These Athletes Made, Impactful Statements in 2020.<br />From social injustice across the United States<br />to the continued terror of the COVID-19 pandemic,<br />2020 has been a hard year.<br />In times like these, we look to our favorite athlete<br />to act as leaders and inspire us to do better. .<br />Here are 10 athletes that have made particularly<br />impactful statements this year. .<br />1. During the U.S. Open, Naomi Osaka<br />sported seven different face masks, each displaying<br />the name of a Black individual killed by police.<br />.<br />2. Washington Wizards player Bradley Beal<br />led his team to release one of the league’s strongest<br />statements against police brutality.<br />.<br />3. At a rally in Auckland, New Zealand, Israel Adesanya spoke to the crowd and encouraged people of all races <br />to “speak up” and “say something” following the <br />death of George Floyd.<br />4. Four-time WNBA champ Maya Moore<br />took a sabbatical from basketball to overturn the<br />wrongful conviction of Jonathan Irons.<br />.<br />5. Kyrie Irving produced a TV special on<br />Breonna Taylor and criticized the NBA’s<br />“bubble” for being a distraction from<br />critical social justice reform.<br />.<br />6. Dallas Cowboy’s quarterback Dak Prescott normalized<br />conversations pertaining to mental health by opening up<br />about his own struggles with depression and anxiety. <br />.<br />7. In addition to repeatedly speaking out in<br />support of Black Lives Matter, LeBron James led a massive<br />initiative to ensure equal voting access.<br />.<br />8. Dodgers player Mookie Betts challenged<br />MLB to address social justice matters by<br />kneeling in protest and boycotting the team’s<br />game following the death of Jacob Blake. <br />.<br />9. Zdeno Chara publicly spoke out<br />and led a group of NHL players in protesting<br />social injustice in the United States.<br />.<br />10. Not only did Jaylen Brown organize a<br />BLM protest following Floyd’s death, he also spoke out<br />after the deaths of John Lewis and Taylor.
