The Portland Timbers were supposed to play today, but they did something much more powerful instead.
It’s been a big day in American sports: earlier this afternoon, the Milwaukee Bucks decided they would not play their scheduled playoff game against the Orlando Magic, in protest of the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin on Sunday.
“The past four months have shed a light on the ongoing racial injustices facing our African-American community,” said Bucks guard Sterling Brown, reading a statement written by the team. “Citizens around the country have used their voices and platforms to speak out against these wrongdoings. Over the last few days in our home state of Wisconsin, we have seen the horrendous video of Jacob Blake being shot in the back seven times by a police officer in Kenosha, and the additional shooting of protesters. Despite the overwhelming plea for change, there has been no action, so our focus today cannot be on basketball.”
Later, the Lakers and Trailblazers joined them in striking, as did the Milwaukee Brewers and all six WNBA teams slated to play today.
Although the first MLS game of the night, between Orlando and Nashville, went on as planned, the other MLS teams scheduled to play tonight—including the Timbers—soon announced they, too, would refuse to play.
Today—four years to the day after Colin Kaepernick first knelt for the national anthem—Black athletes once again used their platforms to center violence against Black communities by police officers and white supremacists. Teams, leagues, and sponsors have been making statements saying they support the Black Lives Matter movement since June, but have done little—if anything—to back those words up with meaningful actions. These athletes are seizing control of their platform and refusing to continue entertaining people while people who look like them are murdered with impunity.
Don’t let this moment slip by. As we’ve seen all summer, athletes can bring attention to pressing social issues, but ultimately, dismantling white supremacy is our responsibility. As Jeremy Ebobisse wrote on Twitter today, “Empty, token mea culpas are a significant part of the problem.”
https://twitter.com/kingjebo/status/1298706984242278400?s=20
Financial donations, if you can afford it, are one way to help. Jacob Blake’s family has a fundraiser here. The Milwaukee Freedom Fund, which supports protesters in Wisconsin, also accepts donations. But ultimately, we need to push for drastic policy changes. Portland mayor Ted Wheeler and the City Council can all be reached here; drop them a line and tell them you demand meaningful action on police reform.
If you’re in Oregon and you’re not registered to vote, you can do that here. There’s a mayoral run-off election this November.
