Matt Dumba’s Pregame Speech and its impact on social change in the sports community
In the year 2020, there are many things that motivate me to act for social change and social justice. I’m sure this is a concept that many people relate to. Many images, songs, speeches, articles, and movies have motivated today’s generation to act as a positive member in inducing social change. For me, personally, seeing such topics intertwine with sports has encouraged me to act. I am a huge NHL fan, and seeing Matt Dumba’s speech surrounding racism in sports really impacted me. Matt Dumba is a defenseman for the Minnesota Wild, a professional hockey team in the United states. He is also part of the Hockey Diversity Alliance which is a group of former and current NHL players who fight against racism in the NHL community.
On August 1st, 2020, moments before the National Anthem in a playoff game between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Edmonton Oilers, Matt Dumba gave a speech on racial inequality and wanting social change. After his speech concluded, Dumba took a knee for the American National Anthem. In addition, fellow players Malcom Subban and Darnell Nurse showed their support for Dumba and the BLM movement by placing their hand on Dumba’s shoulder.
One of the quotes from Dumba’s pregame speech that stood out to me was when he stated, “Racism is a man made creation and all it does is deteriorate from our collective prosperity. Racism is everywhere and we need to fight against it”. This directly relates to social change because he is saying straight up that the hockey community needs to fight back against racial inequality. Dumba’s speech was very powerful because it taught many hockey fans that racism exists in the hockey community and around the world. Many fans were ignorant or uneducated before listening to Dumba’s speech so it definitely had a large impact on the community.
Social change is not only needed in the hockey community, but in all sports communities around the world. Dumba also states during his speech, “We will fight against injustice and fight for what is right. I hope this inspires a new generation of hockey players and fans because Black Lives Matter…” Dumba’s speech talks to the hockey community, however it also reaches out to other sports communities. The broader movement is in all sports as a whole and ending racism and social injustice. Throughout many years, people argue to keep sports and politics separate from each other. For example, when Colin Kaepernick was crucified in 2016 when he protested the National Anthem by kneeling and sitting during it. Four years later, times have completely shifted in a positive direction. In the times of a global pandemic and more people being educated on systematic racism, professional athletes are using their platforms for good and pushing for social justice. Some examples of social change in sports are NBA courts, NBA jersey nameplates and NBA/WNBA/NHL boycotts.
Many sports fans feel differently about the broader movement for racial injustice. Some of the older sports fans still want no interaction of sports and politics, which in my opinion, is a little absurd. However, after the disgusting events with Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, that was the tipping point for many fans. Fans and athletes have realized that they need to be using their platforms for social justice and change. I have put my inspiration into action by supporting the leagues that take the most action to invoke positive social change. For leagues that still aren’t doing enough, I am calling for them to take more action. I use my voice on social media and push for social change within that sports league.
