 After Tommy Smith won the 200 meter race in the 1968 Olympic Games, and John Carlos won the bronze, the two African-American athletes decided to stage a protest against human rights abuse that blacks faced in America. On the winning podium, as the Star-Spangled Banner was played, they raised their fists in the air to signify black power. It was an act seen across the globe and it embarrassed the white power structure in America and the International Olympic Committee. With their actions, Smith and Carlos were expelled from the Games and banned from the Olympic Village where they were residing. Upon their homecoming, they and their families received death threats and the two athletes were shunned by the U.S. sporting establishments. However, as the United States began to accept the civil rights movement, they quickly turned from villains to heroes and both athletes continued their track careers. In 2008, they were given the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage.