Billy Mills, the Lakota Oglala runner who had won gold in the 10,000 meters in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics — one of the great upsets in Olympic history, and itself a remarkable Native American athletic achievement — was among the supporters of the Bright Path Strong petition.

His involvement connected the campaign to the living tradition of Native American Olympic achievement, reminding anyone who needed reminding that Thorpe was not an isolated anomaly but part of a long history of Indigenous athletes competing at the highest levels of international sport.

The combination of family advocacy, scholarly research, political pressure, and the involvement of the families of the athletes who had been elevated in Thorpe’s place eventually produced the 2022 decision.

It is difficult to say which element was most essential.