The United States of America is home to numerous sports. From their four Major Leagues to an extremely proud history in the Olympics, Americans take extreme dignity in their sports. However, while sports aim toward uniting and bringing people together, that’s not always been the case for sportspersons. From Derek Jeter to Michael Phelps and Von Miller, many high-profile sports players have stood at the receiving end of this hate.

Similarly, in an initiative from The Players’ Tribune from 2017, various sporting legends joined hands and took a stand against avoidable and distasteful hate that emerges with fanatic fandom.

Derek Jeter and Von Miller take a strong stand against hate and bigotry

The video uploaded by The Players’ Tribune featured Derek Jeter, Von Miller, Danica Patrick, Michael Phelps, and Karl-Anthony Towns, who spoke up against the diminishing space for hate and bigotry in the world. They discussed the ill-effects of being at the receiving end of this hate and the kind of toll it takes on people.

Two-time Super Bowl Champion Von Miller elaborated on the type of attention he gives to such hate and tries his best to not give it any life. He said, “You know, even though I could make it as big as possible, I just choose to not to empower it… not to give it life. 

Read More: “We Need to Stand Up” – When Olympic Legend Michael Phelps United With MLB Icon Derek Jeter to Deliver a Strong Message to the Entire World in 2017

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On the other hand, five-time World Champion Derek Jeter spoke about the anonymity of the people, and how the people who propagated hate would probably never know him. He said, “Everyone is anonymous. There is no connection there. People that don’t know you, never knew you, and probably will never know you… that are saying hateful things.”

Toward the end of the video, the entire troupe of popular and well-achieved sports stars together said, “We all need to stand up for each other.”

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When push comes to shove, there is no place for dogmatism in sports. Fandomhood is greatly appreciated, but when it transforms into fanaticism, the image of the sport gets tainted.

Analogous to this, Nelson Mandela very rightly said, “Sports has the power to change the world. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does.”