In a largely forgotten moment, Vince Matthews and Wayne Collett made a medal stand protest at the 1972 Munich Olympics that has become more historically relevant with today’s athlete activism.
In this NBCSports.com story, Tim Layden reported the circumstances of Matthews and Collett earning 400m gold and silver medals, what happened on the podium afterward, how it was received and this question: How did it affect the sprinters’ lives?
Their actions were compared and contrasted with Tommie Smith and John Carlos, who raised black-gloved fists on the 1968 Olympic 200m medal stand in Mexico City.