In a massive call for awareness in the fight against racial
injustice, teams and players across the professional sports world
boycotted their games yesterday to protest the recent shooting of a
black man by police in Wisconsin. The Bucks sparked the movement
when they refused to take the court for Game 5 of their
opening-round series against the Magic. That led to all three NBA
games being called off in a call for racial justice, as well as
three MLB games, all three WNBA games on the schedule and five of
six MLS matches. The boycott is in response to Sunday’s police
shooting of 29-year-old Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, located
around 40 miles from the Bucks’ home city. Milwaukee’s other
professional sports team, the Brewers, also called off their game
against the Reds. Black MLB players, including the Cubs’ Jason
Heyward, the Cardinals’ Dexter Fowler and the Rockies’ Matt Kemp,
decided not to play. In tennis, fourth-seeded Naomi Osaka withdrew
a few hours after reaching the semifinals of the Western & Southern
Open, and hours after her decision, the entire tournament decided
it would be put on hold for a day. NBA players met last night to
discuss plans moving forward, and the Lakers and Clippers both
reportedly voted to end the playoffs immediately. More discussions
on the fate of today’s games are set to take place today.
***Report courtesy of Metro Source Network***
