USC Athletics

Sports and social activism have been deeply intertwined for centuries.

This week, USC and UCLA student-athletes joined together to reflect on the opportunities they have to participate in social justice movements. Approximately 140 student-athletes across both schools attended an event called "Athlete Activism and the Fight for Equality," hosted by Athlete Ally and Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality (RISE) at USC's Galen Center.

The event was moderated by Jemele Hill of The Undefeated and featured a panel discussion between MLS player Collin Martin, ESPN analyst and former NBA player Jay Williams, tech investor and former NFL player Ryan Mundy, pro javelin thrower Nika Ouellette and former NFL player Brendon Ayanbadejo. The panelists discussed issues of race, gender and sexuality across all sports and encouraged the student-athletes to participate in social discourse and use their platforms for good.

After the panel, the student-athletes joined the panelists in breakout groups to discuss ways to unite activist athletes and best practices for using their platforms to advocate for issues of social inequality.

USC football senior Iman Marshall, who has previously used social media to amplify social justice messages expressed by professional athletes such as LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Malcolm Jenkins, appreciated the ability to discuss the topics with his peers.

"I liked that it gave us a safe place to express topics we don't get to discuss regularly because we're busy or as a student-athlete you can be confined into a bubble," said Marshall.

Trojans and Bruins alike left the event with a feeling of purpose and determination to use their platforms for good.