Why Sports Teams Are Boycotting Games To Stand Against Police Brutality

Aug 27, 2020

In a powerful effort to make a stance NBA, MLB, WNBA and NHL teams are boycotting games in an effort to enhance change as a result of another brutal police brutality against a Black American.

On Sunday, August 23, 2020, Jacob Blake was shot by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin after attempting to split-up a domestic situation between two neighborhood women. As Jacob Blake walked away from the scene to his car, an onlooker’s video shows Jacob Blake being shot in the back a total of seven times as he bends towards his car. Jacob Blake’s attorney also states that Jacob Blake was unarmed.

The onlooker who videotaped the incident also states that Jacob Blake’s three sons were in the car at the time of the incident. Jacob Blake is currently still in the hospital. He will most likely suffer paralysis for the rest of his life due to the bullets injuring his spinal cord. He also has had to get most of his colon and small intestines surgically removed.

As the world faces the pandemic that caused short sports seasons, all sports teams are using their platforms to stand against police brutality.

On Wednesday, the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks decided to delay their game against the Orlando Magic. Through their action, other sports organizations also canceled their own games as a form of protest. One example includes the WNBA who made the decision to stand in solidarity with the NBA by not playing their games on Wednesday night. In Major League Baseball, the Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds game, the Seattle Mariners versus the San Diego Padres, and the Los Angeles Dodgers versus San Francisco Giants are no longer happening. Famous tennis star, Naomi Osaka also chose to not participate in her semifinal game in the Cincinnati Open. The Major League Soccer organization also has postponed five of their soccer games excluding one that was already in play as the boycotting decisions went throughout the sports world.

Several NFL teams also boycotted by not practicing including the Colts, Jets, Titans, Cardinals, Bears, Packers, and Washington to focus on discussing social justice issues. Athletes across organizations are also using their social media platforms to take a stand against the latest event of police brutality. Lebron James tweeted on Wednesday “We demand change. sick of it.”

Hopefully, this will be a call to action on the global stage for police reform and retraining as athletes bring light to how severe the issue of police brutality in this country is as well as the need for social justice across the world.

Here is how you can help the cause:

Contact Kenosha adminstration and demand the arrest of those involved in the shooting:

Kenosha City Attorney⁣⁣:
262-653-4170⁣⁣; Email: webcityattorney@kenosha.org or City Attorney Edward Antaramian at eantaramian@kenosha.org.
Kenosha Mayor and City Administration: 262-653-4000⁣⁣; Email: mayor@kenosha.org or info@kenosha.org
Kenosha Police Non-Emergency Line: 262-656-1234⁣⁣
Wisconsin Department of Justice:⁣ 608-266-1221⁣;