After the DA declined charges against the police in the Jacob Blake shooting, the Milwaukee Bucks boycott Game 5. Because of this, a wave of similar protests cascaded across the sports world. Just hours after the boycott, three WNBA, three Major League Baseball games, and five Major League Soccer games called off their events as athletes showed their support with the Milwaukee Bucks.
The NBA then announced that it would postpone Game 5 of three different playoff series. These are the Bucks vs Orlando Magic, Houston Rockets vs Oklahoma City Thunder, and lastly, Los Angeles Lakers vs Portland Trail Blazers.
Milwaukee Bucks Against Police Brutality
The Bucks were playing against the Orlando Magic at 4:00 pm at Disney World, Orlando. However, the Bucks did not go out of their locker room for the scheduled trip. This is because of the injustice in the death of Jacob Blake.
The police shot Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Milwaukee is about forty miles north of Kenosha. His three children were inside the vehicle. A video of the shooting blew up on social media and prompted outrage all over the country over police brutality and racial injustice.
After the announcement of Kenosha (WI) County District Attorney Michael Graveley that there would not be any charges against the police officer who shot and severely wounded Blake, the Bucks decided to boycott the game.
The Bucks Issue a Statement
The Blake shooting was yet another reminder of the prevailing problem of police brutality and racial injustice in the United States. But, people are now doing something about this problem, and the Bucks are just one of the many who are taking a stand.
The Milwaukee Bucks issued the following statement in support of their players:
“The Bucks organization remains firmly against excessive use of force by law enforcement. This past year shed light on the ongoing racial injustices facing our African American and other marginalized communities. Reoccurring instances of excessive use of force and immediate escalation when engaging the Black community must stop. We will continue to work to enact policy change so these incidents no longer exist. As an organization, we remain strongly committed to address issues of social injustice and anti-racism and to make meaningful change for African Americans and all marginalized members of our community.”
What the Bucks Players Think
The players also issued a statement. According to them, “The past four months have shed a light on the ongoing racial injustices facing our African-American communities. 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’ve 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 protestors. Despite the overwhelming plea for change, there has been no action, so our focus today cannot be on basketball.
“When we take the court and represent Milwaukee and Wisconsin, we are expected to play at a high level, give maximum effort and hold each other accountable. We hold ourselves to that standard, and in this moment, we are demanding the same from our lawmakers and law enforcement.”
The boycott was a monumental decision, and the right one as athletes and the NBA showed their overwhelming support for the boycott. Basketball has become so much more and will continue to be one of the most well-loved sports.
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