1968 Olympics 200m Podium: A Stand for Equality

[00:00:00] On October 16, 1968, the most iconic Olympic podium we have ever seen took place when two African-American athletes from the United States, Tommy Smith and John Carlos, raised their hands, each having a leather glove and a fist as a salute to human rights.

[00:00:22] We're going to dive into how this happened in one of the first athletic protests that we see more common today, have been more common in today's area.

[00:00:37] Welcome to Daily Sports History. I'm Ethan Reese, your guide as you daily learn about sports history, increasing your sports knowledge.

[00:00:46] And today's trivia question to listen out for is, what college did both Tommy Smith and John Carlos attend?

[00:00:57] So the 1968 Olympics were held in Mexico City, Mexico. It featured 112 nations with over 5,000 athletes competing in 172 different events.

[00:01:09] The games opened on October 12th, going all the way to October 27th. And they actually won the bid over the United States who were attempting to get one in Detroit.

[00:01:19] Now heading into this Olympics, Tommy Smith and John Carlos were actually a part of a group called the Olympic Project for Human Rights, who were advocating for South Africa and Rwanda to be uninvited from the Olympics.

[00:01:34] And they also wanted Muhammad Ali to get his world heavyweight title back, as well as have the president of the IOC, Harvey Burnedage, step down and then also hire more African-American assistant coaches for the US team.

[00:01:49] Now, they did not get all of this as really the only thing that happened was South Africa and Rwanda were uninvited from the Olympics.

[00:01:56] But that was something. But they wanted to do something with the opportunity they had.

[00:02:02] See, Tommy Smith was one of the best runners at the time, as he was the first man to run under 20 seconds in a 200-meter dash.

[00:02:10] And in 1966, while attending San Jose State, where he competed and raced with his friend, John Carlos.

[00:02:17] And they were both able to make the 1968 Olympic team, where actually John Carlos beat Tommy Smith in the 200-meter dash during the US trials to make the Olympic team.

[00:02:28] So coming in, these were the two top runners for the 200-meter dash.

[00:02:32] So they were the favorites, which the final was held for the Olympics on October 16th, 1968, where Tommy Smith won with a time of 19.83 seconds.

[00:02:43] But seemingly out of nowhere, Australia's Peter Norman won silver with a time of 20.06, beating John Carlos, who finished third by just .04 seconds.

[00:02:57] And this was Peter's best time ever running the 200-meter dash.

[00:03:03] And it's still the record for the fastest Australian 200-meter dash.

[00:03:07] And it was his only medal he ever won at the Olympic Games.

[00:03:11] Now, after this, Tommy and Carlos knew this was the moment.

[00:03:14] They could take this and use this moment to speak out for their group, the Olympic Project for Human Rights.

[00:03:20] And they each wore a patch on their uniform with that.

[00:03:24] And Peter actually wanted to wear one, too.

[00:03:27] Even though he wasn't African-American, he still wanted to support human rights.

[00:03:33] And Tommy Smith and John Carlos had the idea to do the salute with the gloves.

[00:03:38] But John Carlos forgot his gloves.

[00:03:40] So he only had one pair of gloves.

[00:03:42] And they weren't sure exactly what they were going to do.

[00:03:44] And Peter actually gave them the idea of, why don't you each wear one glove for the salute?

[00:03:49] So, even though Peter didn't participate in the actual protest, he was pivotal in how it happened.

[00:03:56] If you picture it, you realize that Tommy Smith is holding his right hand up and John Carlos is holding his left hand up.

[00:04:03] As they take the podium and when the music plays, each of them hold a fist up in the air with a black leather glove, making it a pair.

[00:04:12] As them and Peter face one way to look at the flags and listen to the United States national anthem.

[00:04:19] Now, following this, the IOC actually ordered the United States to suspend them and banned them from Olympic Village.

[00:04:27] Because this was an act of political statement that was unfit for the Olympics.

[00:04:33] And the IOC actually threatened to ban the entire U.S. track team if they would not be suspended.

[00:04:39] As they did not want to have a political protest ruin the spirit of the Olympics.

[00:04:44] And although now Tommy and John are remembered for what they did and the strong stance they took,

[00:04:51] they came back to the U.S. and they were ostracized from the U.S. sporting community.

[00:04:56] Them and their families received death threats.

[00:04:59] And both would end up leaving the track and field world to pursue other avenues.

[00:05:04] Though they were able to keep their medals so they could always remember this special time in their lives.

[00:05:10] After this moment, Tommy Smith actually signed with the American Football League Cincinnati Bengals.

[00:05:16] But he only ended up playing two games.

[00:05:18] He did catch one 40-yard pass.

[00:05:20] After this, he would go on to finish getting his degree with a bachelor in science and a master's in social change.

[00:05:27] And become a track coach.

[00:05:28] Now, John Carlos would actually fight to race a little bit more.

[00:05:33] As he would race in the 1969 season, setting the world record for the 100-yard dash at 9.1.

[00:05:40] And finish his career at San Jose State.

[00:05:42] And then in 1970, he was drafted in the 15th round by the Philadelphia Eagles.

[00:05:47] But unfortunately, injured his knee during the tryout.

[00:05:51] But would go on to play one season with the Montreal Alouettes in the Canadian Football League.

[00:05:56] And in 2005, San Jose University actually honored both Tommy and Carlos, two alumni, with a statue that represented their protest just outside the track stadium.

[00:06:08] So they could be always remembered forever.

[00:06:12] And if you want to learn more about the background of the Olympics, check out the show Inside the Rings.

[00:06:20] They dive into all that goes into the Olympics, history, and little things here and there.

[00:06:26] If you want to know any more about it, check out the link in the description so that you can learn even more by listening to Inside the Rings.

[00:06:34] And if you enjoy Daily Sports History, please make sure you are subscribed wherever you're listening so you don't miss an episode.

[00:06:41] And come back tomorrow for more Daily Sports History.

[00:06:46] And did you catch the answer to today's trivia question?

[00:06:49] What college did both Tommy Smith and John Carlos both attend?

[00:06:54] The answer is San Jose State, which immortalized them with a statue of their iconic protest.