Photo via Twitter / @ESPN
Washington Mystics
Nothing unites people in the way that sports do. On Wednesday, the Milwaukee Bucks utilized that leverage to promote change.
When the Milwaukee Bucks protested Game Five of their playoff series with the Orlando Magic on Wednesday afternoon, they sent a shockwave through the sporting world. The team opted to not take the floor in Orlando as a reaction to the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha. Within minutes, the story made its way to the players and leagues around the world, many of whom showed solidarity with the team. It was a domino effect that, even if only for a day, affected the ecosystem of sports as a whole.
The first impact, notably, was a slate of national television broadcasts, with the Bucks game shown on NBA TV, as well as a local broadcast on Fox Sports Wisconsin. The production teams, as well as the league officials, were unaware of the Bucks’ intent to stay in the locker room, and were subsequently left without a game to broadcast. Crews were left scrambling for content. Without a game, which would have been played on a court that read “Black Lives Matter” and with players wearing messages for equal rights on their jerseys, networks were forced to have an impromptu conversation about race as backup plans were assembled.
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Bucks announcers Jim Paschke, Marques Johnson and Zora Stephenson had a very real conversation about racial inequality in their past. They remained on air until about 4:45 p.m., and Fox Sports Wisconsin opted to replay their conversation for the remainder of the game’s time slot. A similar conversation was had on NBA TV, which later went to studio coverage featuring a press conference clip of Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers, who gave an impassioned story of his own personal experiences with racial inequality as a player and coach. Similar conversations dominated sports channels and news networks that would normally be covering a bevy of playoff games across multiple sports. Later, TNT analyst and former player Kenny Smith walked off of the set of “Inside The NBA” in solidarity.
As word of the Bucks’ protest spread to the national media, the NBA decided to postpone the remainder of Wednesday’s playoff games. The Brewers, in solidarity, postponed their Wednesday night game with the Cincinnati Reds. The WNBA also held a meeting with the teams scheduled to play on Wednesday, and opted not to hold their games as well. The defending champion Washington Mystics came to the meeting in shirts that spelled out Jacob Blake’s name. Elsewhere in Major League Baseball, the Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres, as well as the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants decided against playing their games. Five Major League Soccer matches were also postponed.
Due to the unique nature of the NBA playing in a bubble situation in Orlando, a league-wide meeting was held on Wednesday night with the possibility of the season being abandoned as a whole as rumors of more protests swirled. No decision has been made as of Thursday morning, but commissioner Adam Silver has assembled a meeting with league owners to discuss the season’s fate.
NBA Players, however, did not wait until the meeting to make their voices heard. LeBron James tweeted to his more than 47 million followers in support of change. Other players saluted the team for their statement. All of which only echoed the sentiments of an organization, with multiple players who have personally been victims of racial injustice in the past, not taking the floor.
Truly, the statement of the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday afternoon is nothing short of historic. The sporting world was forced to take notice in a way that they never truly have before, and an industry that brings in billions of dollars annually was slowed down. Even if the Bucks fail to win an NBA Championship this season, their actions have already put the team in the history books.
