It makes sense for athletes to raise their voices beyond the field of play. If they have built up cultural capital and garnered enormous success, it means that considerable quarters of white America are not only paying -- they are paying attention. The money athletes make may not be as important as the mark they can leave on the minds of those who admire them. Therefore, many of them are compelled to speak up for justice, equality, and opportunity. It makes sense for them to do so: they know that the black people who are unknown to the masses of white folk are deserving of the same decency and respect that they are given. Thus, they can leverage their influence and fame on behalf of the black folk whose love and nurture made them stars.
-- Michael Eric Dyson, What Truth Sounds Like, p. 252-253
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