The first two weeks of 2021 haven’t gone unnoticed with the chaotic entanglement of events that have occurred so far. From the lingering grudges towards election results to the storming and causing shocking, yet not surprising, violence upon Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. January 6th, 2021, the day of these anarchic events will without a doubt go down in history as one of America’s darkest days. However, we alone can judge if this is the history we want in our conscience, or whether we desire hope for the future. 

For decades now, sports have played a huge role in our lives politically, emotionally, and mentally. In recent years, players from various leagues have spoken out about various societal issues, such as Black Lives Matter, importance of voting, and several racist encounters in the community. Now, in response to the insurrection at the Capitol, multiple players from numerous leagues and associations took a knee before and during their games in recognition and solidarity with the attack on our democracy. 

Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics’ small forward, voiced his concern following his game on January 6. “In one America, you get killed by sleeping in your car, selling cigarettes, or playing in your backyard. In another America, you get to storm the Capitol, and no tear gas, no massive arrests, none of that.” Brown was one of many players to voice their views on the Capitol attack, expressing mainly on how if Black Lives Matter protestors or people from any other race had even tried to storm the Capitol, the action taken would’ve been much different. Doc Rivers, now coach of the Philadelphia 76ers, said, “Could you imagine, if those were all black people storming the capitol, and what would’ve happened?” 

Sports play a very important part in our lives as more than half the world is connected to or watches a sport. So, when our favorite players and coaches say something, we listen. The common phrase used in the NBA when talking about societal matters is “Bigger than Basketball,” which shows that no matter what team you root for or player you like, each and every person’s responsibility to their community comes first. 

Nonetheless, as we are at a dark time in our nation’s history, it is important to believe that democracy will prevail. Not only has coronavirus swept across the nation, leaving us to rethink our perspectives, but also the current stage of our political and social affairs. Sitting at home, just watching all these horrible events happen is truly building something new in the minds of everyone across the country and the world. The famous saying “if we don’t learn from history we are doomed to repeat it” comes to mind. Well, we are now living through history, and we have failed to look and reassess ourselves when coming to this point. So now we must work together and live to shape our future how we want to shape it.