CLARKSVILLE—When spectators watch Austin Peay student-athletes compete in 2020-21, two things will stand out, one obvious and one subtle.

The obvious will be simply being on the floor, field, diamond or any other playing surface. At times during this year of upheaval and uncertainty, every moment on the field of play is a gift. As schedules ebb and flow, an unfortunate likelihood as we continue our COVID-19 safety measures, all contests feel more meaningful because there is truly no tomorrow, as we all learned this year.

The subtle thing fans may notice is a logo.

Over the summer, the NCAA's Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved rules to allow student-athletes in all sports to wear patches on their uniforms for commemorative and memorial purposes, as well as to support social justice issues. This was in response to the increased activism around the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor, as student-athletes began to lend their voices to protest, change and social justice. As the calls for change became louder, so did the calls for unity. And from those calls were born a subtle message.

We are united.

The three NCAA Divisional Student-Athlete Advisory Committees (SAAC) created the pledge and accompanying logo, which will be found emblazoned on uniforms across the nation in 2020 and beyond. The logo includes three different colored hands holding one another's wrists inside a circle with "United As One" at the bottom.

The pledge that goes along with the logo reads as follows:

I am an NCAA student-athlete and I pledge to be a Champion of Unity on my team, on my campus, and in my community

I pledge to stand against all forces of division and separation.

I pledge to embrace differences and strive for inclusion and collaboration.

I pledge to stand against racism, hate, and discrimination.

I pledge to strive for love, care, and forgiveness.

I pledge to stand against silence, deceit, and obscurity.

I pledge to strive for dialogue, truth, and understanding.

I pledge to stand against fear and doubt.

I pledge to strive for trust and belief in one another.

I pledge to stand against complacency and stagnancy.

I pledge to strive for change and growth.

I commit to supporting my fellow student-athletes in all circumstances that impact them.

I commit to both choosing unity personally and encouraging it for all.

I pledge these things because we are stronger together.

#UnitedAsOne

Braly Keller (Division III, Nebraska-Wesleyan), Alex Shillow (Division II, Texas A&M-Commerce), Ethan Good (Division I, Bowling Green State) and Colby Pepper (Board of Governors, Student Athlete Experience Committee) released the following statement regarding the Unity Pledge: "The Unity Pledge has been months in the making. Through the challenges that student-athletes have faced in the COVID-19 pandemic, Division I SAAC, Division II SAAC, Division III SAAC and the Board of Governors Student-Athlete Engagement Committee have come together to lead and advocate for our nearly half-million peers across the country. In light of the social injustice and hate our country has experienced, we wanted a unified statement written by student-athletes, for student-athletes. We encourage student-athletes, coaches and administrators to use this statement in your conference, campus and with your teams as we push forward for change as a collective group, united as one."

So yes, this year as in all others, Austin Peay student-athletes will be playing for the name on the front of the jersey. That's the name that chases the titles, that gets the recognition, that will be on their degrees and help them chart their paths in life.

They'll also be playing for one another, for unity and for a better tomorrow as well.