AMIDST THE RAGE in the wake of the George Floyd murder, Stanford graduate and former men's basketball assistant coach Eric Reveno '88, MBA '95 heard police helicopters over downtown Atlanta.
At the same time, during a conference call among staff and players, Reveno, a Georgia Tech associate head coach, expressed his disappointment in the lack of racial progress. The frustration was echoed by one of the players, Malachi Rice, who pointed out the hypocrisy of protesting but not voting, which Rice saw as the true solution. Rice's comment made an impact on Reveno.
The next day, on June 2, 2020, Reveno proposed this on Twitter: "We need to make the federal election day, November 3, 2020 a NCAA mandatory "off" day. Legislate to support student-athlete participation."
The idea gained traction under the banner #AllVoteNoPlay. Soon, more than 1,100 coaches signed a pledge in support. By September, the NCAA created legislation, that practices and games in all sports would be prohibited on the first Tuesday in November to encourage student-athlete voting.
The 2020 presidential election provided the urgency of such a day, but the momentum must be maintained, especially in 2021, a year without a prominent election. Reveno envisioned not a "day off," but rather a "day on," with a heavy learning and teaching component.
Through Stanford connections, he approached Lisa Kay Solomon, an author and lecturer at the Stanford's design school (d.school) and co-creator of a class called Vote By Design, aimed to help young voters develop the confidence and capacity to approach voting as a lifelong skill that could be nurtured through intentional practice.
For months, Reveno and Solomon looked for ways to create opportunities for student-athletes to flex their muscles as engaged and informed citizens. They enlisted Sam Beskind, a senior on the Stanford men's basketball team, to spearhead the creation of what they would call the #AllVoteNoPlay Playbook, a nonpartisan guide offering over 30 "civic drills" designed to help student-athletes practice and grow civic behaviors and habits.
"Gathering for a team barbecue and movie night, taking an online quiz or engaging in a game of 'civic tag' may not seem like a life-changing effort," wrote Solomon for the Bay Area News Group. "But Rev and I believe in the power of these micromoments to start building the civic muscles athletes will need for a lifetime of good citizenship and community leadership."
On Tuesday, Stanford teams have their own activities planned, some taken from the Playbook, others with their own community service projects, and others could gather for a barbecue and movie night. A flagship event will be held at the d.school from 4-5 p.m. for student-athletes, under the theme of Learn, Engage, and Gather.
"This isn't just about voting," Solomon said. "This is about helping them show up as leaders every day. I can't imagine a future that we're going to want to be part of, unless we engage our young people in new ways."
Stanford student-athletes seem eager to participate, especially with the encouragement of the coaches they play under. Four, in particular, are highlighted here to express reasons for their own engagement in the political process:
* * *
SAM BESKIND, Men's Basketball
When Sam Beskind returned to his hometown of Tucson, Arizona, in a Stanford uniform for a Pac-12 game in January, it was noteworthy enough to receive mention in his hometown newspaper. The Arizona Daily Star accompanied the story with a photo of Beskind from his days at Catalina Foothills High, finishing off a coast-to-coast break with a two-handed dunk between two defenders.
Beskind, a redshirt junior guard, is a one-time Stanford walk-on whose basketball experience has shaped him more than he knows.
"The most important things I've learned have all come from basketball," he said.
That Arizona game, for example, told much about Beskind. In front of friends and family, his role was to warm up his teammates, not to prepare to play himself.
"You have to put your ego aside and say, 'This is what I need to do to help our team,'" he said. "I'm still trying to figure out how I can get on the court. But if you're so caught up in whether you're playing or not playing, you stop taking advantage of the opportunity right in front of you, which is to get better at basketball that day."
Reframing a problem to find a creative solution is a technique Beskind, majoring in management science and engineering with a focus of organizations, technology, and policy, learned through a class called Inventing the Future, described by the d.school this way:
The famous computer scientist, Alan Kay, once said, "The best way to predict the future is to invent it." As such, we are all responsible for inventing the future we hope that we and our descendants will experience.
Beskind was fascinated by the approach and by the level of engagement in the class, and he was drawn by Lisa Kay Solomon's enthusiasm and positivity. He began work on the #AllVoteNoPlay project and has been invaluable in its development. He created an #AllVoteNoPlay video that brought together student-athletes and was shared widely on the Athletics department's social platforms, gaining more credibility and attention for the cause.
"Last season, we had some pretty intense conversations as a team," Beskind said. "I made a commitment personally to keep the foot on the gas. This wasn't something where I wanted the momentum to die. When this opportunity came about, it was something that I needed to see through."
Beskind feels the lessons he learned in basketball are vital to his interests in this realm as well.
"Building that resilience to keep going in the face of adversity is something that's very important to me," he said. "It's been very humbling and it can get discouraging. But it's a long journey.
"My dream is to have an impact on the basketball floor for Stanford. I just have to reframe my mindset. If I can stack good days on top of good days, I can be the best player I can be."
* * *
THOMAS BOOKER, Football
Ava and Earl Booker raised their children, Thomas and Sydney, to be aware. The Bookers followed current events and considered how to create more equal opportunities for their children despite the systemic racism they endured. Their willingness to engage their kids in the process has led to a heightened awareness of the world around them.
"Those were always conversations I was having in my household," Thomas Booker said. "Because those were the type of parents that I had. And I'm very thankful for it."
