NEW YORK – Prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump is highlighting important social issues by advertising on players’ apparel during this year’s US Open Grand Slam tennis tournament. Crump’s law firm, “Ben Crump Law,” is featured on the left sleeve of Czech player Tomas Machac’s blue shirt, which was worn during his second-round match where he defeated the 16th-seeded American Sebastian Korda. Serbian player Dusan Lajovic also wore a similar patch in his loss to 2021 US Open champion Daniil Medvedev earlier this week.
Based in Florida, Crump has been a voice for the families of George Floyd, Trayvon Martin, Breonna Taylor, and Michael Brown—Black citizens whose deaths at the hands of police and vigilantes have sparked the Black Lives Matter movement. His work on some of the most significant cases of police violence over the past 15 years has led Rev. Al Sharpton to label Crump as “Black America’s attorney general.”
When Machac was asked if he knew who Crump was, he responded, “A little. Not much. I’m just focused on tennis, and my agent is responsible for that.” Machac, who is 23 years old and currently ranked 39th in the world in singles, won a gold medal in mixed doubles at the recent Paris Olympics. In many cases, less prominent players at major tennis tournaments can quickly secure sponsorship deals for patches.
In a phone interview with the Associated Press, Crump stated that the legacy of Arthur Ashe—both on and off the tennis court—aligns with his work in cases concerning police violence and the exploitation of historically marginalized individuals. “The reason we decided to do the sponsorship this way is partly because I continue to be inspired by (Ashe’s) legacy,” Crump said, planning to attend the US Open this weekend. “We are sponsoring underdogs in up to 10 matches, which also appeals to me because I always fight for the underdog. The sponsorship helps the lesser-known players who obviously don’t have well-known sponsors but deserve just as much of a chance to showcase their talents and compete against the best in the world.”
Crump added that the primary purpose of the patches is not to generate business for his firm. “It’s about supporting diversity and inclusion, where every person, regardless of their economic status, has the opportunity to showcase their talents and compete on as level a playing field as possible,” he said. “Hopefully when (fans) see the ‘Ben Crump’ patch on the players’ shirts, they will think about how important social justice is in all aspects of society—both in courtrooms and sports arenas.”