This Has to Stop
Members of the NBA kneel together in protest for social injustice (Ashley Landis / Pool via USA TODAY Sports - Reuters)
We have been dealing with social injustice for a long time. Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream that someday we could get past the color of one another's skin, and see the good in people, and he was assassinated for believing this. Jackie Robinson was shamed for being the first black player in the major leagues, and even his teammates or the Brooklyn Dodgers fans did not want to be around him. Remember when Colin Kaepernick was shamed for kneeling during the National Anthem? He wasn't trying to disrespect the flag or our country, he was standing up for what he believed in. Do you think we should have listened to him?
With everything that has been going on in 2020 from the COVID-19 pandemic, to natural disasters across the world, to social injustices happening around us, certain decisions had to be made, especially in the sports world. When George Floyd was murdered back in May, it sent several people into a "frenzy", especially the African American community. Black Lives Matter became a slogan around the country, and around the world, and the protesting for social injustice skyrocketed. Several NBA and MLB showed their support for the death of George Floyd by wearing jerseys with the Black Lives Matter slogan or other social injustice slogans to show support.
As protesting continued around the country, the sports world continued to live on, but that does not mean it wasn't easy for the athletes. The NBA players went along with the plan for as long as they could, and all this was happening as they were required to play within the NBA bubble to avoid the deadly virus that had hit not only the United States hard, but the rest of the world as well. William C. Rhoden, of The Undefeated, put it best when he stated that “It turned out that it was not the corona virus that will possibly burst the NBA bubble, but the virulent, persistent virus of racism.”
With the horrific news this week of the death of Jacob Blake, a 29 year-old father of six, who was shot seven times by Kenosha, Wisconsin police, it really hit close to the heart of the NBA and MLB players.
“Why does it always have to get to this point where we see the guns firing?" LeBron James asked. James and the Lakers had just won a playoff game against the Portland Trail Blazers, but he said, "He couldn't enjoy the victory." Lebron continued by saying, "My emotions are all over the place.”
When news of the tragedy began to circulate, it was the Milwaukee Bucks who decided to cancel their playoff contest against the Orlando Magic in a form of protest for social injustices. In fact the Bucks team never came out of the locker room to take the floor. The other two games on the NBA schedule that night, the Thunder vs. the Rockets, and the Trail Blazers vs. the Lakers, followed suit. For the next two nights, all NBA games were cancelled while players were deciding if they were going to play the rest of the season or not in an attempt to bring light to the horrific tragedies that continue to be a concern in this country. Even the WNBA decided not to play their 3 games that were scheduled for Wednesday night. Many NFL teams across the country cancelled practices in order to have real discussions of the problems and how they could have a positive impact.
Major League Baseball followed in the footsteps of the NBA , and the Milwaukee Brewers cancelled their game against the Cincinnati Reds, which prompted other MLB games to be cancelled for the evening, which included, the Angels vs. Astros, the Mariners vs. the Padres and the Dodgers vs. the Giants.
According to the MLB, this was the statement on players opting not to play on Wednesday;
“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.” MLB said in a statement, “Major League Baseball remains united for change in our society and we will be the allies in the fight to end racism and injustice.”
What this country and the rest of the world have been dealing with this year is dreadful, and something needs to be done about it. There are certain things that are out of our control as a society, such as natural disasters and we can't control other people's actions, but what we can do, is stop the social injustice and come together as a whole. Don't be surprised if professional athletes continue to speak their mind and stand up for what they believe in. Sports can be important to us as fans, and we need to cheer on our favorite teams, but there are more important things in life, such as, coming together as a community and stopping this violence. This has to stop!
Follow Shawn on twitter @ShawnSportsNut.
