The Effects of the Boycott

Due to Abdul-Jabbar not attending the Olympics, the movement he backed expanded into something greater. During the medal ceremony for the 200-meter sprint, OPHR members Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their fists in a show of Black Power instead of saluting their country. This act of defiance, seen by millions worldwide, became one of the most iconic moments in Olympic history. It reinforced the message that Black athletes were no longer willing to accept the status quo, and that they were demanding change in the society they lived in.

While Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s protest did not result in immediate legislative change, it contributed to the growing pressure on American institutions to address racial injustice. His boycott forced the media and public to confront racial inequalities beyond just sports. His stance also placed a national spotlight on the ongoing civil rights struggle, making it clear that discrimination extended beyond voting rights and segregation—it was deeply embedded in all aspects of American society. By refusing to compete for a country that failed to uphold its own democratic ideals, Kareem reinforced the civil rights movement’s message that true equality required action, sacrifice, and a refusal to tip one’s hat to an intrinsically unjust system. Kareem’s boycott also extended the reach of the Black Power movement. His participation in the Olympic Project for Human Rights (OPHR) and public refusal to play for a government that oppressed black Americans mirrored the broader call for African Americans to withhold their talents and labor from institutions that failed to respect them.