John Feinstein has been a sportswriter for many years–long enough to know both the players and the coaches and the owners. Plus, he is a true sports fan and doesn’t seem to be a lunatic like many with strong opinions about sports. And I am old enough to remember the iconic raised fist salute at the Mexico City Olympics in (gasp) 1968 as well as being a long time fan of many of the players and games referenced in this book, including Colin Kaepernick, probably the first that comes to mind for many when they see “take a knee.” So a book with the title Raise a Fist, Take a Knee really jumped out at me!
The act of taking a knee definitely got a reaction from people, many of whom saw it as unpatriotic, although in the foreword by former NFL quarterback Doug Williams, it is correctly pointed out that “…the protests had nothing to do with patriotism.” The rant by the former President elicited a strong response: “The week before his rant, a total of six players knelt for the anthem. On the Sunday afterward, more than two hundred players either knelt or stayed in the locker room…” One huge point raised by Williams is that “…many people don’t want to accept that race is still a massive issue for all of us.”
TBH, I have long recognized the racism in sports, while at the same time marveling at the way sports can bring people together — at least when they are fans of the same team or player. But if anyone has any doubt about the systematic racism in sports, this book will be a real eye opener. There are separate sections for football, baseball, and basketball, each with jaw-dropping stories or honest quotes to emphasize the point. For example, African-American players in the NFL have been asked to change positions they played, because of the racism that favors qhite quarterbacks. Well-known figures including Tony Dungy and Mike Tomlin weigh in on their experiences, recounting how Black coaches are often seen first as recruiters, better able to discuss challenges and reality with the players and their families.
I am a big sports fan. I had a love-hate relationship with this book. I loved the depth of knowledge and honesty while simultaneously hating the situation that seems to be getting worse. Definitely, have an openly racist President brought a lot of closet racists out in the open, and recent events allowing people to actually see unarmed African-Americans gunned down have contributed to a greater awareness of the pervasive racism throughout society in general and sports in particular. It is an important book, an entertaining book, and an eye opener. Five stars, and thanks to Little, Brown and netGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.