Pamphinette Buisa in 2020, from DecolonizeTogether
Background
Pamphinette Buisa, a first-generation Congolese/Canadian Olympic and Sevens rugby player, began playing professional rugby in 2014 with the goal of competing in the Olympics. Over the next 5 years she had gained many personal and professional acolytes but had yet to meet her goal. Buisa thrived on the rugby pitch, helping lead the women’s national team in back-to-back bronze medals at the 2019 and 2020 Rugby Sevens Series and bringing home a gold medal at the 2019 Pan American Games. However, in 2020, just before she was set to compete in her first ever Olympics games, the International Olympic Committee announced it was being postponed due to COVID-19. Less than 24 hours later, George Floyd was murdered by the police and the brutal visuals of his death spread across the globe. Buisa was invited to march in a Black Lives Matter protest soon afterward and despite her lack of experience in activism, she felt a duty to show up for her community.
I had dreams of a decade that was to begin with glory, but it has quickly become a year of turmoil, uncertainty, and radical change.
Pamphinette Buisa
After the murder of George Floyd and the subsequent protesting around the globe, Buisa spoke about her personal confrontation and struggle with benefits she had received from a system which was oppressing her fellow Black Canadians. After this realisation, she used her degree from the University of Victoria in political science and social justice as well as her platform as a professional athlete to become a leader and a devotee to activism.
Intersection of Sport and Politics
Sport has often mirrored the events of the world around it, mainly due to the voices of racialised athletes speaking up against injustices. However, it has also been used as a powerful tool in politics, which is oftentimes overlooked. For example, India has refused to engage in a bilateral series of cricket with Pakistan since 2012, citing Pakistan’s need to change their foreign and security policies. Other examples include the tradition of many American presidents inviting athletes to the White House or trying to gain relatability by being seen at sports games. American politicians have a history of using sport for political gain, such as when President Nixon used the invitation of the American tennis team to China as a reason to visit himself and attempt to improve the relationship between both countries.
However, when athletes venture into activism, suddenly there is vicious backlash against using sports to contribute to a political message. Sage (1998) attributes backlash to athlete activism to a “neutrality vision of sport”, the myth which assumes that sport exists outside the social, political, and economic realms of society. Athlete activists are more likely to garner negative reactions than other entertainer activists such as musicians, actors, and writers due to the political crossover which is accepted from these subjects (Kaufman, 2008). Although sport is inextricably political and used as a tool in modern politics, due to the platform and media attention amassed by athlete activists, there is unequal backlash towards these activists than against politicians using sport for political gain.
Athlete activists explode forever the myth that sport is an innocent pastime that exists outside the realm of economic and political forces.
Birdell and McDonald, 2000
The Consequences of Speaking Out
Athletes have historically been subject to criticism for their supposed ‘deviant’ behaviours outside their field of play; however, when activist athletes act with integrity and sincerity by promoting social and political justice, they often face hate-filled backlash of scorn and contempt (Kaufman, 2008). This is particularly true for Black athletes who face stereotypes of lower intellect due to their race and high athleticism, and therefore are unwelcome in debates about current affairs, even those relating to their community (Coombs & Cassilo, 2017).
Predictably, Black athletes tended to be stereotyped as naturally athletic, quick, and powerful, while white athletes continued to be touted for their hard work, effort, and mental skill.
Eastman & Billings, 2001
Not only is there public backlash against these athlete activists, but for a very long time it was seen as career suicide for Black athletes to speak out against police brutality. Even athletes that are celebrated to this day for their activism, such as Muhammad Ali, was stripped of his heavyweight title for his unapologetic support of civil rights and missed many of the best years of his career. Even further, when athlete activists such as Abdul-Rauf refused to stand for the national anthem in America, a fervent anger sparked nationwide protests that accumulated in his home being burned down in 2001.
Despite the community which activist athletes speak for, they are in such a position that by using their voice that they need to be prepared to stand alone and bear the consequences. These negative repercussions are experienced personally by these racialised athlete-activists, but they are meant to serve as warnings to other athletes to understand the consequences of becoming involved in social or political causes (Kaufman, 2008). The consequences faced also serve to remind Black Americans of the ways in which the white power structures punish the outspoken and esteemed members of their racial in-group.
