A new national study from USC’s Race and Equity Center finds 94% of professional athletes believe they should be able to engage in activism, with most planning to use social media to speak out on racial injustice. Researchers say the findings challenge leagues, teams and fans to support athletes’ voices.
Professional athletes across major U.S. leagues overwhelmingly believe they should be able to speak out on social and political issues — and most plan to keep doing it, especially on racial justice.
That is the message from a new national report, “Let Us Speak: Pro Athletes’ Views on Social Justice and Activism,” released by the Race and Equity Center at the University of Southern California.
Based on survey responses from 407 professional athletes in the WNBA, Major League Soccer and the National Women’s Soccer League, the study offers one of the most wide-ranging looks yet at how players view activism, what they have done in the past and what they intend to do next.
The researchers found that 94% of athletes agree that players should be allowed to use their platforms to engage in activism. Large majorities also support team-wide, league-wide and even cross-league collaboration on justice efforts.
The findings reveal both strong commitment and real concern, according to co-author Shaun Harper, a professor at the USC Rossier School of Education and the USC Race and Equity Center’s founder and chief research scientist.
“Our study makes painstakingly clear that pro athletes want to speak publicly about injustice, yet too many feel unsafe doing so,” Harper said in a news release.
The report comes amid intense debate over political comments and protests by athletes at the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games and in professional sports more broadly. For years, players have faced criticism, backlash and, in some cases, professional consequences for speaking out on issues such as police violence, voting rights and racial inequality.
The new study suggests that, despite those risks, activism has become a core part of how many athletes see their role.
Social media is central to that work. Posting on platforms such as Instagram, X and TikTok was the most common form of activism reported in the survey and remains the top way athletes expect to engage in the future. More than seven in 10 respondents said they plan to post about racial injustice going forward.
During the summer of 2020, in the months after George Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer, nearly three-quarters of surveyed athletes posted about racial injustice on social media. Only a small share — 12.3% — said they did none of the activism activities listed in the survey during the four months after Floyd’s death.
The report also highlights important differences across leagues and demographic groups.
WNBA players reported the highest levels of activism on nearly every measure, including past participation, expected future engagement and fewer perceived barriers to speaking out. The women’s basketball league has been widely recognized for its visible role in racial justice and voting rights campaigns in recent years.
Black athletes in the study reported the highest levels of visible and political engagement and were most likely to say that nothing would stop them from taking part in future activism. Athletes who grew up mostly in the United States reported higher levels of protest participation and political engagement than teammates who spent most of their childhoods in other countries.
White athletes, meanwhile, expressed strong support for racial justice in principle but were more likely to stick to lower-risk activities, to worry about backlash and to avoid direct involvement in politics.
One of the most common concerns across the sample was the fear of saying “the wrong thing.” That anxiety was the most frequently cited anticipated barrier to future activism, suggesting that many players want to speak up but are unsure how to do so safely and effectively in a polarized environment.
Even so, just over half of all athletes said nothing would prevent them from engaging in activism in the future. Fewer than 2% of respondents said they were indifferent to racial injustice.
Co-author Justin Morrow, a former MLS All-Star and MLS Cup champion who now serves as the Race and Equity Center’s head of sports partnerships and programs, notes the findings underscore the influence athletes have — and how they want to use it.
“Few voices cut through the noise like those of athletes; when they speak millions pay attention,” Morrow said in the news release. “The players we surveyed recognize the power of their platforms, and they want to use them with purpose. As someone who has lived that experience, I know that athletes can be catalysts for change when they are allowed to speak.”
The report does not just describe the landscape; it also offers a roadmap. “Let Us Speak” concludes with 18 practical recommendations aimed at athletes, coaches, team executives and players associations. While the report’s detailed suggestions are geared toward people inside the sports world, the authors also include one clear takeaway for the public.
They urge spectators to support athletes’ rights to express their views, even when they disagree. As the report puts it, “Even fans whose perspectives and political views clash with those being expressed by their favorite athletes should respect those players’ free speech rights.”
The study is part of the broader mission of USC’s Race and Equity Center, which works with professional sports teams and leagues, corporations, government agencies and educational institutions in the United States and abroad. The center’s stated goal is to “illuminate, disrupt and dismantle racism in all its forms.”
The authors see the report as both a snapshot of this moment and a call to action.
“My co-author, Justin Morrow, and I hope our report not only highlights the survey respondents’ perspectives, but also empowers athletes all across America to leverage their platforms to highlight and dismantle structures and systems that sustain injustice,” Harper added.
As athletes continue to speak out — from league arenas to Olympic venues to their own social feeds — the study suggests that the question is no longer whether they should engage in activism, but how teams, leagues and fans will respond when they do.
Source: University of Southern California Rossier School of Education