 200m gold and bronze, US runners Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised a black-gloved fist on the podium during the national anthem. Famously known as the Black Power salute, both were booed in the stadium and then faced serious consequences. Thrown out of the Olympic village, they were suspended by the US Track and Field.

Their gesture would be only one strand of a larger plan of protests by a group of African-American athletes and activists called the Olympic Project for Human Rights, while putting forward a series of demands (the return of Ali’s heavyweight title was one of them). The group had initially called black athletes to boycott the 1968 Games, though it didn’t materialise.

What did, and put a point across, was the Battle of the Sexes tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs in 1973. The exhibition was held against the backdrop of King’s threat to boycott the 1973 US Open if female winners were not paid the same prizemoney as the men. King, the 1972 US Open champion, had received far less than her male counterpart. The next year, she formed the Women’s Tennis Association, bringing all women professionals under one body. The boycott threat ensured equal prizemoney at the US Open and King made her point weeks later by winning the Battle of the Sexes.

An ultimatum also worked before the NBA All-Star game in 1964, which led to the recognition of the NBA Players Association (NBPA). The All-Star Game was to be televised for the first time that year. Realising its magnitude, the NBPA chief told team owners hours before it was to begin that the All-Star players won’t play unless NBA recognised the union and made other financial assurances. The owners and league officials gave in within hours.

The second act of the Indian wrestlers' protest completed 41 days on Friday. Indian sport awaits their next step.

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