The Rev. Jesse Jackson was an athlete from a young age, and throughout his life he immersed himself in the world of sports.

In many ways, Jim Brown used his platform as one of the greatest football players of all time to fight for people very much like him.

(AP Photo/File)For generations, the IOC knew exactly where to look for key support of its ban against protests at the Olympics. “That becomes a difficult situation,” said Harry Edwards, the activist who helped brainstorm the gestures by Smith and Carlos 52 years ago. American athletes have been reeling from a summer of unrest over police violence against Black people in the United States. The Olympics are a behemoth that counts America as only one of 206 countries who are members. “And what today reflects is that this generation of athletes is more than willing to do their part.”