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- Mar 19, 2019
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Death of George Floyd 'inspired voting push' for Minnesota athletes
The Vikings have been vocal with their messaging for social justice, and they also have encouraged individuals to get out and vote in today's Presidential election.
Chris Hine of the Star Tribune recently delved into the voting push by Minnesota athletes and teams inspired in part by the tragic death of George Floyd while in police custody on Memorial Day. Hine quoted Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson, 21, who said he "hadn't been that motivated" to vote prior to Floyd's death.
"Honestly, I wasn't into it," Jefferson said. "I didn't know much about it. I never know who to vote for. I never knew who was the right person to be in office."
Hine wrote:
But over the summer, Jefferson did the work. His mom helped him register to vote in his home state of Louisiana. He started researching which candidates up and down the ballot would best reflect his most important issue — addressing America's racial inequality and police brutality.
"It just feels like I needed to do that," Jefferson said. "Every vote really counts, and it'd be a shame if I didn't put my vote into it."
Athletes are using their voices and their platforms like never before. Hine pointed out that according to a Pew research poll, "18 percent of adults get their news mainly from social media."
He quoted Minnesota sports figures such as Lynx Head Coach Cheryl Reeve and Minnesota United midfielder Jacori Hayes who feel a responsibility to encourage others to make their voices heard.
Locally, the Wolves and Lynx held three voter registration events and have resources through their website available as part of their "Pack the Vote" initiative. The Twins provided similar resources on their website. The Vikings pledged to get 100 percent of their organization registered to vote. Minnesota United helped make Allianz Field a ballot drop-off site in Ramsey County.
Former Viking Cris Carter partnered with Yahoo to try to increase voter registration while also speaking to NFL players about the issue. Some of their activism, he said, is more behind the scenes than out front, such as getting their families registered to vote.
Jefferson is among millions of Americans who will make their voice heard by voting this year.
"[I'm not] going to say [voting] is going to solve everything," Jefferson said. "But I feel like it's a step. If we all agree on the right person to be in office, that's just a step in the right direction."