Emma Lee

Athletes do not live separate lives from everyone else. Their visibility enables them to bring awareness to issues that might otherwise be ignored or minimized.

In the era of social media, athletes have more influence than ever. A single post from a contender can reach millions of people in seconds. Because of this, I believe they should use their platforms to speak out on important social issues. From racial justice to healthcare inequality, their voices can bring attention to problems that are often ignored. Although some fans argue that competitors should keep their opinions to themselves, I believe that silence will allow these issues to continue.

When someone has a massive platform, remaining silent can feel like looking away. Athletes do not live separate lives from everyone else. They too face discrimination, health issues, and unequal systems. Their visibility enables them to bring awareness to issues that might otherwise be ignored or minimized. 

Consider Natasha Cloud of the WNBA. During the protests that followed the murder of George Floyd, Cloud used her platform to speak openly about racial justice. She didn’t just post once and move on.  She marched in protests, wrote publicly, and encouraged people to face the reality of racial violence and the harm caused by silence. In her essay “Your Silence Is a Knee on My Neck,” Cloud explains that racial justice is not a hobby or a political trend. It shapes who is treated fairly by police, who feels safe walking home, and whose voices are taken seriously. 

Serena Williams offers another example. After experiencing a life-threatening pulmonary embolism following childbirth, she started publicly challenging how often women’s pain and health concerns are dismissed. Her experience with being ignored by the medical system is far from unique, as millions of women worldwide give birth without reliable access to trained midwives, essential medicines, clean water, or safe health facilities. UNICEF reports that 2.6 million newborns die each year (over 80 percent from preventable causes) because basic maternal and infant healthcare is lacking.

This is the reality Williams responds to through her public advocacy for maternal and women’s health. She has shared her childbirth complications in major media essays, interviews and public appearances, and uses social media to encourage women to listen to their bodies and speak up when something feels wrong, not because she claims medical expertise, but because too many women are ignored by healthcare systems before and after childbirth. 

Williams’s visibility draws attention to a global health crisis that is often ignored, and by sharing her story, she supports women who have faced similar challenges and helps other audiences understand a problem they may never experience themselves. This demonstrates how public figures can use their platforms to amplify urgent health issues that might otherwise remain overlooked. 

Although critics argue that public figures speak out only to gain attention, the actions of athletes like Serena Williams and Natasha Cloud show a different impact. Williams has repeatedly shared her own life-threatening childbirth experiences to push for improvements in maternal healthcare, while Cloud went beyond social media statements by sitting out a professional season to focus on social justice advocacy and speaking directly about police violence and racial inequality. Their activism stands out because it is shaped by personal experiences and direct attention to specific problems, making their advocacy about creating awareness and change. 

Still, some people believe that celebrities and athletes should stay out of complex issues because they are not experts. My own perspective on whether athletes should speak openly about serious issues grew when Naomi Osaka withdrew from the French Open to protect her mental health in 2021. As a tennis player, I had always admired her game, but I had never seen a professional athlete speak so honestly about anxiety while the entire world was watching. Her choice changed how me and other students at Harker talk about stress and made me reflect on the pressure athletes carry even at the high school level. 

Osaka did not claim to be a psychologist — she simply described her experience — but honesty encouraged many people, including my teammates, to admit they were struggling too. That moment showed me that expertise is not what makes someone’s voice meaningful. Sometimes a public figure’s lived experience can open conversations that would never start otherwise.

Influence is power. The question is not whether athletes should have that power — they already do. The real question is what they choose to do with it. If they decide to use it to make the world more just or more humane, that is something worth recognizing, not dismissing.