NBA, MLB and Other Leagues Boycott Games; Will Play Continue This Week?
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On Wednesday, the Milwaukee Bucks kicked off a firestorm after deciding not to play its Game 5 matchup against the Orlando Magic. This decision was made in light of the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, earlier this week.
Following the Bucks decision to boycott, the rest of the NBA teams decided to boycott their Wednesday games, including the Rockets and Thunder and Trail Blazers and Lakers. Sportsbooks like FanDuel and DraftKings refunded the wagers placed on yesterday’s NBA games.
Sterling Brown and George Hill make a statement for the @Bucks without taking questions. pic.twitter.com/iuxOhu6Ge0
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) August 26, 2020
Not only did the NBA boycott games, but the MLB, WNBA, and MLS decided to postpone games as well. The Brewers and Reds were the first to postpone its game, and later on, Wednesday, the Mariners and Padres, and Dodgers and Giants decided to call off their matchups.
The WNBA and MLS reached similar conclusions and decided to postpone games on Wednesday. The WNBA postponed three scheduled games as the MLS postponed five games.
More Cancellations?
After many teams decided to not play on Wednesday, discussions continued as to whether or not the NBA would continue to boycott games in the Disney World bubble. On Wednesday night, the players held a meeting to discuss moving forward with games.
According to sources, every team was on board to continue playing the playoffs except for the Clippers and Lakers. The meeting ended without a unanimous decision on what to do moving forward. On Thursday morning, the players decided to resume playoff games and to plan for a restart of Friday.
The postponements did not stop there across leagues. The NFL got into the action as multiple teams, including the Jets, Colts, Bears, and others deciding to cancel practices on Thursday. The Lions were the first NFL team to protest the Jacob Blake shooting by canceling team activities on Tuesday.
Even college football has teams deciding to cancel practice on Thursday. Boston College and the University of South Florida decided to take the day off on honor of Jacob Blake.
As other leagues plan on resuming action on Thursday, the actions taken on Wednesday showed that some leagues and teams across the U.S. are taking a stand against racial injustice in America. Wednesday was a pivotal point for sports in the U.S., and it will be something to watch moving forward in 2020.
Sports and Politics
On the same day, the NBA boycotted playoff games; Colin Kaepernick took a knee for the National Anthem four years earlier in 2016. Today, sports and politics are so intertwined that there is no escape from it.
Players and coaches are now using their platforms to fight for injustices they see in the country and will do everything in their power to shed light on it.
Yesterday, was another turning point for sports in America, and players and teams will continue to fight for the injustices they see in this country. With the NBA, NFL, MLB, MLS, and WNBA all taking stands over the last few days, protests and boycotts will continue to go in sports until players and members of the league feel like their voices are being heard.
We are entering a new age of sports, whether you like it or not.
