Top Athletes Spread Awareness of the Genocide in Palestine

by Zain Ahmed

With the situation in Gaza only getting worse daily, awareness around the world has steadily been increasing, with people with influence both speaking out and acting on the issue.

To date since Oct. 7, over 25,000 Palestinian lives have been lost, with over 62,000 bodies injured NPR reported. 

Despite social media shedding light on the conditions Palestinians are experiencing, many major news networks and high-value organizations have declared their support for Israel.

This includes many top American sports leagues, including the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLS, MLB, and the PGA TOUR, who have all sent their own statements supporting Israel. Additionally, multiple athletes have also shown their support for Israel themselves, including Lebron James and Deni Advija from the NBA, as well as Zach Hyman from the NHL. 

But not all of the well-known professionals in sports have shown support for Israel, some have expressed a shift in opinion as more awareness is created. According to WAFA News, there has been an increase in awareness and support for Palestine in major league sports.

Most prominent, Dallas Maverick’s star guard Kyrie Irving wore a Keffiyah in support of Palestine to the game against the Milwaukee Bucks in November. Outlets reported that the star even wore the symbolic scarf during a post-game press conference.

Additionally, his former teammate on the Boston Celtics Jaylen Brown also expressed support for Palestine, wearing a Free Gaza bracelet to a game against the Mavericks. 

Outside of the United States, former British boxer Amir Khan came out very vocal about the situation in Palestine on X, with several emotional posts spreading awareness and calling for action against the genocide. 

My entire career, my aim was to become a champion and use my fame and influence to make a positive change in the world. I’ve never been scared to speak my mind and stand up for the down trodden.

Recently when Ukraine was attacked by Russia, I personally flew to Poland to support…

— Amir Khan (@amirkingkhan) October 12, 2023

Many top players in soccer around the world have also spoken out about the ongoing genocide in Gaza, including Mohammad Salah, Karim Benzema, Riyad Mahrez, and others.

pic.twitter.com/cpyHFIhuQj

— Mohamed Salah (@MoSalah) October 18, 2023

This video posted by Salah on his social media has especially garnered attention with his post on X, getting over 330,000 reposts and 1.1 million likes. 

Despite the support Palestinians have started to slowly gain from many through social media, the conditions have continued to only get worse with calls for a ceasefire increasing.