August 26, the Day That All Sports Were Canceled

“Postponed.” That’s what was shown on your phone, computer, or TV if you were to look at the NBA on Wednesday, August 26, 2020. While sports were postponed if you knew what happened the day and multiple days before, it was hardly the correct word. The Milwaukee Bucks and Orlando Magic did not play this last Wednesday because the game was “delayed” but because the Milwaukee Bucks decided to boycott the game. 

Unfortunately, the boycott was preceded by yet another act of racial injustice. Jacob Blake was shot seven times during a confrontation with police in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Enraged, the Milwaukee Bucks decided to take immediate action. As the Orlando Magic were shooting around pregame, they noticed no players from the opposing team as the clock went off to start the game, still no Bucks players.

Eventually, Orlando joined Milwaukee in solidarity and walked off the court and stunning the press. The teams were Boycotting in favor of Jacob Blake and the “Black Lives Matter” movement. What happened afterward can only be described as amazing. 

As the headlines flooded the news, the sports world slowed down. The next two NBA games that night were also postponed (as well as the next two days of games), but that wasn’t all. The MLB had matches boycotted, and the WNBA refused to play, the MLS boycotted, the NHL paused games for two days, Tennis matches were stopped, even the NFL, who didn’t have any games initially, decided to make some statements at practice. For those who don’t know, the last time an NBA game was boycotted was during the 1964 NBA season.

The NBA games did continue after a few days, but it should be noted that before they restarted, there was a meeting to determine if a restart was a good idea. Later that day, on August 26th, some hours after the Bucks boycotted the game, the NBA held a meeting to decide if the games should continue. The votes were to be determined by each of the 30 NBA teams. All said yes to the games being continued except 2, the Lakers and the Clippers. 

The Lakers and Clippers believed that the playoffs should resume, except for one player on the Lakers, LeBron James, who stalemated the two teams and the league. Miami Heat player Udonis Haslem asked every player in the meeting how they could continue to play if the two best teams didn’t want to. This put more fuel to the fire, and it made LeBron erupt. He was angry at the Bucks for not giving him a heads up and soon walked out of the meeting with the Los Angeles Clippers and his fellow Lakers soon after. Talk about making a statement!

What does this say about these events? One thing is for sure. The world of sports is no longer just a game. It’s a robust platform that can create an impact by simply refusing to play in today’s world. If these players want to tell you something, they no longer have to say it alone. We saw flashes of this before, but this time, especially with the technology we have now, these players have the ability to be even louder and way more impactful. They have the power to do it as one, side by side, together. In fact, we all can do so, we just need to come together as one. 

The events came one by one, adding up to a staggering total that we chose to ignore as a society. We watched as it happened. Until one team, soon an entire organization, and finally an entire sports nation, stood tall to the matter. They knew it would not stop the problem, but it would bump into the road. They showed us we could use our platform, whatever it may be, that it is possible to come together as one and try to change what is needed to be fixed.

If we can come together, the problem will not need to be “postponed” because it will already be addressed. As we move through the tragic instances of racial injustice, we must continue to stand together and face the issues.