Long live King T’Challa, the Black Panther. Six weeks after its release, Marvel’s “Black Panther” still reigns over the box office. The film has made history for not only its opening weekend, but its cultural impact.
One of the most recent impacts can be seen within the athletic community. Across the world black athletes have begun adopting the “Wakanda Forever” salute, where one crosses their forearms over their chest, to celebrate a win. Here is a trailer with the salute:
According to Slate, the first athletes to publicly adopt the gesture were Huddersfield Town players Steve Mounie and Colin Quaner when celebrating a goal against West Bromwich Albion on Feb. 24.
Jesse Lingard and Paul Pogba of Manchester United were also said to be among the first to adopt the Wakanda salute during their game against Chelsea on Feb. 25.
The salute then crossed over to the world of tennis when French player Gaël Monfils celebrated his wins against Matthew Ebden and John Isner with the salute.
“I think that movie is great, it’s great for the community, for our community, it means quite a lot. It’s not just a sign. It’s everything. It’s everything going on and definitely it’s a shout-out saying that I’m supporting the Black Panther’s community,” Monfils said, according to Sports360. “I’m following. … It’s the world in general. I’m not so much involved, but sometimes I like to pay attention. When you have movies who help, who give belief and show strength, it’s good.”
@Gael_Monfils I see you ???♀️ #WakandaForever #BlackPanther @letitiawright ?? pic.twitter.com/Z0kFZpDlni
— Sachia Vickery (@SachiaVick) March 9, 2018
Vickery tweeted that night to celebrate her win and acknowledge Monfils for also using the Wakanda salute.This wasn’t the first time Vickery had showed support for the film on Twitter. Since the release of the film she has been using the hashtag #wakandaforever and took to Twitter before her match saying:
Round✌?Wakanda Way??♀️bnpparibasopen ??#wakandaforever #blackpanther @ Indian Wells Tennis Garden https://t.co/tfDND9vZA5
— Sachia Vickery (@SachiaVick) March 8, 2018
Other athletes such as Kenyan rugby player Collins Injeria and wrestlers Titus O’Neil and Apollo have also adopted the salute. Injera did the “Wakanda Forever” salute after scoring his 250th try at the World Rugby Sevens tournament on March 4.
Titus O’Neil and Apollo brought the salute to the World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. around the same time.
Titus O’Neils support for the film began earlier when he sponsored 500 kids in the Tampa, Florida area to see the film.
“This will be the first time I’ve seen a superhero on screen that looks like me and I want kids to not only be able to see superheroes on the screen but also to view themselves as superheroes,” O’Neil told the Tampa Bay Times. “If they see that on screen, then maybe they can be the next doctor or lawyer or president, whatever they can be. This could be a great teaching moment if we can get them into theaters.”
Athletes are not the only ones in support of the film. Sports fans love the film so much they have began to create fictional uniforms with the names Black Panther and Wakanda displayed on them. The Carolina Panthers even asked graphic artists to re-imagine the team’s look if it was to adopt the film’s aesthetic. During Black History Month, the NFL Players Association, the league’s labor union, drew up some “Black Panther” inspired graphics to honor “NFLPA heroes.” All of the designs feature some common elements to the “Black Panther” suit such as jagged stones around the collar, outlines and stitching to mirror the suit and a similar color scheme.
Whether it be through the fans’ designs or the athletes’ use of the “Wakanda Forever” salute, it appears “Black Panther” has forever changed the athletic community and won’t be stopping anytime soon.