As the number of athletes kneeling for the national anthem across the sports world increases, Anthony Ervin is a particularly intriguing one to have brought swimming squarely into the debate.
Colin Kaepernick first sat for the anthem during NFL preseason games in early August of 2016, but after speaking with former NFL long-snapper and US Army Green Beret Nate Boyer, switched to kneeling. He first knelt in a regular-season game on August 28th, 2016, then met with the media and cited as his motive ongoing issues regarding police brutality and the oppression of people of color in the United States. He continued to kneel through the 2016-2017 NFL season, with a few other athletes following suit.
Though Kaepernick opted out of his contract with the 49ers in March and was never re-signed (in fact, he filed a collusion report against every NFL team today), his movement regained momentum in September when President Trump suggested that players who protest during anthem are un-American and should be fired. Since those comments, athletes from a number of professional sports have decided to kneel.
The action has turned into a national debate over the athletes’ right to peacefully protest, with critics saying that the action is disrespectful to members of the military.
Ervin knelt at Sunday’s 2017 Raia Rapida meet in Brazil, where he anchored Team USA’s mixed 200 medley relay.
Fotos de Satiro Sodré. @AnthonyErvin pic.twitter.com/SR8b3mx9XB
— Coach Alex Pussieldi (@alexpussieldi) October 15, 2017
Anthony, 36, is the son of Jack Ervin, an American, black Vietnam veteran who opted to join the Marines instead of do jail time after he was wrongly implicated in an act of vandalism, according to Ervin’s autobiography Chasing Water. His mother, Sherry, is of Jewish heritage and is white.
Additionally, his mixed-race ancestor Shadrach Battles fought in numerous Revolutionary War battles, and his great-great-great grandfather William Slaughter fought for the Union in the Civil War.
Ervin was the first black American swimmer to win swimming gold with the 50 free in 2000. Reflecting on his win in Sydney, Ervin told his autobiography co-author Constantine Markides, “I didn’t know a thing about what it was like to be part of the black experience … But now I do. It’s like winning gold and having a bunch of old white people ask you what it’s like to be black. That’s my black experience.”
His demonstration comes about three weeks after Oakland Athletics catcher Bruce Maxwell became the first MLB player to kneel. Notably, Maxwell was born in Germany while his father was stationed there with the Army.
Ervin has historically been outspoken in regard to political and social causes, once going as far as to auction off his gold medal on eBay for the benefit of the Tsunami Relief Fund after the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. More recently, he made his stance known after the “Unite the Right” march in Charlottesville in August:
https://twitter.com/AnthonyErvin/status/897262684151967746
As of publishing, Ervin hasn’t made a statement regarding his decision to kneel.
A few thoughts on the anthem protests, and a few thoughts on the status of diversity in swimming…
Regarding anthem protests…
— Anthony has a first amendment right to non-violently protest.
— Non-violent protest is a very American, and very Global humanist action with a long history of affecting positive social change.
— The flag is a symbol, which can represent different things to different people. To some it may represent the military and provide a reminder of our amazing freedoms. To others, it may represent what Martin Luther King Jr. referred to as a promissory note to all citizens that was intended to represent the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, but… Read more »
This is the most patient, reasonable, well thought-out comment on this entire ridiculous comment section. I wish this had been posted earlier, while this post was still on the front page and getting lots of attention. More people need to see it. Thank you.
Like the tats on his body say, “look at me now!”, the aging swimmer at the twilight of his impressive career has to make this tired statement by kneeling and saying once again, “Look at me now. Even USA national Team members are taking a knee.”
You ‘ve lost me, Anthony. I would stand and cheer for you out of appreciation and respect as an American Olympian. I stand for you no more. Welcome to the flock of sheep.
Grubby_1, well said!
disappointing to see those empowered to do so much, do so little. Really? taking a knee? Muhammad Ali took a stand, not a knee.
Is this the SwimSwam comment section?
I think one huge difference between NFL/NBA/MLB players kneeling vs. Ervin kneeling is that Ervin is competing for and being paid by the United States as opposed to a proffesional sports team.
COACHERIC – in some countries, Olympic sports are funded by tax payer dollars or lotteries. This is not the case in the United States. Both types of sport orgs do benefit from public funding for facilities, however.
I agree with you. He’s wearing a USA flag on his cap, not a dolphin or Redskin. Step aside Irvin, you ingrate, and let someone who respects our country and our flag swim for the USA national team. On another note, I heard some 12 year old boys at the pool talking about taking their Anthony Irvin posters off of their walls. Irvin, you may have won a gold medal but in my book you are a real loser!
Just wondering… does he protest when another countries flag is hoisted at a swim event? (if that country has a deplorable record of race) As a Veteran, I think it would be a good question to ask…
Unforgivable. They should send him north to the Wall to take the black.
Why the National Anthem? I’m genuinely asking. Between being shot at and bombs going off our soldiers overseas get to watch the “Armed Forces Network” which shows a lot of American sports. I can’t imagine being away from my family, knowing I might not return, making 30k a year, and then seeing these millionaire athletes using that 2 minutes (when there’s 10,000 more in a week) to protest something that has nothing to do with our flag. I would be heartbroken.
I can’t imagine serving your country and coming home to accepted racial injustice.
I personally think it is wrong to kneel, but I know he has the freedom to do so. I’ve thought about this issue quite a bit. When standing for the anthem and the flag, you are pledging allegiance to it, even though this country has many problems. Aren’t you, by pledging allegiance, also committing yourself to fix this nation’s problems? It’s like a commitment to the family member. You love that family member, and are committed to him/her, but as relatives we help each other with our problems. I know, not the best analogy, but I hope at least it clarifies my thinking.