Milton Green
Milton Green, the first place winner of the 110-meter hurdle event of the regional pre-Olympic trials chose not to compete in the national Olympic trials along with teammate Norman Cahners. This was part of a boycott of the Olympic Games, which were being held in Berlin under the Anti-Semitist Nazi Regime.
Elgin Baylor
Elgin Baylor, the NBA Rookie of the Year in 1959, chose not to play a game against the Cincinnati Royals after he was turned away from a hotel because he was Black.
The Celtics and Hawks
In 1961, Bill Russell, Sam Jones, Thomas “Satch” Sanders, K.C. Jones, and Al Butler of the Boston Celtics and Cleo Hill of the St. Louis Hawks left Lexington, Kentucky and skipped out on a preseason game because a couple of the Black players were refused service in the team hotel’s coffee shop due to racial discrimination.
AFL Stars
Black AFL players refused to play in the 1965 All-Star game in New Orleans, Louisiana after encountering multiple instances of racism in the city, such as hostility and denial of cab rides from the airport. The game was moved to Houston.
Muhammed Ali
Muhammed Ali refused to be drafted into the United States Army in 1967 in opposition of the Vietnam War taking place. He received the support of multiple prominent Black athletes, including Jim Brown, Bill Russell, and Lew Alcindor. Ali was convicted of draft evasion and stripped of his heavyweight boxing title.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
NBA star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, once known as Lew Alcindor, refused to participate in the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. He cited racial protests as his reason for not playing, and didn’t want to be seen bringing honor to the country if the USA basketball team won gold.
The Syracuse 8
The Syracuse 8 was a group of actually nine Syracuse University football players who sat out the 1970 season to demand racial equity within the athletic program. The players wanted an integrated coaching staff and fair intrasquad competition, along with better medical care and academic support for student-athletes as a whole.
MLB Players Association
The Major League Baseball Players Association voted to go on a strike when ownership refused to give players a pension increase. In total, there were 86 games not played during the 1972 season.
Team USA’s Summer Olympians
President Jimmy Carter announced a boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow to protest the presence of Soviet troops in Afghanistan. Carter had demanded that the Soviet Union withdraw its troops, but they did not do so. The USA was one of just a few countries who boycotted.
NFL Players Association
The National Football League Players Association caused the cancellation of seven regular-season games as part of a strike to demand 55% of the league’s gross revenues, along with a minimum salary scale, pay increases for training camps and playoff games, medical benefits, and a severance pay system.
Milwaukee Bucks
In the wake of the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the Milwaukee Bucks refused to play in their postseason game against the Orlando Magic. This decision caused the NBA to postpone the rest of the playoff games that were to take place that day. Naomi Osaka, the WNBA, Major League Soccer, and the MLB all followed the NBA’s lead.
Naomi Osaka
Tennis icon Naomi Osaka withdrew from the 2021 French Open to take care of her mental health. Osaka said, “...I was already feeling vulnerable and anxious, so I thought it was better to exercise self-care and skip the press conferences”.
Simone Biles
Gymnastics legend Simone Biles chose to withdraw from the team competition at the Tokyo Olympic games in order to prioritize her mental health. She said that she was suffering from emotional exhaustion from the demands of being on the biggest stage. Her vulnerability was criticized initially, but now is seen as a strength.
International Organizations
An abundance of international organizations banned Russian athletes or teams from competing as part of a boycott against the invasion of Ukraine. Wimbledon, FIFA, UEFA, IOC, Formula 1, the International Gymnastics Federation, and the World Curling Association are just a few organizations that have taken action.