faith separate. the bottom line is in 1968, american track athletes smith and carlos raced their fist in black power salute after winning the gold medals in the games. is that a statement? that's a statement. it was worldwide. it was famous. they wanted to bring attention to the mass civil rights movement of the time. they were widely criticized at the time. they weren't alone. it was a sign of the time. ren champion boxer ali came under heavy criticism for the fact he refused to get drafted based on his religion. the supreme court eventually ruled in his favor but he lost three years in his boxing career