On Wednesday, Aug. 26, the Milwaukee Bucks led a labor strike in protest of the Jacob Blake shooting that occurred in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Blake, an unarmed Black man, was shot in the back seven times by a police officer while returning to his car.
The Milwaukee Bucks did not play their originally-scheduled Game 5 matchup with the Orlando Magic. The Houston Rockets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder game and the Los Angeles Lakers vs. Portland Trail Blazers game were both postponed later that day.
Other professional teams stood with the Bucks, as six Major League Baseball teams postponed their own games. The Milwaukee Brewers, Cincinnati Reds, Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers all did not play Wednesday, Aug. 26. Eight MLB teams sat out of their scheduled games on Thursday, Aug. 27, as well.
“I’ll always remember this day,” said Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts. “I’ll always remember this team just having my back.”
In honor of Jackie Robinson Day, MLB Players Alliance members will also donate their salaries from their games last Thursday and Friday. This organization is comprised of more than 100 Black current and former players, and the donations will be in effort “to combat racial inequality and aid black families and communities deeply affected in the wake of recent events,” according to the Players Alliance. The organization is focused on building equal paths for players from different backgrounds to play the game of baseball at their highest potential.
The strikes went beyond the NBA and the MLB. The WBNA postponed their Aug. 27 slate of games. Five Major League Soccer games were also called off as athletes stood in solidarity.
Turning to football, the New York Giants mentioned the team has not ruled out the possibility of sitting out a game during the upcoming 2020-2021 season. Both Saquon Barkley and Sterling Shepard mentioned on a Zoom call that they will talk with both the team and their social justice groups about the idea of refusing to play.
Broadcasters have also joined the strike. Sports commentator Kenny Smith delivered his own message in response to the protest before walking off the “Inside the NBA” set in support of the players.
On the court, NBA players reached an agreement which allowed the NBA playoffs to resume. While play is back in all leagues, it is very clear that some things are bigger than sports.
“‘If we don’t have a plan, then what are we talking about, why are we still here?’” LeBron James told ESPN. “That’s where my mind went to. At one point there was no plan of going forward, there was no plan of action. I’m not, me personally, I’m not that type of guy. I’m not the type of guy who … doesn’t have a plan and then isn’t ready to act on it as far as action, so we had a couple days to kind of figure it out.”
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