One of the reasons Booker, a senior defensive lineman and team captain with a double major of economics and communication, loves playing for Stanford is because he can engage with his teammates in the same way.
"It can be football or our own personal experiences," Booker said. "When you see these different traumatic videos online about police interactions with Black men, sometimes the conversation goes back to, 'Oh, I remember getting pulled over with my dad and was scared with what might happen.'
"I've been pulled over with my dad numerous times and always felt a bit of apprehension -- having to be extremely polite, extremely deferential to make sure the police officer didn't feel like there was a threat. Making sure you turn the lights on in the car after you get pulled over, so they can see where your hands are."
His father made sure Thomas knew what to do: "Whenever you get pulled over, be extremely slow and announce every move that you're making. 'OK, Mr. Officer, I'm moving my hand to the glove compartment.'"
People shy away from public speaking at times because they don't want to anger others or rock the boat. Booker doesn't feel that way and much is from the confidence developed from his parents, who freely brought up difficult topics such as race and inequality for discussion.
Booker remembers being in shock when George Zimmerman was pronounced not guilty in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, an unarmed Black youth.
"Seeing the accumulation of all these different events, you become more opinionated and feel more strongly about your stances," Booker said. "It all added up to where I feel comfortable putting it on the record about how I feel about things."
Booker was a founding member of Cardinal BLCK, a community of Black student-athletes, and has been open in conversations with Stanford Athletics administrators.
"The more people speak out, the more comfortable you feel to do so," he said. "The legacy I want to leave on campus is for people to really feel like their voice is not only allowed, but also wanted and desired."
* * *
KATIE MEYER, Women's Soccer
Goalkeeper Katie Meyer made two saves in a penalty-kick shootout to win a national-championship match -- "One of the best experiences of my life," she said. But the chance to excel on such a big stage wasn't her only reason for coming to Stanford.
"When you come to a place like this, you have all the resources in the world," she said. "You have top-notch professors and amazing coaches who teach you how to be a leader. One of the main reasons why I came here was that I could make a change that goes past just being a good goalkeeper.
"There will be a day when all Stanford athletes hang up their cleats and ask themselves, 'What is Next?' I want to make the world a better place and we need a few more optimists who believe they can be that change."
Meyer came from Newbury Park, California, and feels "blessed and lucky" to come from a town that's safe and has great schools, parks, and was an excellent place to grow up. The Stanford 'bubble' has a similar protective effect.
"Part of what you sign up for when you come to a school like this, is doing your best to make sure others have at least the same opportunities as you do," she said. "Here, you feel like everything's perfect all of the time. All you have to do is go to class and try your best at your sport.
"But there is a broken world out there facing incredible challenges – human rights, women's rights, poverty, famine, disease, and things that never permeate this campus. The least you can do is inform yourself on these issues and try and make a change."
In studying international relations and American history, Meyer plans on "using my education to change as many lives as I can. The first thing that's important to know is American history can only be properly studied when you're asking, 'American history to whom?'"
Meyer's ultimate goal is public service, whether in politics, perhaps overseas advocating for human rights, or in public interest law, standing up for those facing eviction or homelessness.
"The only way we can move forward as a country is to accept other people's opinions and try to learn from them," she said. "It might drive both of us insane because we see things so differently, but if we can have a decent conversation and each walk away, being able to agree to disagree, we can make it happen."
* * *
LEXI ROWELL, Women's Water Polo
In the fall of 2019, Stanford's national championship women's water polo team had an opportunity to visit the White House. During the Donald Trump administration, this was not an easy choice and players debated it intensely.
John Tanner, the Dunlevie Family Director of Women's Water Polo, left the decision to the team and, ultimately, the team decided to go, though some players passed on the White House itself and instead toured some of Washington's historical monuments.
Lexi Rowell was a freshman during that time. She wasn't a part of the group that went to D.C. – that was for those who played on the championship team the previous spring – but was involved in the preparation.
Each player, including Rowell, was instructed by Tanner, who sees himself as a teacher first and constantly looks for teaching moments, to prepare a presentation to the team about Washington, D.C. Rowell spoke about the Vietnam War Memorial.
Women's water polo players give TED talks two or three times a year, in front of a faculty member and a parent. Rowell's most recent talk was on children's books, whether a higher word count helps with a child's vocabulary or if more pictures are better for brain development.
Rowell understands the need to keep the civic engagement day sacred. As a freshman and before the NCAA Election Day mandate, Rowell recalls voting in a primary at Tresidder Union. Rowell endured two hours of waiting and rushed to class when it was over.
"I felt like I placed a lot of importance on it and took the time to do it," she said. "But there are a lot of people that would look at that line and say, 'No way.'
"This year, we emphasize the importance of a day like this, even on a year when there's not something big going on. And next year, it will be doubly important."
Rowell, influenced by an A.P. comparative government class and outstanding teachers at Acalanes High in Lafayette, California, is majoring in international relations with two lines of study – international economy and comparative governance.
She examines countries that are not democracies, those trying to become ones, and those who were once but failed.
"That's where I get my information on the importance of voting," Rowell said. "If you aren't really studying it, you might think that the U.S. as a democracy can never be shaken. That's why it's so important to be informed."
On Tuesday, Stanford student-athletes are given a great opportunity, to understand and fully appreciate the democratic process and why they and their vote are so important. These four know that as well as anyone.