Gwen Berry and the Politics of Protest (A)

In the summer of 2019, notable track and field athlete Gwen Berry was representing Team USA at the Pan American Games in Peru when, having won the hammer throw—her specialty—she stood anxiously on the podium for the medal ceremony as the United States national anthem began to play. As she thought about both her own challenging upbringing and the social and racial injustice in the United States, exemplified by a recent encounter she’d had with a suffering homeless person, Berry wanted to make a gesture of protest.

To do so, however, was against the International Olympic Committee's (IOC's) Rule 50, which prohibited protest in many sports venues, and would no doubt result in Berry's being disciplined at best, and perhaps even prohibited from further competition at worst. She was torn between making a statement there on the podium and the possible consequences and harm to her athletic career that might ensue if she did.

This case pairs well with a technical note about the IOC's Rule 50, "The United States Olympic Committee and Rule 50 in the 21st Century" (UVA-E-0478).