Political and civil unrest
FILE - Pittsburgh Steelers Cam Heyward stretches during practice at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, in this Monday, Aug. 17, 2020, file photo. Heyward was among the majority of Steelers who participated in the first day of organized team activities on Tuesday, May 25, 2021, a month after saying they would sit out due to concerns over health and safety protocols.(Peter Diana/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP, File)
What boycott? Majority of Steelers arrive on time for OTAs

By Will Graves May. 25, 2021 04:10 PM EDT

Fans hold up banners as they protest against the Glazer family, owners of Manchester United, before their Premier League match against Liverpool at Old Trafford, Manchester, England, Sunday, May 2, 2021. (Barrington Coombs/PA via AP)
Liverpool FC vs Manchester United FC 5/2/2021

May. 03, 2021 10:48 AM EDT

FILE - In this Feb. 5, 2020, file photo, Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski, left, and general manager Andrew Berry pose for a photo after speaking during a news conference at the NFL football team's training facility in Berea, Ohio.Cleveland's three major professional sports franchises--the Browns, Cavaliers and Indians--are teaming up to fight social injustice. One day after the NBA postponed playoff games--and other leagues followed suit--amid a player-led boycott to protest the shooting of a Black man by police in Wisconsin, the Cleveland teams announced their alliance to “develop a sustainable and direct strategy to address social injustice facing the city and all Northeast Ohio communities.” (AP Photo/Tony Dejak, File)
Cleveland's 3 major teams link to fight for social change

By Tom Withers Aug. 27, 2020 09:11 AM EDT

New York Jets safety Bradley McDougald (30) during a practice at the NFL football team's training camp in Florham Park, N.J., Saturday, Aug. 22, 2020. Within the confines of the team's facility, McDougald is a respected pro football player whose main concern is stopping the offense. When he heads home and turns onto the main road just a few hundred yards away, he goes on the defense. His guard goes up. Just as it has most of his life. “Guys are sick and tired of being sick and tired,” McDougald said Wednesday during a video conference call. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
NFL players concerned, 'sick and tired' of racial injustice

By Dennis Waszak Jr. Aug. 26, 2020 06:04 PM EDT

Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer watches from the bench during the first half of an NBA basketball first round playoff game against the Orlando Magic Monday, Aug. 24, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, Pool)
Wisconsin sports teams speak out after police shooting

By Steve Megargee Aug. 24, 2020 08:35 PM EDT

New Orleans Saints safety Malcolm Jenkins (27) waits for a play during NFL football training camp at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center in Metairie, La., Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020. Jenkins sees historically significant opportunities before him with both the contending New Orleans Saints and with a racial justice movement that has gained precipitous momentum in recent months. (David Grunfeld/The Advocate via AP, Pool)
Saints' Jenkins primed for campaigns on and off the field

By Brett Martel Aug. 20, 2020 07:28 PM EDT

FILE - In this Nov. 30, 2015, file photo, Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, right, and his wife Dee Haslam walk to the playing field before an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens in Cleveland. Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam will stand in support of quarterback Baker Mayfield and any other Cleveland players who kneel during the national anthem this season. (AP Photo/David Richard, File)
Ravens-Browns 11/30/2015

Aug. 16, 2020 03:34 PM EDT

FILE - In this Sunday, Nov. 24, 2019 file photo, Denver Broncos free safety Justin Simmons (31) reacts against the Buffalo Bills during the second quarter of an NFL football game in Orchard Park, N.Y. Justin Simmons had an eventful offseason, finding his voice during peaceful protests of racial and social injustice from his hometown in Florida to downtown Denver. The fifth-year safety and first-time All-Pro also failed to reach agreement on a long-term contract with the Broncos, so he's playing under the franchise tag in 2020.(AP Photo/Adrian Kraus, File)
Simmons had enlightening offseason despite no new contract

By Arnie Stapleton Aug. 06, 2020 07:05 PM EDT

In this image from video, a Louisville Metro Police Department office stands guard outside the home of Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron as protestors sit in his front yard in Louisville, Kentucky Tuesday, July 14, 2020. About two dozen protestors were arrested. Protesters were chanting Breonna Taylor's name as well as calling for justice after the 26-year-old emergency room technician was fatally shot by LMPD in her South End Apartment while police were serving a search warrant. Cameron said he still has no timeline for when his office will conclude its investigation of the case. (Mary Ann Gerth/Courier Journal via AP)
87 protesters arrested at Kentucky attorney general's home

