On August 26th, 2016 Colin Kaepernick took a knee for the first time as a protest to police brutality and the racism that people of color face. At the time, the sports-world went into a storm where many had deemed Kaepernick’s decision as ludicrous. Today, nationwide protests for the very same reason have swept the entire country and now commissioner Roger Goodell has recently been quoted as saying, “I wish we had listened earlier”. The instances of unjust police violence of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and most recently Jacob Blake have only continued to strengthen Kapernick’s point in protesting. Now on the very same day that Kaepernick took his first knee, the Milwaukee Bucks refused to show up in their playoff game 5. This decision comes on the cusp of the police shooting where an officer shot 7 rounds into Jacob Blake’s back. Four years later and Kaepernick’s protest has continued to fall on deaf ears.
The decision by the Milwaukee Bucks is one that has sent a shockwave to the whole world of sports. To the Bucks, the decision comes as an especially personal one as two of it’s players were directly impacted by these issues. The city of Milwaukee tried to give Sterling Brown $400,000 in hush money when police kneeled on his neck, stood on his ankle, and tased him in a parking lot in 2018. John Henson was racially profiled in 2015 when he was refused entry into a jewelry store for fear of robbery. Proving that for some professional athletes, sports are still not enough to escape these issues. At the end of the day, they are still black, which for some is sadly reason enough to be a threat to others. These are not individual instances either as it is a problem that many have faced.
Just recently, Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri, was barely exonerated from an encounter stemming from systemic police injustice. Alameda County police immediately reported that Uijiri attempted to rush the court after last year’s NBA finals. They claimed he tried to get on the court after the game without credentials and physically assaulted an officer by striking him in the face. When in fact, recent video footage proved this to be a lie as Uijiri was pushed twice unprovoked by the officer while he had credentials in hand. In a just world, the cop and department would be held to justice for upholding a lie. Yet the cop in question collected $150,000 in “disability” money and the police department continued to assert their report as true.
If this happened to someone as wealthy and powerful as Masai Uijiri one can only imagine what the average black individual has to face. The long list of names who have suffered from police violence proves we do not need to imagine. We just need to turn on the news every now and then. The Masai Uijiri story reveals how this is not an individualistic issue. It is a systemic issue that requires far more than awareness by shirts and commercials. The Milwaukee players know this and are trying to use what leverage they have to influence lawmakers, judges, and any person with political power to begin change in this country.
One may ask how is it that by the Bucks striking their one playoff game can they influence an issue that reaches far beyond sports? To that I would say follow the money. The NBA and sports as a whole make millions for not only their respective sports organizations but for their cities and states. Refusing to play forces the hand of these large bodies of organizations to do what they can to resume play so they can continue getting paid. The loss of money creates a trickle-up effect that can reach those who do have influence in politics. This is further cemented as multiple teams put out statements in solidarity with it’s players and also challenged their state’s government and law enforcement to do better. The issue may not be resolved tomorrow, but the lasting impact of the strike sends a message that influences the public and those with power to create change.
On the same day, the Bucks strike already did just that as the NBA was not the only sport that did not play. The WNBA, MLB, and MLS all had games that were postponed due to strikes as a result of the Jacob Blake shooting. So while change may not immediately happen, professional athletes very well know of their influence that can impact the nation. The NBA had a players meeting that became tense creating a level of uncertainty on how to move forward, which could possibly result in the season ending. The following days will prove to be important as updates will show how long the strike may last. A small price to pay for these athletes who do not see these issues as political but rather an infringement on human rights. Five time NBA All-Star Chris Webber said it best on Inside the NBA, “If not now, when?”
