Deeper Look from New York — Season 1, Episode 15: Athletes and Activism: Matthew Futterman / Sports Journalist, New York Times

Episode synopsis

Recently more athletes are using their platforms to make political statements. Naomi Osaka wore 7 different masks at the US Open to honor victims of police brutality. LeBron James, a top NBA player, took a knee with teammates during the US National Anthem. As athlete voices become more powerful, sports leagues and corporate sponsors face a tough challenge. How far should protests go? Can sports and activism be separated? What about the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics? We asked sports journalist Matthew Futterman.

About Deeper Look from New York

A cutting-edge dialogue from NHK WORLD-JAPAN's New York studio. Covers the hot issue: from politics, economy, social matters, international situation or cultural topics.

More episodes from Season 1

• E1Coping with the Coronavirus Pandemic: Jo Ivey Boufford / Clinical Professor of Global Health, New York University
• E2What's Happening in Emergency Rooms: Tsion Firew / Doctor of Emergency Medicine at Columbia University Medical Center, Special Advisor to the Ministry of Health in Ethiopia
• E3Fighting Coronavirus in Africa: Tsion Firew / Special Advisor to the Ministry of Health in Ethiopia, Doctor of Emergency Medicine at Columbia University Medical Center
• E4What Does the Post-Pandemic Labor Market Look Like?: Erica Groshen / Labor Economist, Cornell University/Former Commissioner of the US Bureau of Labor Statistics
• E5What Will it Take to Stop Racism and Police Brutality?: Damon Hewitt / Executive Vice President, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
• E6How Has the Pandemic Changed U.S. Higher Education?: Robert Franek / Editor-in-Chief, The Princeton Review
• E7Transportation and the Pandemic: Sarah Kaufman / Associate Director, New York University Rudin Center for Transportation
• E82020 US Presidential Election Outlook: Rachel Bitecofer / Senior Fellow, Niskanen Center
• E975-years on, Is the World Safer from Nuclear Threat?: Daryl Kimball / Executive Director, Arms Control Association
• E10Fighting Anti-Asian Racism: Russell Jeung / Professor of Asian American Studies, San Francisco State University
• E11Is it the Right Time to Reopen Schools?: Borhene Chakroun / Director, Division for Policies and Lifelong Learning Systems, UNESCO
• E12When Could a COVID-19 Vaccine Be Ready?: William Moss / Executive Director, International Vaccine Access Center, Johns Hopkins University