For the second time this year, the sports world saw at least one league abruptly shut down on Wednesday when the Milwaukee Bucks walked away from Game 5 of their playoff series against the Orlando Magic in response to the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. That strike extended into Major League Baseball as well.
The Bucks’ strike caused the postponement of three NBA playoff games on Wednesday, and shortly after word of the Bucks’ strike spread, the Milwaukee Brewers decided they would not play, either. Kenosha sits about an hour away from Milwaukee, where the Bucks and Brewers call home. And while the Bucks are in the NBA’s Bubble in Orlando, the Brewers were slated to host a fan-less game at home on Wednesday night against the Cincinnati Reds.
https://twitter.com/jareddiamond/status/1298742004617302020
According to other reports, the Brewers may not be alone in striking in Major League Baseball, either.
Following the cancellation of the Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds game tonight, more teams are discussing the possibility of not playing, sources tell ESPN. Among those currently discussing it: the Seattle Mariners, who have the most Black players of any team in MLB.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 26, 2020
The Giants and Dodgers game was likewise postponed after various other games were called off due to the player movement.
The Giants have post-poned its game tonight against the Dodgers in light of the nationwide boycots. #SFGiants @kron4news
— Jason Dumas (@JDumasReports) August 26, 2020
Baseball’s season was suspended during spring training amid the COVID-19 pandemic and a number of games have been postponed due to positive coronavirus cases amid several teams, but this kind of labor unrest in response to police brutality against a Black man is unprecedented in the sport’s modern era. The Brewers join the Bucks in deciding the situation in their home state is much more important than sports right now, and though it’s unclear what happens next in the NBA and MLB, what is certain is athletes are stressing to the league and fans that they will not provide entertainment that could distract from yet another episode of police brutality unfolding on a national stage this summer.
