Profile - Tommie Smith & John Carlos

On the first of our intra-season bonus episodes, the Bill Bradley Collective discuss the history and legacy of Tommie Smith and John Carlos and their black-glove fisted salute whilst on the medal podium during the 1968 Summer Olympics. Regarded as one of the most influential and overtly political declarations made in Olympic history, the gesture drew wrongful condemnation from many in the moment, but has become the impetus for the national anthem statements made in the name of social and racial justice in our contemporary sports landscape. The societal context of the salute, 1968 in the crucible of the Civll rights movement in America; and the Olympic Project for Human Rights that brought about the podium demonstration kickstart a conversation that examines the lives and legacies of Smith and Carlos, their detractors and supporters, and the integral role that their statement has long-played in forging a 2020 where by the day sports and politics grow increasingly intertwined.