Atlanta Falcons Name John Lewis As An Honorary Captain
The Atlanta Falcons added another captain to their team. The late John Lewis has been named by the Falcons as an honorary captain ahead of Sunday’s matchup against the Seattle Seahawks.
Lewis, son of a sharecropper, a Congressman, a Georgian and most importantly a social activist.
Lewis embodied activism and stood for social justice into his dying days.
Lewis fought the fight in order to make things better for everyone. Lewis is a true American hero. He personified what it means to have honor, integrity and courage. He was beaten and bloodied while marching for voter's rights in Selma, Alabama in 1965.
This isn’t Selma, nor the civil rights era but we are definitely in a time of change. The fight for social justice continues in our everyday lives and now in sports.
Protesting is American right and sports in America has the heartbeat of the nation. There has been a merging of the two since Jesse Owens broke records in 1936.
Sports will go on and so will protests. Those things joining together shouldn’t cause concern for fans but fans should understand that everyone’s concerns are just.
Falcons Head Coach Dan Quinn spoke with ESPN about Lewis being named a captain.
"That's a big deal in terms of the exposure and the impact Congressman Lewis had not just on Georgia, but on the country overall,''
Another Falcons team captain, Ricardo Allen, who walked with Lewis in Selma two years ago, also spoke to ESPN about Lewis being named a captain.
"With everything going on right now in the world, we thought it would be best to start it off with somebody as legendary as John Lewis. He’s done so much for one of our biggest things that we want to stay connected with, one of our main topics as a team that we're always hitting on: voting rights and the Voting Act. We know John Lewis is a big part and a big reason that [Voting Rights Act] is part of the world today. So to be able to tie that in with our team and be able to do it with such a great man like John Lewis -- someone that I've been blessed enough to go down and do the Selma walk with myself -- you know I was all in for it with him.”
Social justice will be a topic of discussion in locker rooms all season long. I think Lewis would be happy to know that some of the athletes are getting into “Good Trouble”.
Lewis, former US representative for Georgia's 5th Congressional District, now has Falcons team captain attached to his name.
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