MLB Players join in Jacob Blake boycott
Players from six MLB teams voted not to play on Wednesday in response to the police shooting of Jacob Blake.
A wave of player boycotts traveled throughout major American sports leagues on Wednesday following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
This wave of protests began when the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks opted out of playing their scheduled playoff game against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday afternoon. The Magic agreed to this boycott and in hours, the entire slate of today’s NBA playoff games was postponed.
The news of player protests spread quickly to the MLB when the Milwaukee Brewers, who play less than 50 miles from Kenosha, Wisc., elected not to play tonight’s game against the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds also agreed not to play, resulting in the official postponement of this contest.
By the end of Wednesday night, three MLB games were not played to join the Brewers and NBA in protest.
These games included the following:
- Reds at Brewers
- Seattle Mariners at San Diego Padres
- Los Angeles Dodgers at San Francisco Giants
Players from the Brewers and Reds released the following statement via the Brewers’ official team Twitter account.
From the players of the Milwaukee Brewers and the Cincinnati Reds: pic.twitter.com/qkhH4AmBKm
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) August 26, 2020
Dayn Perry of CBS Sports reported a statement that the MLB released in response to the protests.
"“Given the pain in the communities of Wisconsin and beyond following the shooting of Jacob Blake, we respect the decisions of a number of players not to play tonight. Major League Baseball remains united for change in our society and we will be allies in the fight to end racism and injustice.”"
Although 12 other MLB games were played as scheduled on Wednesday, several players chose to personally sit out in protest. Mark Townsend of Yahoo Sports reported that the Cardinals’ Dexter Fowler, the Cubs’ Jason Heyward, and the Rockies’ Matt Kemp individually sat out of Wednesday’s action.
dark. Next. Kill the unwritten rules
It’s unknown, but presumed, that these protests will continue throughout the following days and weeks. Time will tell us more, but players in the MLB and NBA have made it clear they are willing to use their platform as professional athletes to help raise awareness and enact change for the current events in the United States.