Jack Scott was an American political activist known for his concern with exploitation of athletes and race relations in sport, the sociology of sport, his association with the Radical Sports Movement of the 1970s, and for involvement with Patty Hearst and fugitives of the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA).

Patricia Campbell Hearst is the granddaughter of American publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst. She first became known for the events following her 1974 kidnapping by the Symbionese Liberation Army. She was found and arrested 19 months after being abducted, by which time she was a fugitive wanted for serious crimes committed with members of the group. She was held in custody, and there was speculation before trial that her family's resources would enable her to avoid time in prison.