The sports world was turned upside-down Wednesday afternoon before the 4 p.m. tip-off between the Milwaukee Bucks and Orlando Magic. While the Magic had taken the floor for their normal pregame warmups, there was no sign of any Bucks player or coach.
Soon it became clear that the Bucks had no intention of taking the floor at all. Instead, the team decided to go on strike for the game over the police shooting of Jacob Blake that took place on Aug. 23 in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Shortly after, the four remaining NBA teams scheduled to play Wednesday night went on strike as well.
Milwaukee’s other pro sports team, the Brewers, decided jointly with the Cincinnati Reds to postpone their game Wednesday, making it the first MLB game to be postponed. Other MLB teams began following suit, leading to a cascade of cancellations across many professional sports leagues.
The actions of the professional athletes across the country Wednesday showed us the growing power and influence that these players, leagues and organizations now possess. Sport and society have always been intertwined, and the gap between them seems to be forever shrinking. Players no longer just have to “shut up and dribble.” Athletes such as LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers have come to realize the kind of platform they stand on and the extensive reach it affords them.
The NBA most notably has led the charge for professional sports leagues in making statements on racial justice amid the restart of sports from the COVID-19 pandemic. NBA players have put statements on their jerseys and commented in both interviews and on social media pushing the narrative of awareness and action regarding systemic racism in the United States.
Wednesday’s actions took things a step further.
We have never seen athletes cause a work stoppage of this scale in response to social issues. This isn’t the typical strike that occasionally occurs in professional sports when athletes and owners fight over a new collective bargaining agreement.
This is a reckoning, not just in the world of sports, but in the world as a whole.
Athletes have come to fully realize the power they possess. For better or for worse, athletes are a prized product and without their cooperation, they can bring sports to a complete stop. Sports traditionally have been used as an escape from the shortcomings and conflicts plaguing society, but the narrative has now shifted as sports have begun acting as a spotlight on such issues.
Four years ago yesterday, Colin Kaepernick sparked the modern discussion regarding racial injustice through the lens of sports when he refused to stand for the national anthem. Now as sports came to a screeching halt, there has been no other day in sport where such a spotlight has shined brighter.
Whether you believe these strikes will bring about tangible change in this country or not, there’s no question they continue to stir discussion over the Blake shooting and other forms of racial injustice across America. The fact that a simple game can play a hand in such complex issues is a good thing.
No one knows how long the strikes over the Blake shooting will last. Some think it could be just a one or two-game absence, while others believe entire seasons could be in jeopardy. Even saying that seems crazy, but with what this country is dealing with and what athletes are standing for, what seemed impossible just a few weeks ago has evolved into a sobering reality.
This country, sports included, has hit a major point in its history. American sports showed everyone that it isn’t all talk and it isn’t playing around.