Influence of Racialised Athlete Activists
Black sports stars who engage in activism despite its consequences have long recognised the useful political tool at their disposal to gain prestige and encourage protest (Strenk 1979; Towler et al., 2019). Their influence arises from both the context in which their community is facing oppression, and their ability to use their platform to project their voice of protest (Towler et al., 2019). Many people tend to look at sports activism and focus only on elite athletes. However, as noted by Haresh Doel, mass participation is necessary is building elite athletes. After Colin Kaepernick’s protest in 2016 resulted in the typical career ending punishment for Black athlete activists, people took even more notice of his comeback as a sports activist celebrity who was being actively endorsed by brands such as Nike. This culminated in a new wave of Black athlete activism, in which the influence of Black athlete activists was shown. Individuals who supported Kaepernick’s protest were more likely to engage in politics, including voting, boycotting, petitioning, and calling elected officials (Towler et al., 2019).
It’s a lot easier to feel free enough to get involved and take stands when the greatest athletes in the world lead the way.
Connor Barwin, Los Angeles Ram
The upcoming generation of athletes have seen the influence of their predecessors and recognise the ability, opportunity, and responsibility to utilise their platform and push through the adversity that may follow (Towler et al., 2019). There have been four denoted waves of Black activism in sports that have occurred throughout the 20th century in the United States. In recent years there has been a resurgence of activism and social protesting by professional athletes (Smith, 2019). Pamphinette Buisa is part of the fifth wave of Black athletes contributing to political action in North America. Before 2016 and Colin Kaepernick, research shows that the public was more receptive to celebrity (athlete) viewpoints on issues that are less politically salient (Becker, 2012). However, during the fifth wave, it allowed us to reconsider the relationship between Black athlete activism and Black politics. Support for Kaepernick and his influence on other elite athletes shows a meaningful congruence in Black public-elite interaction on issues typically outside of mainstream white politics: race and racism (Towler et al., 2019). Buisa experienced the Summer of 2020 and through her awareness of the threat against Black Canadians and her experience of influential Black athletes using their voice in advocacy, she became an athlete-activist.
During 2020, Buisa organised anti-racism rallies for the BLM movement and began working at the Howard Johnson hotel in Victoria, BC when it became a temporary housing shelter for people experiencing homelessness and displacement during COVID-19. She also became highly committed in using her voice for advocacy for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada. She preaches the pairing of Black liberation and excellence with the elevation of Indigenous sovereignty. Currently, while training for the 2024 Paris Olympics, Buisa is a member of Rugby Canada’s BIPOC working group, assisting in the developing of policies, training, and education to make rugby in Canada a diverse place free of racism.
Concluding Remarks
Sports has and will continue to be intertwined with domestic and global social movements, just as Black athlete activists have and will continue to use their voices to defend the racism inherent in the world. The fifth wave of Black athlete activism has shown unprecedented results, and the upcoming generation of racialised athletes are taking note. Based on her commitment to her sport, teammates, and social justice, Buisa is known in the Rugby community as a leader in the sport. To many she exemplifies Black excellence in sports activism, and continues to strive to break the barriers placed upon her by a white-centered society.
References
Becker, A. B. (2012). Engaging celebrity? measuring the impact of issue-advocacy messages on situational involvement, complacency and apathy. Celebrity Studies, 3(2), 213–231. https://doi.org/10.1080/19392397.2012.679462
Birrell, S., & McDonald, M. G. (2000). Reading sport: Critical essays on power and representation. Northeastern University Press.
Coombs, D. S., & Cassilo, D. (2017). Athletes and/or activists: Lebron James and black lives matter. Journal of Sport and Social Issues, 41(5), 425–444. https://doi.org/10.1177/0193723517719665
Eastman, S. T., & Billings, A. C. (2001). Biased voices of sports: Racial and gender stereotyping in college basketball announcing. Howard Journal of Communications, 12(4), 183–201. https://doi.org/10.1080/106461701753287714
Kaufman, P. (2008). Boos, bans, and other backlash: The consequences of being an activist athlete. Humanity & Society, 32(3), 215–237. https://doi.org/10.1177/016059760803200302
Sage, G. H., & Zechetmayr, M. (1998). Mass Media and Sport: Managing Images, Impressions, and Ideology. In Power and ideology in American sport: A critical perspective (pp. 350–389). essay, Human Kinetics.
Smith, L. M. (2019). Stand Up, Show Respect: Athlete Activism, Nationalistic Attitudes, and Emotional Response. International Journal of Communication, 13(22), 2376–2397.
Strenk, A. (1979). What Price Victory? The World of International Sports and Politics. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 445(1), 128–140. https://doi.org/10.1177/000271627944500114
Towler, C. C., Crawford, N. N., & Bennett, R. A. (2019). Shut up and play: Black Athletes, protest politics, and Black Political Action. Perspectives on Politics, 18(1), 111–127. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1537592719002597
KNPE 397 