“Sports are the reward of a functioning society”

The Blue Jays and Red Sox won’t play their game as scheduled tonight.

This started on Wednesday night, when the Milwaukee Bucks and Orlando Magic agreed to a wildcat strike, in which both teams walked out on their playoff game. The decision was made in protest of the shooting of James Blake, a 29-year-old African American man who was shot in the back seven times by a police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Shortly after, all of the NBA and WNBA games scheduled for Wednesday night were postponed as the players opted to sit out in protest. The wave spread to Major League Baseball, as the Angels and Astros, the Reds and Brewers, the Mariners and Padres, and Dodgers and Giants all opted to sit out.

Tonight, the protest continues. All of the NBA, WNBA, and NHL games on the schedule along with multiple MLB games, including the one between the Blue Jays and Red Sox, have been postponed.

This is a historic move of action by these professional athletes. What began as a protest by San Fransisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick four years ago has now blown into a full-on movement.

Police brutality against African Americans in the United States is certainly nothing new, but in the months since the murder of George Floyd, the issue has rightfully made its way into the daily conversations of those of us who are fortunate enough to not have to deal with such a reality. But, despite the protests around the world that manifested from Floyd’s murder, the events of Kenosha make it abundantly clear that nothing has changed.

So, you might ask, what’s the point of this whole stunt by these athletes? Racism isn’t going to magically be solved because a bunch of athletes decide to take the day off, right?

That isn’t the point.

Washington Nationals reliever Sean Doolittle hit the nail on the head back in July when he said, in the wake of the United States’ wildly inadequate response to the COVID-19 pandemic, that “sports are like the reward of a functioning society.”

Right now, this isn’t a functioning society.

George Floyd was slowly killed as a police officer had his knee on his neck for eight minutes and forty-six seconds. Breonna Taylor was killed by police officers in her own home. James Blake was shot seven times in front of his children. This is not what happens in a functioning society.

The function of sports in our society is a form of escapism. It’s a distraction for all of us. Just like reading books or watching movies, sports allow us time to take a step back, focus on something different than our jobs or our problems and have a good time.

If you’re the Milwaukee Bucks, a team of predominantly African American players, can you create that distraction for everybody, knowing full well what’s just happened a few miles away in Kenosha?

Furthermore, while sports are a form of escapism, it’s also inherently political. National anthems are played before games, military appreciation nights are held frequently, and the money generated by the industry is spent on various political causes. Sports, which features mass gatherings and audiences of people from all walks of life, is directly shaped by our culture, and, in turn, also helps shape our culture. You simply cannot divorce sports from politics.

The professional athletes striking over the past 24 hours are exercising their rights as members of a free society to protest for change. While a person who works as a doctor or a teacher or a cashier doesn’t necessarily have the agency to strike to lobby for overarching systemic change, these athletes do.

These are employees of billionaire owners, and, by striking, they’re pushing their employers — many of which are financial supporters of the current Republican Administration — to use their influence for tangible change. They’re using their platform to remind the world that society, right now, is not functioning.

So while you might be annoyed that your night was disrupted because you can’t tune into the game, the problem at hand is greater. Being irked that you don’t have your escape tonight is nowhere near the same level of feeling fear walking down the street because of the colour of your skin.

If you’re a white guy like me and you can’t possibly relate to the realities of African Americans in the United States, take the night off and listen to other voices. Educate yourself and become more empathetic. We have a lot to learn.