By Rebecca Reynolds Yonker And Dylan Lovan Jul. 15, 2020 02:03 PM EDT

In this June 19, 2020, photo, people attend a peaceful rally in Chicago to mark Juneteenth. The holiday celebrates the day in 1865 that enslaved black people in Galveston, Texas, learned they had been freed from bondage, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
'Lift Every Voice and Sing' hymn ignites hope across nation

By Jonathan Landrum Jr. Jul. 05, 2020 09:45 AM EDT

FILE - In this Sunday, Dec. 22, 2019 file photo, Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) passes against the Baltimore Ravens during the second half of an NFL football game in Cleveland. Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield plans to kneel during the national anthem this upcoming season to support protests of social injustice, police brutality and racism, Saturday, June 13, 2020. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane, File)
Mayfield "absolutely" will kneel during national anthem

Jun. 13, 2020 05:59 PM EDT

In this Sept. 22, 2019 file photo Nike logos adorn the gloves of Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (13) before an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams in Cleveland. Nike, the NFL and other businesses are giving their employees a paid day off on Juneteenth for the first time, the latest example of how American employers are responding to protests that have placed additional attention on racial injustice in the U.S. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell wrote in a note Friday, June 12, 2020 that its offices would be closed June 19. (AP Photo/David Richard, file)
Nike, NFL and others to start giving workers Juneteenth off

By Joseph Pisani Jun. 12, 2020 04:45 PM EDT

FILE - In this Dec. 22, 2018, file photo, Washington Redskins running back Adrian Peterson (26) stands for the national anthem before an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans in Nashville, Tenn. NFL players who want to kneel during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racism have far more support than Colin Kaepernick did four years ago. (AP Photo/Mark Zaleski, File)
Despite far more support, kneeling might not be widespread

By Rob Maaddi Jun. 11, 2020 05:14 PM EDT

Protesters gather outside the Minnesota Vikings football stadium Friday, May 29, 2020, in Minneapolis. Protests continued following the death of George Floyd who died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on Memorial Day. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Floyd death spurs action in Minn. sports for societal change

By Dave Campbell Jun. 11, 2020 04:56 PM EDT

FILE - In this Jan. 14, 2020, file photo, Cleveland Browns NFL Football head coach Kevin Stefanski answers a question during a news conference at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland. When Stefanksi was hired by the Browns in January, the first-time NFL coach knew he'd face major challenges while preparing for his first season. Stefanski never imagined doing it in the midst of a global pandemic and nationwide civic unrest. (AP Photo/Phil Long, File)
Coach Stefanski bonding Browns amid pandemic, social unrest

By Tom Withers Jun. 10, 2020 06:31 PM EDT

Denver Broncos take part in a rally in the Greek Amphitheatre in Civic Center Park over the death of George Floyd Saturday, June 6, 2020, in downtown Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Broncos players, coaches join Floyd demonstration in Denver

By David Zalubowski Jun. 06, 2020 05:53 PM EDT

FILE - In this Thursday, Sept. 1, 2016 file photo, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, middle, kneels during the national anthem before the team's NFL preseason football game against the San Diego Chargers, in San Diego. When Kaepernick took a knee during the national anthem to take a stand against police brutality, racial injustice and social inequality, he was vilified by people who considered it an offense against the country, the flag and the military. Nearly four years later, it seems more people are starting to side with Kaepernick’s peaceful protest and now are calling out those who don’t understand the intent behind his action. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson, File)
49ers-Chargers 9/1/2016

Jun. 05, 2020 12:20 PM EDT

Jacksonville Jaguars assistant defensive line coach Dwayne Stukes walks with his family near the front of the line of players, staff and family members as they start a march from TIAA Bank Field to the Jacksonville Sheriff's office headquarters, Friday morning, June 5, 2020, in Jacksonville, Fla., to protest against inequality and police brutality. (Bob Self/The Florida Times-Union via AP)
'Today we say no more': Jaguars march to sheriff's office

By Teresa M. Walker Jun. 05, 2020 12:07 PM EDT

FILE - In this Nov. 6, 2016, file photo, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, right, is greeted by New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees at the end of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif. As athletes and sports organizations around the world speak out against racial injustice in the wake of George Floyd’s death, Drew Brees drew sharp criticism after he reiterated his opposition to Colin Kaepernick’s kneeling during the national anthem in 2016. (AP Photo/D. Ross Cameron, File)
Saints' Brees takes first step toward mending relationships

By Brett Martel Jun. 04, 2020 07:48 PM EDT

A demonstrator wears a face mask and latex gloves while waving a placard along Lincoln Avenue during a protest Tuesday, June 2, 2020, in Denver over the death of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man in police custody in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Broncos stop football to talk about race relations, Floyd

By Arnie Stapleton Jun. 02, 2020 09:36 PM EDT