MLB games called off in protests over Jacob Blake shooting
Sporting events postponed in protest over shooting of Jacob Blake
For a second day, NBA games were postponed over the shooting of a Black man in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The NBA says the playoffs will resume at some point but it was not immediately clear when that will happen.
In a typically awkward way, Major League Baseball has been pulled into America’s discussion about racial injustice.
Across the sport, one theme became clear: Baseball shouldn’t avoid potentially difficult conversations and decisions regarding social issues. Though the process may be imperfect, there was agreement that coaches, players, and teams should speak their mind.
“This is at the forefront now,” said Oakland infielder Tony Kemp, who is Black. “By sitting out tonight’s game, I feel like it’s just a small building block of what we want to see. These couple days are historic times in sports. One day our kids are going to look back and ask us what was going on and what did we do to help bring awareness to these issues in the world and we’re going to say, ‘One game we just decided not to play.’”
Oakland's game at Texas was among several that were postponed by Thursday evening, along with Philadelphia at Washington, Minnesota at Detroit, Colorado at Arizona, Baltimore at Tampa Bay, Miami at the New York Mets, and Boston at the Blue Jays in Buffalo, New York.
The grounds crew is all that stepped onto the field at game time as the players on the Orioles decided not to play in the game between the Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays on August 27, 2020 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL. (Photo by Cli
The delays of these baseball games came after the NBA canceled all of Wednesday's playoff games after the Milwaukee Bucks decided not to play Game 5 of their series against the Orlando Magic.
The unprecedented NBA walkout over racial injustice carried into a second day Thursday, although players pledged to finish the postseason even as they wrestled with their emotions about wanting to bring change in their communities.
For now, the basketball courts in the NBA's virus-free bubble at Disney World remained empty. NBA spokesman Mike Bass said the league hoped to resume Friday or Saturday. And other athletes across the sports world also said they weren't ready to resume playing.
Across the NFL, empty practice fields made for loud and powerful statements. The Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts, New York Jets, Tennessee Titans, and Washington Football Team all chose to not practice Thursday in response to the shooting.
Members of the Hockey Diversity Alliance asked the NHL to postpone its two second-round playoff games on Thursday in response to Blake's shooting. San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane announced the request on his Twitter account.
“We strongly feel this sends a clear message that human rights take priority over sports,” Kane wrote on behalf of the alliance, which is made up of current and former players.
Two Game 3s were set to be played, with the Philadelphia Flyers facing the New York Islanders in Toronto and the Vegas Golden Knights playing the Vancouver Canucks in Edmonton, Alberta. Those games were put on hold.
Orlando City played their match on Wednesday night against Nashville SC, but all other MLS games were canceled.
Blake was shot multiple times by police in Kenosha, about 40 miles south of Milwaukee. His family’s attorney said Blake was paralyzed and that it would “take a miracle” for him to walk again.
The shooting of 29-year-old Blake was captured on cellphone video Sunday and ignited protests against racism and police brutality in Kenosha and elsewhere.