The Victory Salute: How Athletes Bring Protest into Play

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Standing 22-feet-tall in the heart and soul of the San Jose State University campus you will find a reminder of the intersection of sports and protest. Shimmering ceramic tiles draw the eye to a piece that captures history, a piece that Portuguese-born artist Rigo 23 named “The Victory Salute” (also known as Olympic Black Power Statue).

Nearly 60 years since San Jose State University athletes, African American Tommie Smith and Afro Latino John Carlos took this notable stand atop the Olympic podium in Mexico to protest civil rights — the city they once called home , is now hosting the World Cup. This is America’s second time hosting the World Cup, with matches taking place in Canada and Mexico, contrary to its first time in 1994.

The World Cup, much like those 1968 summer Olympics, comes at a turbulent time in America. Amid the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown along with general uncertainty facing the country, the United States is having a cultural reckoning similar to the civil unrest of the 1960s — this has not escaped the attention of the athletes and fans partaking in the tournament. Protest on soccer’s biggest stage is a direct effect of the road that Smith and Carlos helped pave. 

In January, former FIFA President Sepp Blatter threw his support behind a fan-driven boycott of the tournament. The longtime FIFA administrator cited an interview from Swiss attorney Mark Pieth in which Pieth urged soccer fans to “stay away from the United States.” Blatter’s support of the movement stems from a petition originally created by Dutch fans. The petition, “Boycot het Trump-WK in de VS,” scored over 174,00 signatures, making international headlines along the way. 

On the contrary to the former FIFA President’s beliefs, the current president of the organization, Gianni Infantino, has shown support for Trump. In what the New York Times has called “A Yearlong Effort to Woo Trump,” Infantino gifted Trump the “Inaugural FIFA Peace Prize” in December of 2025, just months before the tournament took place on U.S. soil.

Since this gift to Trump, FIFA’s ethics committee has been asked to investigate Infantino under claims that he broke the political neutrality rules of the governing body. Beyond political neutrality, Infantino showed his personal convictions, positioning the direction of FIFA as an organization in an unorthodox manner. 

As players take the pitch to represent their country, are they afraid to voice their own feelings toward the United States’ controversial policies? Seeing what the president of the organization they are competing for believes in, would they dare speak against him?

The precedent for an objective stance of this nature is nearly nonexistent. One of the few similar instances in recent professional sports history has had to do with Nevada alumni and former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

In September of 2016 the star quarterback kneeled during the playing of the “Star Spangled Banner,” the same moment that Smith and Carlos had taken their stand during the Olympics. Kaepernick’s demonstration was in protest of police brutality and racial injustice at the time. He was met with an overwhelmingly negative response from fans, similar to the boos that Smith and Carlos received following their protest.

The aftermath of Kaepernick’s protest netted him national media attention along with giving him a platform to voice his concerns. Though Kaepernick was never signed by another team following his decision to enter free agency less than a year later. 

To World Cup athletes who may be intrigued by the idea of voicing their opinions and speaking out, they must weigh the possible outcomes. While yes, they will likely gain a much larger platform — given the nature of the tournament — they may also face a similar outcome to the one suffered by Kaepernick, especially given Infantino’s views.

By Madeleine Gomes and Riley Lantow