Using a vehicle for change: Like it or not, sport and politics are linked

The usual answer is sport and politics don't mix - even though they are intrinsically linked.

Sport can be a powerful vehicle for change. Just ask former Wallaby turned Independent Senator David Pocock and Australian cricket captain Pat Cummins.

Which is why the Australian opener arrived at training with "all lives are equal" and "freedom is a human right" written across his shoes this week.

But the ICC stepped in on the eve of Australia's first Test against Pakistan in Perth, with Khawaja risking punishment for displaying political messages during a match.

Khawaja intends to challenge the ICC ruling, adamant the messages are a humanitarian appeal - not a political message.

"To me personally, it doesn't matter what race, religion, or culture you are," Khawaja said.

"Let's be honest about it, if me saying all lives are equal has resulted in people being offended to the point where they're calling me up and telling me off, isn't that the bigger problem?

"What I've written on my shoes isn't political. I'm not taking sides. Human life to me is equal. One Jewish life is equal to one Muslim life, is equal to one Hindu life and so on.

"I'm just speaking up for those who don't have a voice. This is close to my heart. When I see thousands of innocent children dying without any repercussions or remorse, I imagine my two girls. What if this was them?

"No one chooses where they're born. Then I see the world turn their backs on them. My heart can't take it."

Khawaja is not the first athlete to stand up for his beliefs - and he won't be the last.

David Pocock made headlines when he was arrested for taking part in a coal mine protest at Maules Creek, chaining himself to mining equipment.

The charges were dismissed, but Pocock admits he made the decision to protest knowing the drama it would cause.

"You weigh up the cost of it and whether you think the message is the right thing to do," Pocock said in 2015.

"With the coal mining protest, I knew there would be backlash. But I knew signing up with those farmers, it was the right thing to do."

So too was calling out former NSW Waratahs player Jacques Potgieter for using a homophobic slur during a Super Rugby game.

A "climate catastrophist clown" is that Pat Cummins. Captain of the Australian cricket team? Nah, he's "Captain Woke".

Or so they say, just because Cummins expressed ethical objections to Cricket Australia's sponsorship deal with Alinta Energy, led the national cricket team in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and the Voice to Parliament.

Cummins opted to avoid appearing in promotions for Alinta during the final year of its multi-million dollar sponsorship deal with Cricket Australia.

He was suddenly Captain Planet, the man who had ruined the sponsorship deal - even if Alinta has been clear about Cummins' stance having no impact on the end of the partnership.

It was enough for Pocock to call Cummins a "leader for our times".

When The Star-Spangled Banner began to ring through the San Diego Stadium speakers, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick took a knee.

The movement was designed to "protest the injustices that are happening in America, the oppression that is happening in America", Kaepernick said in 2016.

Kaepernick soon appeared on the cover of Time magazine for a story on patriotism and protests. His jersey was a top seller.

But the peaceful protest was seen by President Donald Trump as disrespecting the American flag. NFL team owners threatened players wouldn't play if they didn't stand during the anthem. Fans turned against him.

Kaepernick has been absent from the NFL since 2017, during that period accusing team owners of colluding against him, but the legacy of his protest remains.

It is one of the AFL's most enduring images.

St Kilda champion Nicky Winmar lifting his jumper, pointing to the colour of his skin and declaring: "I'm proud to be black".

Winmar revealed this year he is still hurting from the events that occurred at Victoria Park in April 1993, when he and teammate Gilbert McAdam copped a torrent of racist abuse from Collingwood fans.

A statue of Winmar striking his pose now stands in bronze outside Perth Stadium.

So powerful was the moment, it was emulated by Western Bulldogs young gun Jamarra Ugle-Hagan in response to racial abuse earlier this year.

Then there is the tale of Adam Goodes, who won two premierships and two Brownlow Medals during a glittering 372-game career in the AFL.

Yet the racially-motivated booing of the 2014 Australian of the Year saw Goodes' love for the game die.

The release of The Final Quarter, which uses archival footage to detail the final seasons of Goodes' career, prompted the AFL to formally and unreservedly apologise for its failure to call out racism.