On August 23rd, 2020, 29-year-old African American Jacob S. Blake was shot four times in the back by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, eventually leading to his death. While the nation was already torn apart following George Floyd and Breonna Taylor's passing, Blake's death has once again shunned light on police brutality and systemic racism. Across the sports world, athletes took a stand for Black Lives Matter by holding an unprecedented wildcat strike and refusing to play scheduled games.
MLB (Major League Baseball)
16 MLB games have been postponed following the unfortunate passing of Jacob Blake:
- Atlanta Braves vs. New York Yankees (8/26)
- Houston Astros vs. Los Angeles Angels (8/27)
- Cincinnati Reds vs. Milwaukee Brewers (8/27)
- Seattle Mariners vs. San Diego Padres (8/27)
- Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Francisco Giants (8/27)
- Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Colorado Rockies (8/28)
- Minnesota Twins vs. Detroit Tigers (8/28)
- Baltimore Orioles vs. Tampa Bay Rays (8/28)
- Oakland Athletics vs. Texas Rangers (8/28)
- Philadelphia Phillies vs. Washington Nationals (8/28)
- Boston Red Sox vs. Toronto Blue (8/28)
- Jays and Miami Marlins vs. New York Mets (8/28)
A joint statement from the Brewers and Reds said, "With our community and our nation in such pain, we wanted to draw as much attention to the issues that really matter, especially racial injustice and systemic oppression."
The baseball league accepted the players' and teams' decisions stating, "Given the pain in the communities of Wisconsin and beyond following the shooting of Jacob Blake, we respect the decisions of a number of players not to play tonight. Major League Baseball remains united for change in our society, and we will be allies in the fight to end racism and injustice."
Mets player Dominic Smith stated in a press conference, "I think the most difficult part is to see people still don't care. And for this to continuously happen, it just shows just the hate in people's heart and that just sucks. Being a Black man in America is not easy."
NBA (National Basketball Association)
It all started with NBA's Milwaukee Bucks when the team refused to play their playoff game on August 27th. Soon after, three more playoff games were postponed: the Houston Rockets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Lakers vs. Portland Trail Blazers, and Bucks vs. Orlando Magic.
Under the NBA's collective bargaining agreement, strikes are banned, which means the Bucks players were willing to break their contracts to protest racial injustice and police brutality.
Following the decision not to play their scheduled game, the Bucks said, "The past four months have shed a light on the ongoing racial injustices facing our African American communities. Citizens around the country have used their voices and platforms to speak out against these wrongdoings. Despite the overwhelming plea for change, there has been no action, so our focus today cannot be on basketball."
The Los Angeles Lakers also offered a statement supporting the players' decision to postpone their playoff matchup against Portland Trail Blazers. "Eighty percent of NBA players are Black men. We cannot love them for the joy and entertainment that they bring to the world, yet sit in silence and fail to use our platforms and resources to amplify their voices when they demand the justice and equality that America has promised us all but denied Black people for too long," the Lakers said.
WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association)
The WNBA players stood arm-in-arm solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and also did not play their scheduled games. Six WNBA games were postponed:
- Atlanta Dream vs. Washington Mystics (8/27)
- Phoenix Mercury vs. Connecticut Sun (8/27)
- Minnesota Lynx vs. Los Angeles Sparks (8/27)
- Seattle Storm vs. Las Vegas Aces (8/28)
- Indiana Fever vs. Chicago Sky (8/28)
- New York Liberty vs. Dallas Wings (8/28)
Women's National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) president and Los Angeles Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike told ESPN, "It is important to note that this is not a strike. This is not a boycott. This is affirmatively a day of reflection. A day of informed action and mobilization."
"We realize that the work is not easy, but we also understand that the work is never done. There are things that happen that just allow us times to take a moment -- that's fair; we can take a moment -- and that moment we came together, and we decided we need time for ourselves to come back, regroup and continue to amplify our voices, and be there for our communities and demand change from the leaders that are representing us right now."
NFL (National Football League)
Multiple NFL teams, including the Denver Broncos, New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals, Indianapolis Colts, have canceled practice to focus on race issues. The Chicago Bears organization joined the aforementioned teams to pause and invest time "to voice to each other, our coaches and our staff where we stand on the real issues around race and police brutality in our country."
"We had a productive discussion, but we all agreed that talks and discussions are simply not enough anymore and we need action," the statement said. "We are putting in plans to take action in our communities and together we believe we can make a real difference. We need action not only today, but in the days to come."
As the athletes do their part, it is equally important that we do our part. Regardless of our ethnic backgrounds, we are fighting the same battle. It doesn't matter how hard a single person fights each day. It doesn't matter how determined a single person is. It doesn't matter how strong a single person is. What matters most is how hard WE fight, how determined WE are, and how strong WE are.
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