Sweat and solidarity: When sports stars protest

From L-R: St. Louis Rams players Stedman Bailey, Tavon Austin, Jared Cook, Chris Givens and Kenny Britt put their hands up before a game against the Oakland Raiders in St. Louis on November 30, 2014 to show support for the city of Ferguson, where unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown was killed. The "hands up, don't shoot" gesture has become a rallying cry for those concerned about the killing of minorities at the hands of law enforcement. Jeff Curry / USA TODAY Sports / Reuters

African-American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos gave the Black Power salute at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City as a protest against racial discrimination in the United States. The gesture is seen as one of the most overtly political statements in the 110-year history of the modern Olympic Games. On Monday, Carlos praised the five team members of the St. Louis Rams who raised their arms during a game on Sunday in solidarity with Ferguson. Universal History Archive / Getty Images

Heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali leaves the Federal Building in Houston for lunch during the noon recess of court on June 19, 1967. Ali was indicted on charges that he refused to be inducted into the Armed Services and resulted in a draft-evasion conviction. Ali found himself embroiled in a long legal fight that ended in 1971, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in his favor. Ed Kolenovsky / AP

Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns on May, 5, 2010 in their Western Conference Semifinals game against the San Antonio Spurs wore their "Los Suns" jerseys in response to an anti-immigration law that had been recently passed in Arizona. Christian Petersen / Getty Images

Sweden's Moa Hjelmer painted her nails in rainbow colors for the women's 200-meter final at the World Athletics Championships in the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow, Russia on Aug. 16, 2013 showing support for gays and lesbians in contrast to Russia's new anti-gay law. Martin Meissner / AP

Citing his opposition to the Iraq War, Carlos Delgado quietly carried out a protest in 2004 season, refusing to stand when "God Bless America" was played at ballparks across the majors. ''I am not pro-war; I'm antiwar,'' Delgado said in 2004. ''I'm for peace.''