WALKOUT

Here Are the Athletes and Teams Boycotting Games to Protest the Shooting of Jacob Blake

After the Milwaukee Bucks decided to sit out a playoff game against the Orlando Magic, other high-profile teams and athletes followed.

In the wake of the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and the growing furor over the associated protests, multiple professional athletes and sports teams announced Wednesday that they had elected to forego or postpone matches scheduled for the coming days. 

Baseball

Major League Baseball said in a statement it would “respect” the protest of teams that elected to forego or postpone games.

The Mets and the Marlins staged a dramatic display at their Thursday game, walking off the field after a moment of silence and leaving a shirt that read “Black Lives Matter.”

Tennis

Naomi Osaka, former U.S. Open champ and currently the 10th-ranked women’s tennis player in the world, said in a statement posted to Twitter that she would not play in a semifinal match in the Western and Southern Open scheduled for Thursday. “Before I’m an athlete, I’m a Black woman,” she wrote. The match was rescheduled for Friday after “a lengthy discussion,” according to The Guardian.

Basketball

All WNBA games scheduled for Wednesday were postponed. The National Basketball Association said in a statement on Twitter that Wednesday’s playoff games would be postponed. “The NBA and the NBPA today announced that in light of the Milwaukee Bucks’ decision to not take the floor today for Game 5 against the Orlando Magic, today’s three games – MIL-ORL, HOU-OKC and LAL-POR have been postponed. Game 5 of each series will be rescheduled.” The Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers reportedly voted against playing any more games for the entire remainder of the season, but games were set to resume the following weekend.

Soccer

Major League Soccer said in a statement that all five matches scheduled for Wednesday would be postponed. 

Football

Though the National Football League season has not yet begun, several NFL teams elected to cancel practices Thursday in solidarity with other boycotting teams.

Hockey

The National Hockey League postponed Thursday’s Stanley Cup playoffs to express solidarity with other boycotting players and teams.

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Blake MontgomeryFormer Reporter/Editor

Martha MercerEditor

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