Athletes from the National Basketball Association, Women’s National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer are boycotting their events and games to protest the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wis. and to further support the Black Lives Matter movement.
The Milwaukee Bucks were the first team to boycott, announced before Game Five of the NBA playoffs. Shortly after the Bucks; the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Oklahoma City Thunder and Portland Trail Blazers also postponed their games Wednesday night as an act of peaceful protesting.
Bucks owners Jamie Dinan, Marc Lasry and Wes Edens released the following statement:
“We fully support our players and the decision they made. Although we did not know beforehand, we would have wholeheartedly agreed with them. The only way to bring about change is to shine a light on the racial injustices that are happening in front of us. Our players have done that and we will continue to stand alongside them and demand accountability and change.”
The NBA players called for a players meeting to discuss how they will proceed with their peaceful protests. Pending final details, they agreed to resume play, leaving many athletes unsatisfied.
The Milwaukee Brewers started the trend for MLB to boycott games to peacefully protest injustices in their home state. Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun told reporters the Bucks had “inspired” them. The team had voted on the issue, and most players had already chosen to not take the field before the meeting was held.
The Brewers organization made a statement Wednesday night saying their game against the Reds will not be played when their community and nation is in pain. The Brewers’ organization stated they want “to draw as much attention to the issues that really matter, especially racial injustice and systemic oppression.”
After the Brewers declared they were postponing their game, other MLB teams agreed to boycott, including the Cincinnati Reds, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants and the Seattle Mariners.
The WNBA and MLS have also called off many of their games.
Where professional games are still being played, some players have taken action into their own hands and have chosen to sit out; Matt Kemp, a center fielder for the Colorado Rockies, included.
“Tonight I stand with my fellow professional athletes in protest of the injustices my people continue to suffer,” Kemp wrote on Instagram. “I am protesting tonight’s game in honor of all of my fallen brothers and sisters at the hands of police brutality. “
Although it is unclear when these games will be rescheduled or if more events will be boycotted in the future. It seems professional athletes have and will continue to fight for what they believe in throughout these times.
